Label-free Her2 detection and dissociation constant assessment in diluted human serum using a longitudinal extension mode of a piezoelectric microcantilever sensor

We have investigated real-time, label-free, in situ detection of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (Her2) in diluted serum using the first longitudinal extension mode of a lead zirconate-lead titanate (PZT)/glass piezoelectric microcantilever sensor (PEMS) with H3 single-chain variable fragment (scFv) immobilized on the 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (MPS) insulation layer of the PEMS surface. We showed that with the longitudinal extension mode, the PZT/glass PEMS consisting of a 1 mm long and 127 μm thick PZT layer bonded with a 75 μm thick glass layer with a 1.8 mm long glass tip could detect Her2 at a concentration of 6–60 ng/ml (or 0.06–0.6 nM) in diluted human serum, about 100 times lower than the concentration limit obtained using the lower-frequency flexural mode of a similar PZT/glass PEMS. We further showed that with the longitudinal mode, the PZT/glass PEMS determined the equilibrium H3–Her2 dissociation constant K_d to be 3.3 ± 0.3 × 10⁻⁸ M consistent with the value, 3.2 ± 0.28 × 10⁻⁸ M deduced by the surface plasmon resonance method (BIAcore).     

Real-Time, Label-Free, All-Electrical Detection of Salmonella typhimurium Using Lead Zirconate Titanate/Gold-Coated Glass Cantilevers at any Relative Humidity

We have examined non-insulated PZT/gold-coated glass cantilevers for real-time, label-free detection of Salmonella t. by partial dipping at any relative humidity. The PZT/gold-coated glass cantilevers were consisted of a 0.127 mm thick PZT layer about 0.8 mm long, 2 mm wide bonded to a 0.15 mm thick gold-coated glass layer with a 3.0 mm long gold-coated glass tip for detection. We showed that by placing the water level at the nodal point, about 0.8 mm from the free end of the gold-glass tip, there was a 1-hr window in which the resonance frequency was stable despite the water level change by evaporation at 20% relative humidity or higher. By dipping the cantilevers to their nodal point, we were able to do real-time, label-free detection without background resonance frequency corrections at any relative humidity. The partially dipped PZT/gold-coated glass cantilever exhibited mass detection sensitivity, Δm/Δf = -5×10(-11)g/Hz, and a detection concentration sensitivity, 5×10(3) cells/ml in 2 ml of liquid, which was about two orders of magnitude lower than that of a 5 MHz QCM. It was also about two orders of magnitude lower than the infection dosage and one order of magnitude lower that the detection limit of a commercial Raptor sensor.     

Design and fabrication of PZT microcantilevers with freestanding structure

For developing freestanding piezoelectric microcantilevers with low resonant frequency, some critical mechanical considerations, especially cantilever bending, were given in this study. Two strategies, using piezoelectric thick films and adding a stress compensation layer, were calculationally analyzed for mitigating the cantilever bending, and then was applied for the fabrication of PZT freestanding microcantilevers. (100) oriented PZT thick films with the thickness of 6.93 μm were grown on the Pt/SiO₂/Si substrate by chemical solution deposition (CSD), and the SiO₂ layer with the thickness of 1.0 μm was kept under the PZT layer as a stress compensation layer of the freestanding microcantilevers. The freestanding microcantilevers fabricated with the micromachining process possessed the resonant frequency of 466.1 Hz, and demonstrated no obvious cantilever bending.     

Piezoelectric linear motor with unimorph structure by co-extrusion process

A new piezoelectric linear motor was developed using a ring-shaped, unimorph stator composed of a piezoelectric active layer (0.3PZN–0.7PZT/Mn) and a conductive passive layer (0.3PZN–0.7PZT/Mn/Ag). The stator was prepared by co-extrusion followed by the thermoplastic green machining (TGM) process. After co-extruding the piezoelectrically active and passive layers together, they were machined into a ring shape and then sintered at 930 °C for 4 h. The stator was poled in the thickness direction and operated in radial vibration mode. A glass rod was used as the moving shaft. When a saw-tooth electric field was applied, the shaft moved linearly as a result of the stator's bending motion. When an inverted saw-tooth electric potential was applied, the shaft moved linearly in the opposite direction. The velocity of the piezoelectric linear motor was about 4 mm/s at an applied voltage of 80 V_p–p and a resonance frequency of 36.5 kHz.     

