Open AccessSelf-reading femtogram microbalance for highly sensitive airborne nanoparticle detection
Author(s) -
Maik Bertke,
Jiushuai Xu,
Andi Setiono,
Gerry Hamdana,
Hutomo Suryo Wasisto,
Erwin Peiner
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of physics. conference series
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.21
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1742-6596
pISSN - 1742-6588
DOI - 10.1088/1742-6596/1319/1/012004
Subject(s) - cantilever , wheatstone bridge , finite element method , resistive touchscreen , electrode , microelectromechanical systems , materials science , sensitivity (control systems) , nanotechnology , optoelectronics , acoustics , chemistry , physics , electrical engineering , electronic engineering , composite material , voltage , engineering , resistor , thermodynamics
In this paper, a self-reading miniaturized cantilever design for highly sensitive airborne nanoparticle (NP) detection is presented. The cantilever, which is operated in the fundamental in-plane resonance mode, is used as a microbalance with femtogram resolution. For maximum sensitivity and read-out signal amplitude, the geometric parameters of the sensor design were optimized by finite-element modelling (FEM). Piezo-resistive struts at both sides of the cantilever are employed for a Wheatstone half-bridge. This allows the electrical read-out of the phase information of a resonant cantilever of minimum mass. For electrostatic NP collection, the cantilever has a negative-biased electrode located at its free end. Moreover, μ-channels for guiding a particle-laden air flow and a counter-electrode around the cantilever tip are integrated. The presented airborne NP sensor is expected to demonstrate significant improvements in the field of handheld, MEMS-based NP monitoring devices.