QCM sensor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9645115-B2
Application number	US-201314099262-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 6, 2013
Priority date	Dec 17, 2012
Publication date	May 9, 2017
Grant date	May 9, 2017

Abstract

A QCM sensor for detecting a physical quantity of a sample includes a quartz crystal vibrator for measurement, a quartz crystal vibrator for reference, and a housing accommodating the quartz crystal vibrator for measurement and the quartz crystal vibrator for reference. The quartz crystal vibrator for measurement has a first electrode that is contacted by a measurement sample to be detected, and a first quartz substrate provided with a surface on which the first electrode is formed. The quartz crystal vibrator for reference has a second electrode that is contacted by a reference sample as a reference when detecting a physical quantity of the measurement sample, and a second quartz substrate provided with a surface on which the second electrode is formed. A confining portion connects to the housing to confine the reference sample in a state of contacting the second electrode.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A QCM sensor for detecting a physical quantity of a sample by allowing the sample to contact an excitation electrode on a surface of a quartz crystal vibrator, comprising:
a quartz crystal vibrator for measurement having a first electrode which can be contacted by a measurement sample to be detected and having a first quartz substrate with a surface on which the first electrode is formed;
a quartz crystal vibrator for reference having a second electrode which can be contacted by a reference sample as a reference when detecting a physical quantity of the measurement sample and having a second quartz substrate with a surface on which the second electrode is formed;
a housing accommodating the quartz crystal vibrator for measurement and the quartz crystal vibrator for reference, the housing having opposite ends and an opening in one of the ends through which the first electrode is exposed for contacting the measurement sample; and
a confining portion at the other end of the housing and confining the reference sample in the housing in a state of contacting the second electrode.

2. The QCM sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the confining portion is formed inside an outline of the quartz crystal vibrator for reference when seen from a direction perpendicular to the surface of the quartz crystal vibrator for reference.

3. The QCM sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the confining portion is formed in an opening in the other end of the housing so as to confine the reference sample in a thickness of the housing when seen from a direction parallel to the surface of the quartz crystal vibrator for reference.

4. The QCM sensor according to claim 1 , further comprising a third electrode formed on an opposite surface of the surface on which the first electrode is formed in the first quartz substrate and a fourth electrode formed on an opposite surface of the surface on which the second electrode is formed in the second quartz substrate; and wherein the housing is formed so as to accommodate the third electrode and the fourth electrode in a common space.

5. The QCM sensor according to claim 4 , wherein the quartz crystal vibrator for measurement and the quartz crystal vibrator for reference are arranged so that the third electrode faces the fourth electrode, and the housing supports the quartz crystal vibrator for measurement and the quartz crystal vibrator for reference so that the third electrode and the fourth electrode have a given gap therebetween.

6. The QCM sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the reference sample is formed by confining the measurement sample in an initial state by the confining portion.

7. The QCM sensor according to claim 1 , further comprising a seal accommodated inside of the housing together with the quartz crystal vibrator for measurement and the quartz crystal vibrator for reference for preventing the entry and leakage of the measurement and reference samples to and from the inside of the housing.

8. The QCM sensor according to claim 7 , wherein the seal comprises at least two O-rings.

9. The QCM sensor according to claim 7 , wherein the seal comprises a silicone resin sealant.

10. A QCM sensor for detecting a physical quantity of a sample by allowing the sample to contact an excitation electrode on a surface of a quartz crystal vibrator, comprising:
a quartz crystal vibrator for measurement having a first electrode which can be contacted by a measurement sample to be detected and having a first quartz substrate with a surface on which the first electrode is formed;
a quartz crystal vibrator for reference having a second electrode which can be contacted by a reference sample as a reference when detecting a physical quantity of the measurement sample and having a second quartz substrate with a surface on which the second electrode is formed;
a housing accommodating the quartz crystal vibrator for measurement and the quartz crystal vibrator for reference, the housing having a higher thermal conductivity than a thermal conductivity of the reference sample; and
a confining portion connected to the housing and confining the reference sample in the housing in a state of contacting the second electrode.

11. A QCM sensor for detecting a physical quantity of a sample by allowing the sample to contact an excitation electrode on a surface of a quartz crystal vibrator, comprising:
a quartz crystal vibrator for measurement having a first electrode which can be contacted by a measurement sample to be detected and having a first quartz substrate with a surface on which the first electrode is formed;
a quartz crystal vibrator for reference having a second electrode which can be contacted by a reference sample as a reference when detecting a physical quantity of the measurement sample and having a second quartz substrate with a surface on which the second electrode is formed;
a housing accommodating the quartz crystal vibrator for measurement and the quartz crystal vibrator for reference, the housing having a higher thermal conductivity than thermal conductivities of the quartz crystal vibrator for measurement and the quartz crystal vibrator for reference; and
a confining portion connected to the housing and confining the reference sample in the housing in a state of contacting the second electrode.

12. A QCM sensor for detecting a physical quantity of a sample by allowing the sample to contact an excitation electrode on a surface of a quartz crystal vibrator, comprising:
a quartz crystal vibrator for measurement having a first electrode which can be contacted by a measurement sample to be detected and having a first quartz substrate with a surface on which the first electrode is formed;
a quartz crystal vibrator for reference having a second electrode which can be contacted by a reference sample as a reference when detecting a physical quantity of the measurement sample and having a second quartz substrate with a surface on which the second electrode is formed;
a housing accommodating the quartz crystal vibrator for measurement and the quartz crystal vibrator for reference;
a confining portion connected to the housing and confining the reference sample in the housing in a state of contacting the second electrode; and
a first O-ring provided at the first electrode and a second O-ring provided at the second electrode for preventing the entry and leakage of the measurement and reference samples to and from the inside of the housing.

13. The QCM sensor according to claim 12 , further comprising: a third electrode formed on a surface of the first quartz substrate opposite to the surface thereof on which the first electrode is formed; a fourth electrode formed on a surface of the second quartz substrate opposite to the surface thereof on which the second electrode is formed; first and second lead electrodes connected to the quartz crystal vibrator for measurement; and third and fourth lead electrodes connected to the quartz crystal vibrator for reference; and wherein the quartz crystal vibrator for measurement and the quartz crystal vibrator for reference are fixed to the housing only by the first and second O-rings and the first, second, third and fourth lead electrodes.

14. A QCM sensor for detecting a physical quantity of a sample, the QCM sensor comprising:
a quartz crystal vibrator for measurement having a first quartz substrate and a first electrode formed on the first quartz substrate for contacting a measurement sample whose physical quantity is to be detected;
a quartz crystal vibrator for reference having a second quartz substrate and a second electrode formed on the second quartz substrate for cont

Assignees

• Seiko Instr Inc

Inventors

• Tanabe Sachiko
• Suda Masayuki
• Muramatsu Hiroshi

Classifications

• G01N29/022 Primary

  Fluid sensors based on microsensors, e.g. quartz crystal-microbalance [QCM], surface acoustic wave [SAW] devices, tuning forks, cantilevers, flexural plate wave [FPW] devices (microdevices per se B81B) · CPC title

• G01N2291/02818

  Density, viscosity · CPC title