LSCO厚膜电阻浆料的制备与电性能研究

采用传统固相合成法制成的LSCO作为功能相,并用钙硼硅玻璃作为无机粘结相制备了厚膜电阻浆料。研究了玻璃相的含量、峰值烧结温度对厚膜方阻及电阻温度系数的影响。结果表明:当浆料固相成分中玻璃相的质量分数为3%～9%(体积分数为11.11%～28.56%)时,制备的厚膜电阻浆料方阻变化范围为1kΩ/□～10MkΩ/□。电阻温度系数为-8000×10-6/℃～-5000×10-6/℃。     

间甲酚紫-PVP复合薄膜/K+交换玻璃光波导元件的制备及其气敏研究

利用旋转甩涂法(Spin-Coating)将间甲酚紫-聚乙烯吡咯烷酮复合薄膜固定在K+交换玻璃光波导表面研制了光波导敏感元件.研究了不同复合比例的间甲酚紫-聚乙烯吡咯烷酮复合薄膜与酸性和挥发性有机气体作用前后的紫外可见吸收光谱变化,并在此基础上研究了该敏感元件在光波导测试系统中对酸性和挥发性有机气体的响应.敏感薄膜与酸性气体作用后,薄膜由黄色变为紫红色.该敏感元件能检测到体积比浓度低于1×10-10(1.41×10-4 mg/m3)的H2S,响应和恢复时间分别为1.1 s和8.5 s,信噪比S/N为15.43;能检测到体积比浓度低于1×10-10(2.66×10-4 mg/m3)SO2气体,响应和恢复时间分别为0.4 s和2.7 s,信噪比S/N为5.88.间甲酚紫-聚乙烯吡咯烷酮复合薄膜厚度为199 nm±5 nm.     

Thin-Film Piezoelectric Unimorph Actuator-Based Deformable Mirror With a Transferred Silicon Membrane

This paper describes a proof-of-concept deformable mirror (DM) technology, with a continuous single-crystal silicon membrane reflecting surface, based on$ PbZr _0.52 Ti_0.48 O _3$(PZT) unimorph membrane microactuators. A potential application for a terrestrial planet finder adaptive er is also discussed. The DM comprises a continuous, large-aperture, silicon membrane “transferred” onto a 20$,times,$20 piezoelectric unimorph actuator array. The actuator array was prepared on an electroded silicon substrate using chemical-solution-deposited 2-$mu m$-thick PZT films working in a$d _31$mode. The substrate was subsequently bulk-micromachined to create membrane structures with residual silicon acting as the passive layer in the actuator structure. A mathematical model simulated the membrane microactuator performance and aided in the optimization of membrane thicknesses and electrode geometries. Excellent agreement was obtained between the model and the experimental results. The resulting piezoelectric unimorph actuators with patterned PZT films produced large strokes at low voltages. A PZT unimorph actuator, 2.5 mm in diameter with optimized PZT/silicon thickness and design showed a deflection of 5.7$~mu m$at 20 V. A DM structure with a 20-$mu m$-thick silicon membrane mirror (50 mm$times,$50 mm area) supported by 400 PZT unimorph actuators was successfully fabricated and optically characterized. The measured maximum mirror deflection at 30 V was approximately 1$~mu m$. An assembled DM showed an operating frequency bandwidth of 30 kHz and an influence function of approximately 30%. 1738     

微压电复合材料超声波探测器的制备及应用

基于微细加工工艺,设计并制备了一种指向性良好的压电复合材料的超声波探测器。该探测器由压电振子、阻尼器、中继板和特高频（UHF）连接器构成。压电振子由4×4个（80μm×80μm×130μm）（长×宽×高）的锆钛酸铅（PZT）压电柱状阵列及阵列缝隙填充环氧树脂而构成。当压电振子施加高频交流电压时,柱状PZT阵列产生纵向伸缩运动,从而产生超声波并向介质辐射。作为填充材料的环氧树脂,能够吸收掉因柱状PZT阵列其他方向振动而引起的噪声,使探测器在纵向上能产生指向性良好的超声波,从而提高了该探测器的灵敏度。测试结果表明,该微压电探测器指向性好,灵敏度高,精度高和抗干扰性好,可应用在泥沙的含水量测量中。     

The origin of low-order and high-order impedance-coupled resonant modes in piezoelectric-excited millimeter-sized cantilever (PEMC) sensors: Experiments and finite element models

