Method for QCM Resonator Device Equivalent Circuit Parameter Extraction and Electrode Quality Assessment

Abstract

Quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) resonators are used in a wide range of sensors. Current QCM resonators achieve a simultaneous measurement of multiple physical quantities by analyzing lumped-element equivalent parameters, which are obtained via the introduction of external devices. This introduction of external devices will probably increase measurement error. To realize the measurement of multiple physical quantities while eliminating the measurement error caused by external devices, this paper proposes a measurement method for the lumped-element equivalent parameters of QCM resonators without the need for extra external devices. Accordingly, a numerical method for solving nonlinear equations with fewer data points required and a higher accuracy was adopted. A standard crystal resonator parameter extraction experiment is described. The extracted parameters were consistent with the nominal parameters, which confirms the accuracy of this method. Furthermore, six QCM resonator device samples with different electrode diameters and materials were produced and used in the parameter measurement experiment. The linear relationship between the electrode material conductivity and motional resistance R1 is discussed. The ability of this method to characterize the electrode material and to detect the rust status of the electrode is also demonstrated. These abilities support the potential utility of the proposed method for an electrode quality assessment of piezoelectric devices.

Impedance Analysis of Chitin Nanofibers Integrated Bulk Acoustic Wave Humidity Sensor with Asymmetric Electrode Configuration

“…The Butterworth–Van Dyke (BVD) model illustrated in Figure 4 a is often employed to characterize the electro-acoustic impedance behavior of the QCM sensors [ 27 , 28 , 29 ]. , , , and are related to the additional capacitance between the two electrodes, mechanical flexibility, initial mass, and energy dissipation of the QCM sensor, respectively.…”

“…It can be found that the peak frequency ( ) of the conductance curve of each sensor decreases and the HBW widens as the humidity increases. The equivalent circuit parameters and Q values of the ChNF-integrated QCM sensors were obtained from the conductance and susceptance [ 27 ], as shown in Table 2 . As shown in Figure 4 f, the equivalent resistance ( ) of all ChNF-integrated QCM humidity sensors increases with increasing humidity.…”

Influence of Front-End Electronics on Metrological Performance of QCM Systems

“…Each technique presents its own trade-offs in terms of cost, application specificity, accuracy, and measurement duration. Importantly, the interaction between measurement devices and quartz crystals is crucial, as front-end electronics can introduce loading effects, influencing measurement accuracy [ 22 , 23 ]. In fact, despite the exceptional sensitivity and resolution offered by quartz electromechanical resonators, they also exhibit significant sensitivity to front-end electronics loading and parasitic effects.…”

New Insights on Plasmin Long Term Stability and the Mechanism of Its Activity Inhibition Analyzed by Quartz Crystal Microbalance

“…Surface-sensitive acoustic methods are rather useful for analysis of various processes [25]. They can also be used for detection of protease activity because they do not require any labeling of the substrate [26].…”