Suspended nanochannel in MEMS plate resonator for mass sensing in liquid

A mass sensor innovative concept is presented here, based on a hollow plate MEMS resonator (Fig. 1). This approach consists in flowing a solution through the embedded nanochannel, while the plate resonator is actuated by electrostatic coupling in dry environment. The experimental results have shown a clear relationship between measured shift of the resonant frequency and the sample solution density. Additionally, depending on the nanochannel design and the solution properties, the results showed the quality factor (Q Factor) maintaining its level and even substantial improvement in some cases, leading to a striking resonant frequency × Q factor product as high as 3.4 × 1011 measured for liquid phase.