The characteristics of both low-order and high-order resonant modes exhibited by piezoelectric-excited millimeter-sized cantilever (PEMC) sensors were investigated to determine the coupling between electrical impedance and resonant modes observed experimentally. Experimentally measured frequency response spectra correlated well (<5% difference; n = 10 sensors) with three-dimensional (3D) finite element model (FEM) calculations. FEM frequency response and eigen frequency analyses revealed the sensor's resonant modes were complex, and characterized by combinations of transverse, torsional, longitudinal, buckling, and lateral motion. The magnitude of average integrated charge and current density change in the piezoelectric (lead zirconate titanate; PZT) layer at resonance directly correlated with coupling of resonant modes to electrical impedance measurement. Of the 32 resonant modes predicted by eigen frequency analysis in the frequency range 0-1 MHz, only a subset of 17 modes produced charge and current density changes in the PZT layer greater than off-resonance values. Thus, only the subset of resonant modes was coupled to electrical impedance changes and could be exploited for sensing. Transverse, longitudinal, and lateral motion of the piezoelectric layer coupled strongly with the PZT electrical impedance, while torsional and buckling motion did not. Electrically decoupled resonant modes were made measurable by introducing minor geometric asymmetry in composite layer alignment. High-order modes were shown experimentally to exhibit sub-femtogram sensitivity to mass-changes in air. Such modes consisted of combinations of transverse and longitudinal modes in both sensor layers.     

里程仪测距纵坡度及加减速模型研究

针对轮式车辆导航特点,综合车辆载荷转移和轮胎滑动两方面,提出了计算半径的概念,建立能同时补偿路面纵坡度和车辆加速度对里程仪测距影响的误差模型,跑车试验表明:纵坡度角每增加1°里程仪计算刻度系数约减小1.0762×10-3mm,加速度每增加1 m/s2里程仪计算刻度系数约减小6.295×10-3mm,经过路面纵坡度和车辆...     

Finite element analysis and experiments on a silicon membrane actuated by an epitaxial PZT thin film for localized-mass sensing applications

In this paper, we investigate the performance of a piezoelectric membrane actuated by an epitaxial piezoelectric Pb(Zr_0.2Ti_0.8)O₃ (PZT) thin film for localized-mass sensing applications. The fabrication and characterization of piezoelectric circular membranes based on epitaxial thin films prepared on a silicon wafer are presented. The dynamic behavior and mass sensing performance of the proposed structure are experimentally investigated and compared to numerical analyses. A 1500 μm diameter silicon membrane actuated by a 150 nm thick epitaxial PZT film exhibits a strong harmonic oscillation response with a high quality factor of 110-144 depending on the resonant mode at atmospheric pressure. Different aspects related to the effect of the mass position and of the resonant mode on the mass sensitivity as well as the minimum detectable mass are evaluated. The operation of the epitaxial PZT membrane as a mass sensor is determined by loading polystyrene microspheres. The mass sensitivity is a function of the mass position, which is the highest at the antinodal points. The epitaxial PZT membrane exhibits a mass sensitivity in the order of 10⁻¹² g/Hz with a minimum detectable mass of 5 ng. The results reveal that the mass sensor realized with the epitaxial PZT thin film, which is capable of generating a high actuating force, is a promising candidate for the development of high performance mass sensors. Such devices can be applied for various biological and chemical sensing applications.     

PZT厚膜的电射流沉积研究

制备了锆钛酸铅( PZT)悬浮液,采用电射流沉积( EJD)技术,在硅衬底上沉积了PZT厚膜.研究了电射流沉积高度、流量及悬浮液混合条件对厚膜致密性的影响.结果表明:降低电射流沉积高度和流量有助于提高沉积PZT厚膜致密性;采用球磨方法充分混合PZT悬浮液,沉积的PZT厚膜致密性明显提高.采用优化的电射流沉积参数和球磨20 h的PZT悬浮液,制备了10μm无裂纹PZT厚膜,其压电常数d33为67 pC·N-1 ,相对介电常数εr 为255.     

