Roof tile-shaped modes in quasi free–free supported piezoelectric microplate resonators in high viscous fluids

Abstract This paper reports on higher orders of the roof tile-shaped bending mode in piezoelectrically actuated MEMS plate-type resonators with quasi free–free support, achieving an increased piezoelectric response of ∼25% compared to a one-sided clamped cantilever structure with the same geometry and similar quality factor. Aluminum nitride (AlN) is used for the excitation of the devices offering different anchor designs. These MEMS resonators are characterised by electrical and optical measurements in air and in several liquids (i.e., isopropanol and viscosity standards: D5, N10, N35, N100, D500). Nodal analyses are presented and compared to both Finite Element Methods simulations and Laser Doppler Vibrometer measurements, demonstrating an excellent agreement between the positions of the plate supports with those of the nodal lines of the specific mode, which ensures a quasi free–free vibration. An optimized electrode design (OED) is established and compared to non-optimized actuation, showing superior performance for plates with OED. The evaluation of the quality factor Q and the strain related conductance peak Δ G of the investigated modes results in the highest value for the 4th order mode ( Q ∼  100; Δ G  = 0.35 mS). Finally the piezoelectric response Δ G / Q (∼4 μS for 4th order mode) is presented, showing great potential for a large variety of challenging resonator based physical and chemical sensing applications.

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