Physics Commons^™

A Mems Photoacoustic Detector Of Terahertz Radiation For Chemical Sensing, Nathan E. Glauvitz, S. Blazevic, Ronald A. Coutu Jr., Michael N. Kistler, Ivan Medvedev, Douglas T. Petkie

Physics Faculty Publications

A piezoelectric Microelectromechanical system (MEMS) cantilever pressure sensor was designed, modeled, fabricated, and tested for sensing the photoacoustic response of gases to terahertz (THz) radiation. The sensing layers were comprised of three thin films; a lead zirconate titanate (PZT) piezoelectric layer sandwiched between two metal contact layers. The sensor materials were deposited on the silicon device layer of a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafer, which formed the physical structure of the cantilever. To release the cantilever, a hole was etched through the backside of the wafer and the buried oxide was removed with hydrofluoric acid. Devices were then tested in a custom …