Fabrication and characterization of a shear mode AlN solidly mounted resonator-silicone microfluidic system for in-liquid sensor applications

A shear mode AlN solidly mounted resonator (SMR) microfluidic sensor system was fabricated and characterized. The AlN SMR fabrication process is fully IC compatible and uses reactive sputtering to deposit piezoelectric AlN thin films with a non-zero mean inclination of the c-axis, which allows in-liquid operation through the excitation of the shear mode. Silicone encapsulation bonded on top of the Si sensor chip includes a microfluidic system to transport the analyte and confine the flow to the active area of the sensor chip. The sensor operation in air, water, glycerol and acetone was characterized. The resonator had a resonance frequency of around 1.2 GHz and a Q value in water of around 100. Results concerning the stability and resolution are also presented. The results indicate a potential of highly sensitive low-cost microfluidic sensor systems for applications in, e.g. point-of-care testing.