A novel checker-patterned AlN MEMS resonator as gravimetric sensor

• Main Authors: Lee, Man I., Heidari, Amir, Yoon, Yong-Jin, Khine, Lynn, Park, Mi Kyoung, Tsai, Julius Ming-Lin
• Other Authors: School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2013
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/106268; http://hdl.handle.net/10220/17742; http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.sna.2012.09.027
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

This paper presents the design and experimental verification of a new class of piezoelectric aluminum nitride (AlN) resonator with checker-patterned electrode architecture for mass sensing applications. The mass sensitivity of the developed sensor is analytically derived and confirmed with FEM simulations and experimental results. The results show that a 773 MHz resonator has mass sensitivity of 175.42 μm2/ng and detection limit of 18.7 ng/cm2. The developed sensor has an obtained mass sensitivity of 2–3 times higher than that of state-of-the-art mass sensors and provides high potential for developed piezoelectric transducers for mass sensing applications.