Design and Fabrication of Ceramic Microsystem Utilizing Glow Discharge for Analysis of Liquid Mixtures

Abstract

We present the results of our work on design and fabrication of Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramics (LTCC) Electrolyte as a Cathode Discharge (ELCAD) chip. It consists of plasma chamber filled with working gas (for instance helium). The fluidic channel with sample is placed below the chamber. Discharge ignites between anode and electrolyte cathode through aperture between microfluidic channel and plasma chamber. To avoid filling the chamber with fluid, channel and waste outlet should have proper geometry. We have checked our design and fabricated prototypes in DuPont system. External electrodes have been screen-printed using solderable PdAg paste. Inner electrodes, responsible for plasma creation, were made of platinum. To avoid sagging of structures we have used Sacrificial Volume Materials (SVM) and conducted multistep lamination with modified parameters. Finally, we tested if our device works properly. Firstly, we created discharge using high voltage alternating current source in air and observed discharge. Then, we ran measurements in ECLAD configuration. It was possible to create and sustain discharge with flowing liquid and gas. Also discharge spectra were recorded and analyzed. Zinc and cadmium were detected with limits of 0.14 mg/dm3 and 0.20 mg/dm3, respectively.

Element sensor based on microplasma generators

“…Under optimal experimental conditions, DLs of Cd and Zn obtained with AC-driven microAPGD were 0.053 and 0.14 mg/L, respectively, which was comparable or better than DLs reported by other researchers for similar microplasma excitation sources (Table 4). DLs of elements were, in general, better than these reported in the earlier work (Macioszczyk et al, 2016a). During all experiments, cathodes within ceramic chips used for sustaining the AC-driven discharge demonstrated very good reliability.…”

“…The aim of the present work was to: miniaturize a typical laboratory discharge setup, improve ceramic chips lately reported by Macioszczyk et al (2016aMacioszczyk et al ( , 2017a and fabricate a ceramic structure for stable operation of He microAPGD between a solid anode and a flowing liquid cathode (FLC). Macioszczyk et al (2016aMacioszczyk et al ( , 2017a presented structures with a drop outlet of wastes and with completely evaporating solutions, respectively. Here, He microAPGD between a solid anode and a FLC solution inside a ceramic chip was developed and studied.…”

Metrology and Measurement Systems

“…However, the LTCC materials were relatively seldom used in microplasma sources. Before the 2013 only four of them were presented in the literature [34][35][36][37][38].…”