Electromagnetic Excitation of High-Q Silicon Face Shear Mode Resonator Sensors

The excitation of acoustic resonators and sensors is usually achieved by piezoelectric and electrostatic methods. In our research we are investigating electromagnetic excitation of acoustic waves, in order to take advantage of several unique features of this alternative method, foremost the non-contact nature of the excitation and detection and the versatility of possible transducer materials. Of specific interest are silicon resonators due to their favorable elastic properties and low thermal coefficients, as well as due to the established microfabrication methods allowing for miniaturized sensor array structures. We show that such devices can be utilized as mass microbalance, liquid sensor and fluid volume detector.