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Full-Text Articles in Engineering

Ultra-Thin-Film Aln Contour-Mode Resonators For Sensing Applications, Matteo Rinaldi, Chiara Zuniga, Gianluca Piazza Sep 2010

Ultra-Thin-Film Aln Contour-Mode Resonators For Sensing Applications, Matteo Rinaldi, Chiara Zuniga, Gianluca Piazza

Matteo Rinaldi

This paper reports on the design and experimental verification of a new class of ultra-thin-film (250 nm) aluminum nitride (AlN) microelectromechanical system (MEMS) contour mode resonators (CMRs) suitable for the fabrication of ultra-sensitive gravimetric sensors. The device thickness was opportunely scaled in order to increase the mass sensitivity, while keeping a constant frequency of operation. In this first demonstration the resonance frequency of the device was set to 178 MHz and a mass sensitivity as high as 38.96 KHz⋅μm2/fg was attained. This device demonstrates the unique capability of the CMR-S technology to decouple resonance frequency from mass sensitivity.


Ghz Range Nanoscaled Aln Contour-Mode Resonant Sensors (Cmr-S) With Self-Sustained Cmos Oscillator, Matteo Rinaldi, Chiara Zuniga, Chengjie Zuo, Gianluca Piazza Sep 2010

Ghz Range Nanoscaled Aln Contour-Mode Resonant Sensors (Cmr-S) With Self-Sustained Cmos Oscillator, Matteo Rinaldi, Chiara Zuniga, Chengjie Zuo, Gianluca Piazza

Matteo Rinaldi

This paper reports on the design and experimental verification of a new class of nanoscaled AlN Contour-Mode Resonant Sensors (CMR-S) for the detection of volatile organic chemicals (VOC) operating at frequencies above 1 GHz and connected to a chip-based CMOS oscillator circuit for direct frequency read-out. This work shows that by scaling the CMR-S to 250 nm in thickness and by operating at high frequencies (1 GHz) a limit of detection of ~35 zg/µm2 and a fast response time (<1 >ms) can be attained. In addition, the capability to detect concentrations of volatile organic compounds such as 2,6 dinitroluene (DNT) …


Ultra-Thin Super High Frequency Two-Port Aln Contour-Mode Resonators And Filters, Matteo Rinaldi, Chiara Zuniga, Chnegjie Zuo, Gianluca Piazza Sep 2010

Ultra-Thin Super High Frequency Two-Port Aln Contour-Mode Resonators And Filters, Matteo Rinaldi, Chiara Zuniga, Chnegjie Zuo, Gianluca Piazza

Matteo Rinaldi

This paper reports on the demonstration of a new class of ultra-thin (250 nm thick) super high frequency (SHF) AlN piezoelectric two-port resonators and filters. A thickness field excitation scheme was employed to excite a higher order contour extensional mode of vibration in an AlN nano plate (250 nm thick) above 3 GHz and synthesize a 1.96 GHz narrow-bandwidth channel-select filter. The devices of this work are able to operate over a frequency range from 1.9 to 3.5 GHz and are employed to synthesize the highest frequency MEMS filter based on electrically self-coupled AlN contour-mode resonators. Very narrow bandwidth (~ …


Ss-Dna Functionalized Ultra-Thin-Film Aln Contour-Mode Resonators With Self-Sustained Oscillator For Volatile Organic Chemical Detection, Matteo Rinaldi, Brandon Duick, Chiara Zuniga, Chengjie Zuo, Gianluca Piazza Dec 2009

Ss-Dna Functionalized Ultra-Thin-Film Aln Contour-Mode Resonators With Self-Sustained Oscillator For Volatile Organic Chemical Detection, Matteo Rinaldi, Brandon Duick, Chiara Zuniga, Chengjie Zuo, Gianluca Piazza

Matteo Rinaldi

This paper reports on the design and experimental verification of a new class of nanoscale gravimetric sensors based on ultra-thin-film AlN Contour-Mode Resonant Sensor (CMR-S) functionalized with ss-DNA and connected to a chip-based self-sustaining oscillator loop (fabricated in the ON Semiconductor 0.5 μm CMOS process) for direct frequency read-out. The 220 MHz oscillator based on the ultra-thin AlN CMR-S exhibits an Allan Variance of ∼20 Hz for 100 ms gate time. The sensor affinity for the adsorption of volatile organic chemicals such as 2,6 dinitroluene (DNT, a simulant for explosive vapors) is enhanced by functionalizing the top gold electrode of …


Power Handling And Related Frequency Scaling Advantages In Piezoelectric Aln Contour-Mode Mems Resonators, Chengjie Zuo, Matteo Rinaldi, Gianluca Piazza Aug 2009

Power Handling And Related Frequency Scaling Advantages In Piezoelectric Aln Contour-Mode Mems Resonators, Chengjie Zuo, Matteo Rinaldi, Gianluca Piazza

Matteo Rinaldi

This paper reports on the analytical modeling and experimental verification of the mechanically-limited power handling and nonlinearity in piezoelectric aluminum nitride (AlN) contour-mode resonators (CMR) having different electrode configurations (thickness field excitation, lateral field excitation, one-port and two-port configurations) and operating at different frequencies (177-3047 MHz). Despite its simplicity, the one-dimensional analytical model fits the experimental behavior of AlN CMRs in terms of power handling capabilities. The model and experiment also confirm the advantage of scaling (i.e. miniaturizing) the AlN CMRs to higher frequencies at which higher critical power density can be more easily attained up to values in excess …