复合式微型能量采集器结构设计及关键技术

提出一种压电效应和电磁效应相结合的微型能量采集器,基础结构为压电换能器(PZT)基八悬臂梁、长有Au线圈质量块、铷铁硼(NdFeB)永磁体.利用有限元分析软件ANSYS对微结构建立模型,通过结构力学特性分析,得到所设计结构的一阶谐振频率为214.7 Hz,为后期测试提供指导意义.制定微机电系统(MEMS)加工工艺流程,利用L-Edit软件设计并绘制所需掩模版.利用溶胶-凝胶(sol-gel)技术制备厚度为3 529 nm的PZT压电厚膜,实现了其与基底Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si/SiO2的良好异质集成,完成微型能量采集器制造过程中关键一步.经介电性能测试,PZT厚膜具有双蝴蝶状的极化反转峰,体现出较高的介电性能和耐压强度.400 kV/cm驱动条件下,测得PZT厚膜的电滞回线,其剩余极化强度Pr为37.7 μC/cm2,矫顽场强为41.2kV/cm,表现出良好的铁电性能.     

Integration of displacement sensor into bulk PZT thick film actuator for MEMS deformable mirror

Bulk PZT thick film actuator integrated with displacement sensor, the so-called self-sensing actuator, is presented in this paper. The PZT film is used as not only an actuating layer but also a displacement sensor, which is achieved by dividing the electrode on the top surface of the PZT film into two parts: central top electrode for actuating and outer annular sensor electrode for piezoelectric displacement detection. When the actuator moves, the piezoelectric charge is induced in the outer annular PZT due to the piezoelectric effect. The total amount of accumulated charge is proportional to the stress acting on the PZT, which is in turn proportional to the actuator displacement. By collecting the piezoelectric charge, the actuator displacement can be detected. A theoretical model is proposed to determine the structure parameters of the sensor and predict the sensor sensitivity. Experiments were performed on the micro-fabricated sensor integrated PZT thick film actuator, and the measured piezoelectric charge is close to the theoretical predictions. The integrated piezoelectric sensor has a displacement sensitivity of approximately 4 pC/nm. In addition, the integration of displacement sensor into the actuator needs no additional fabrication process and has no influence on the actuator performances.     

A micromachining process for die-scale pattern transfer in ceramics and its application to bulk piezoelectric actuators

This paper reports on a batch mode planar pattern transfer process for bulk ceramics, glass, and other hard, brittle, nonconductive materials suitable for micromachined transducers and packages. The process is named LEEDUS, as it combines lithography, electroplating, batch mode micro electro-discharge machining (/spl mu/EDM) and batch mode micro ultrasonic machining (/spl mu/USM). An electroplating mold is first created on a silicon or metal wafer using standard lithography, then using the electroplated pattern as an electrode to /spl mu/EDM a hard metal (stainless steel or WC/Co) tool, which is finally used in the /spl mu/USM of the ceramic substrate. A related process (SEDUS) uses serial /spl mu/EDM and omits lithography for rapid prototyping of simple patterns. Feature sizes of 25 /spl mu/m within a 4.5/spl times/4.5 mm/sup 2/ die have been micromachined on glass-mica (Macor) ceramic plates with 34 /spl mu/m depth. The ultrasonic step achieves 18 /spl mu/m/min. machining rate, with a tool wear ratio of less than 6% for the stainless steel microtool. Other process characteristics are also described. As a demonstration, octagonal and circular spiral shaped in-plane actuators were fabricated from bulk lead zirconate titanate (PZT) plate using the LEEDUS/SEDUS process. A device of 20 /spl mu/m thickness and 450 /spl mu/m/spl times/420 /spl mu/m footprint produces a displacement of /spl ap/2/spl mu/m at 40 V.     

Evaluation of electromechanical properties and field concentrations near electrodes in piezoelectric thick films for MEMS mirrors by simulations and tests

We examine the nonlinear electromechanical response of piezoelectric mirrors driven by PZT thick films in a combined numerical and experimental investigation. First, some electromechanical tests were performed to measure the response (displacement versus load, displacement versus electric field) of the PZT thick films on elastic layers. A finite element analysis was then employed to determine the material properties in the PZT thick films using measured data. Next, the mirror tilt angle and electromechanical field concentrations due to electrodes in piezoelectric mirrors under electric fields were analyzed by introducing a model for polarization switching in local areas, and a nonlinear behavior was discussed in detail. The mirrors consisted of four fully or partially poled PZT unimorphs. Test results on the mirror tilt angle versus electric field, which verify the model, were also presented.     

