Highly sensitive ZnO thin film bulk acoustic resonator for hydrogen detection

We apply a thin film bulk acoustic resonator for hydrogen detection. The resonator working at 2.39 GHz consists of a ZnO piezoelectric stack and an Al/W Bragg reflector. A Pd film is coated on the top of a piezoelectric film as the electrode and sensing coating to capture hydrogen. The resonance frequency of the resonator reduces progressively with the increase of hydrogen concentration due to the mass addition on the Pd layer after hydrogenation. The experimental results show that our proposed sensor can yield the sensitive, linear, reversible, repeatable and stable responses to hydrogen in the concentration range of 0.05%–3% at room temperature. The limit of detection at room temperature is as low as 0.05%. This study proves that the thin film bulk acoustic resonator is a promising and feasible platform for the hydrogen sensor working at room temperature.

[1]  Ulrich Banach,et al.  Hydrogen Sensors - A review , 2011 .

[2]  Vladimir M. Aroutiounian,et al.  Metal oxide hydrogen, oxygen, and carbon monoxide sensors for hydrogen setups and cells , 2007 .

[3]  Qi Zhang,et al.  Thin-film bulk acoustic resonators and filters using ZnO and lead-zirconium-titanate thin films , 2001 .

[4]  Sung-Jin Kim,et al.  Highly sensitive hydrogen gas sensors using single-walled carbon nanotubes grafted with Pd nanoparticles , 2010 .

[5]  Z. Li,et al.  Solidly mounted resonators operated in thickness shear mode based on c-axis oriented AlN films , 2011 .

[6]  Seokheun Choi,et al.  A contour-mode film bulk acoustic resonator of high quality factor in a liquid environment for biosensing applications , 2010 .

[7]  Wolfgang Pompe,et al.  Film bulk acoustic resonators for DNA and protein detection and investigation of in vitro bacterial S-layer formation , 2009 .

[8]  Gianluca Piazza,et al.  Nanoenabled microelectromechanical sensor for volatile organic chemical detection , 2009 .

[9]  C. L. Britton,et al.  Design and performance of a microcantilever-based hydrogen sensor , 2003 .

[10]  P. Verardi,et al.  Elastic properties of thin-film palladium for surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensors , 1995 .

[11]  W. Jakubik.  Hydrogen gas-sensing with bilayer structures of WO3 and Pd in SAW and electric systems , 2009 .

[12]  Wei Pang,et al.  Ultra Temperature-Stable Bulk-Acoustic-Wave Resonators with SiO 2 Compensation Layer , 2007, IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control.

[13]  E. S. Kim,et al.  Label-free detection of protein-ligand interactions in real time using micromachined bulk acoustic resonators , 2010 .

[14]  F. Ndagijimana,et al.  Modeling for temperature compensation and temperature characterizations of BAW resonators at GHz frequencies , 2008, IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control.

[15]  W. Wlodarski,et al.  Layered SAW gas sensor based on CSA synthesized polyaniline nanofiber on AlN on 64° YX LiNbO3 for H2 sensing , 2009 .

[16]  Wojtek Wlodarski,et al.  Polypyrrole nanofiber surface acoustic wave gas sensors , 2008 .

[17]  Hsu-Cheng Chiang,et al.  Study on Pd functionalization of microcantilever for hydrogen detection promotion , 2008 .

[18]  Jingjing Wang,et al.  Nerve gas sensor using film bulk acoustic resonator modified with a self-assembled Cu2+/11-mercaptoundecanoic acid bilayer , 2010 .

[19]  Ventsislav Yantchev,et al.  Shear mode AlN thin film electro-acoustic resonant sensor operation in viscous media , 2007 .

[20]  T. Porter,et al.  A solid-state sensor platform for the detection of hydrogen cyanide gas , 2007 .

[21]  M. Benetti,et al.  Thin-Film Bulk-Acoustic-Resonator Gas Sensor Functionalized With a Nanocomposite Langmuir–Blodgett Layer of Carbon Nanotubes , 2008, IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices.

[22]  Nobuhiko Tsuji,et al.  Sensing characteristics of an optical fiber sensor for hydrogen leak , 2003 .

[23]  W. Jakubik,et al.  Investigations of thin film structures of WO3 and WO3 with Pd for hydrogen detection in a surface acoustic wave sensor system , 2007 .

[24]  Joel F. Rosenbaum,et al.  Bulk Acoustic Wave Theory and Devices , 1988 .

[25]  W. Wlodarski,et al.  Hydrogen gas sensor based on highly ordered polyaniline nanofibers , 2009 .

[26]  Paul Muralt,et al.  Bulk acoustic wave resonator operating at 8 GHz for gravimetric sensing of organic films , 2006 .