Ultra-Thin Super High Frequency Two-Port Aln Contour-Mode Resonators And Filters, Matteo Rinaldi, Chiara Zuniga, Chengjie Zuo, Gianluca Piazza Jul 2009

Ultra-Thin Super High Frequency Two-Port Aln Contour-Mode Resonators And Filters, Matteo Rinaldi, Chiara Zuniga, Chengjie Zuo, Gianluca Piazza

Matteo Rinaldi

This paper reports on the demonstration of a new class of ultra-thin (250 nm thick) Super High Frequency (SHF) AlN piezoelectric two-port resonators and filters. A thickness field excitation scheme was employed to excite a higher order contour extensional mode of vibration in an AlN nano plate (250 nm thick) above 3 GHz and synthesize a 1.96 GHz narrow-bandwidth channel-select filter. The devices of this work are able to operate over a frequency range from 1.9 to 3.5 GHz and are employed to synthesize the highest frequency MEMS filter based on electrically self-coupled AlN contour-mode resonators. Very narrow bandwidth (~ …


Dna-Decorated Carbon Nanotubes As Sensitive Layer For Aln Contour-Mode Resonant-Mems Gravimetric Sensor, Chiara Zuniga, Matteo Rinaldi, Samuel M. Khamis, Timothy S. Jones, A T. Johnson, Gianluca Piazza Jun 2009

Dna-Decorated Carbon Nanotubes As Sensitive Layer For Aln Contour-Mode Resonant-Mems Gravimetric Sensor, Chiara Zuniga, Matteo Rinaldi, Samuel M. Khamis, Timothy S. Jones, A T. Johnson, Gianluca Piazza

Matteo Rinaldi

In this work a nano-enabled gravimetric chemical sensor prototype based on single-stranded DNA (ss-DNA) decorated single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT) as nano-functionalization layer for Aluminun Nitride (AIN) contour-mode resonant-MEMS gravimetric sensors has been demonstrated. Two resonators fabricated on the same silicon chip and operating at different resonance frequencies, 287 and 450 MHz, were functionalized with this novel bio-coating layer to experimentally prove the capability of two distinct single strands of DNA bound to SWNT to enhance differently the adsorption of volatile organic compounds such as dinitroluene (DNT, simulant for explosive vapor) and dymethyl-methylphosphonate (DMMP, a simulant for nerve agent sarin). The …


5-10 Ghz Aln Contour-Mode Nanoelectromechanical Resonators, Matteo Rinaldi, Chiara Zuniga, Gianluca Piazza Jun 2009

5-10 Ghz Aln Contour-Mode Nanoelectromechanical Resonators, Matteo Rinaldi, Chiara Zuniga, Gianluca Piazza

Matteo Rinaldi

This paper reports on the design and experimental verification of Super High Frequency (SHF) laterally vibrating NanoElctroMechanical (NEMS) resonators. For the first time, AlN piezoelectric nanoresonators with multiple frequencies of operation ranging between 5 and 10 GHz have been fabricated on the same chip and attained the highest f-Q product (4.6E12 Hz) ever reported in AlN contour-mode devices. These piezoelectric NEMS resonators are the first of their class to demonstrate on-chip sensing and actuation of nanostructures without the need of cumbersome or power consuming excitation and readout systems. Effective piezoelectric activity has been demonstrated in thin AlN films having vertical …


Aln Contour-Mode Resonators For Narrow-Band Filters Above 3 Ghz, Matteo Rinaldi, Chiara Zuniga, Chengjie Zuo, Gianluca Piazza Mar 2009

Aln Contour-Mode Resonators For Narrow-Band Filters Above 3 Ghz, Matteo Rinaldi, Chiara Zuniga, Chengjie Zuo, Gianluca Piazza

Matteo Rinaldi

This paper reports on the design and experimental verification of a new class of thin-film (250 nm) Super High Frequency (SHF) laterally-vibrating piezoelectric microelectromechanical (MEMS) resonators suitable for the fabrication of narrow-band MEMS filters operating at frequencies above 3 GHz. The device dimensions have been opportunely scaled both in the lateral and vertical dimensions in order to excite a contour-extensional mode of vibration in nano features of an ultra-thin (250 nm) Aluminum Nitride (AlN) film. In this first demonstration two-port resonators vibrating up to 4.5 GHz were fabricated on the same die and attained electromechanical coupling, kt2, in excess of …


Gravimetric Chemical Sensor Based On The Direct Integration Of Swnts On Aln Contour-Mode Mems Resonators, Matteo Rinaldi, Chiara Zuniga, Nipun Sinha, Marzie Taheri, Samuel Khamis, Alan Johnson, Gianluca Piazza Dec 2007

Gravimetric Chemical Sensor Based On The Direct Integration Of Swnts On Aln Contour-Mode Mems Resonators, Matteo Rinaldi, Chiara Zuniga, Nipun Sinha, Marzie Taheri, Samuel Khamis, Alan Johnson, Gianluca Piazza

Matteo Rinaldi

This paper reports on the first demonstration of a gravimetric chemical sensor based on direct integration of Single Wall Carbon Nanotubes (SWNTs) grown by Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) on AlN Contour-Mode MicroElectroMechanical (MEMS) resonators. In this first prototype the ability of SWNTs to readily adsorb volatile organic chemicals has been combined with the capability of AlN Contour-Mode MEMS resonator to provide for different levels of sensitivity due to separate frequencies of operation on the same die. Two devices with resonance frequencies of 287 MHz and 442 MHz have been exposed to different concentrations of DMMP in the range from 80 …