Sensors 2013, 13(7), 9364-9387; https://doi.org/10.3390/s130709364
In-Plane Resonant Nano-Electro-Mechanical Sensors: A Comprehensive Study on Design, Fabrication and Characterization Challenges
1
School of Materials Science, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST), Nomi, Ishikawa 923-1292, Japan
2
School of Electronics and Computer Science, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 9 June 2013 / Revised: 12 July 2013 / Accepted: 18 July 2013 / Published: 22 July 2013
(This article belongs to the Special Issue State-of-the-Art Sensors Technology in the UK 2013)
Abstract
The newly proposed in-plane resonant nano-electro-mechanical (IP R-NEM) sensor, that includes a doubly clamped suspended beam and two side electrodes, achieved a mass sensitivity of less than zepto g/Hz based on analytical and numerical analyses. The high frequency characterization and numerical/analytical studies of the fabricated sensor show that the high vacuum measurement environment will ease the resonance detection using the capacitance detection technique if only the thermoelsatic damping plays a dominant role for the total quality factor of the sensor. The usage of the intrinsic junction-less field-effect-transistor (JL FET) for the resonance detection of the sensor provides a more practical detection method for this sensor. As the second proposed sensor, the introduction of the monolithically integrated in-plane MOSFET with the suspended beam provides another solution for the ease of resonance frequency detection with similar operation to the junction-less transistor in the IP R-NEM sensor. The challenging fabrication technology for the in-plane resonant suspended gate field-effect-transistor (IP RSG-FET) sensor results in some post processing and simulation steps to fully explore and improve the direct current (DC) characteristics of the sensor for the consequent high frequency measurement. The results of modeling and characterization in this research provide a realistic guideline for these potential ultra-sensitive NEM sensors. View Full-TextKeywords:
nano-electro-mechanical sensors; resonance detection; total quality factor; junction-less field-effect-transistor; metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect-transistor
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Hassani, F.A.; Tsuchiya, Y.; Mizuta, H. In-Plane Resonant Nano-Electro-Mechanical Sensors: A Comprehensive Study on Design, Fabrication and Characterization Challenges. Sensors 2013, 13, 9364-9387.