Flexible piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducer (pMUT) for application in brain stimulation

We propose a new flexible piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducer (pMUT) array integrated on flexible polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) that can be used in studying brain stimulation by ultrasound. To achieve the technical demands of a high sound pressure level and flexibility, a diaphragm-type piezoelectric ultrasound transducer array was manufactured with 55 μm-thick bulk lead zirconate titanate (PZT) that was thinned after bonding with a silicon wafer. The ultrasound transducer array was then strongly bonded onto a PDMS substrate using an oxygen-plasma treatment followed by precise dicing with a fixed pitch to achieve flexibility. The radius of curvature was smaller than 5 mm, which is sufficient for attachment to the surface of a mouse brain. After a thinning process for the PZT layer, we observed that the PZT layer still maintained a high ferroelectric property. The measured remnant polarization (P_r) and coercive field (E_c) were 28.26 μC/cm² and 79 kV/cm, respectively. The resonant frequencies of fabricated pMUT elements with different membrane sizes of 700, 800, 900, 1200 μm in diameter were measured to be 694.4, 565.4, 430.8, and 289.3 kHz, respectively. By measuring the ultrasound output pressure, a pMUT showed a sound intensity (I_sppa) of 44 mW/cm² at 80 V, which is high enough for low-intensity ultrasound brain stimulation.

     

Vision-assisted profile inspection system of inhomogeneous flex circuits in hard disk drives

Previous contributors have identified flex circuit or cable vibrations to be problematic sources for decreasing operation accuracy of read/write head in hard disk drives. To reduce the vibrations from the flex cable, damper layer or piezo-electric (PZT) layer have been reported to be effective in controlling the cable’s dynamics. However, due to complexity in the largely deformed circuit with additional layer, it is quite difficult to come up with proper analytical model to depict cable’s profile. In this work, a vision system and detection method are proposed and examined with mock flex cables by sandwiching additional PZT film layer between two plastic laminates, causing the cable to be inhomogeneous along its free length direction. From the present investigation, close-to-real 2D geometry or say the profile of inhomogeneous flex cable can be obtained by image processing filters including standard deviation threshold of the captured flex cable image. To ensure reliability in obtaining the correct profile of the cable, three types of evaluation techniques were implemented on the flex cable’s image contour. The profile was used in constructing finite element mode from which natural frequencies were validated by experimental measurements. Study on the flex cable’s non-uniformity reveals that the PZT film near J-block joint stiffens and straightens the cable contour. Without bending the cable contour too much and destroying the mechanical design of flex cable, it was suggested by this work that PZT layer would be an appropriate control medium to eliminate the cable vibrations.     

Improving the piezoelectric properties of thick-film PZT: the influence of paste composition, powder milling process and electrode material

This paper details improvements of the d₃₃ coefficient for thick-film Lead–Zirconate–Titanate (PZT) layers. In particular, the effect that the powder milling process has on particle size, shape and distribution has been investigated. Ball milled, jet milled and attritor milled powders were obtained from Morgan Electro-Ceramics Ltd. These powders were mixed with various ratios of lead borosilicate glass in the range of 5–20% by weight and an appropriate quantity of Electro-Science Laboratories (ESL) 400 solvent to formulate a screen printable thixotropic paste. The use of a polymer top electrode to reduce the number of firing cycles the PZT layer is subjected to was also investigated. The results show that the highest values of d₃₃ were obtained from the ball milled powder with 10% glass content, but the most consistent results were obtained from the attritor milled samples. The samples printed with a polymer top electrode have shown an average increase of around 15% in the value of d₃₃.     

Design, fabrication, and measurement of high-sensitivity piezoelectric microelectromechanical systems accelerometers

Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) accelerometers based on piezoelectric lead zirconate titanate (PZT) thick films with trampoline or annular diaphragm structures were designed, fabricated by bulk micromachining, and tested. The designs provide good sensitivity along one axis, with low transverse sensitivity and good temperature stability. The thick PZT films (1.5-7 /spl mu/m) were deposited from an acetylacetonate modified sol-gel solution, using multiple spin coating, pyrolysis, and crystallization steps. The resulting films show good dielectric and piezoelectric properties, with P/sub r/ values >20 /spl mu/C/cm/sup 2/, /spl epsiv//sub r/>800, tan/spl delta/<3%, and |e/sub 31,f/| values >6.5 C/m/sup 2/. The proof mass fabrication, as well as the accelerometer beam definition step, was accomplished via deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) of the Si substrate. Measured sensitivities range from 0.77 to 7.6 pC/g for resonant frequencies ranging from 35.3 to 3.7 kHz. These accelerometers are being incorporated into packages including application specific integration circuit (ASIC) electronics and an RF telemetry system to facilitate wireless monitoring of industrial equipment.