title: An embedded microchannel in a MEMS plate resonator for ultrasensitive mass sensing in liquid.
abstract: A mass sensor innovative concept is presented here, based on a hollow plate Micro Electro Mechanical System (MEMS) resonator. This approach consists in running a solution through an embedded microchannel, while the plate resonator is actuated according to a Lamé-mode by electrostatic coupling in dry environment. The experimental results have shown a clear relationship between the measured shift of the resonance frequency and the sample solution density. Additionally, depending on the channel design and the solution properties, the quality factor (Q-factor) was noticed maintaining its level and even substantial improvement in particular cases. Resonators demonstrate resonance frequencies close to 78 MHz and Q-factor of a few thousands for liquid phase detection operating at ambient temperature and atmospheric pressure. Frequency fluctuations study revealed a 13 Hz instability level, equivalent to 1.5 fg in mass. Using a fully electronic readout configuration, a mass responsivity of ca. 850 fg kHz(-1) was monitored.
authors.affiliation: CEA-LETI/Minatec, DTBS, F-38054, Grenoble, France. vincent.agache@cea.fr
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Agache
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Blanco-Gomez
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Baleras
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Caillat
mesh_terms: D013058:Mass Spectrometry / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D046228:Microarray Analysis / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*