Title :
Weighing nanoparticles and viruses using suspended nanochannel resonators
Author :
Lee, J. ; Chen, G. ; Shen, W. ; Payer, K. ; Burg, T.P. ; Rodriguez, W. ; Toner, M. ; Manalis, S.R.
Author_Institution :
Massachusetts Inst. of Technol., Cambridge, MA, USA
Abstract :
We have batch fabricated suspended nanochannel resonators (SNRs) to improve the mass resolution of suspended microchannel resonators (SMRs). The SNR consists of a cantilever that is 50 μm long, 10 μm wide, and 1.3 μm thick, with an embedded nanochannel that is 2 μm wide and 700 nm tall. The SNR has a resonance frequency near 640 kHz and exhibits the maximum quality factor of approximately 16,000 when dry and when filled with water. Using the SNRs, we demonstrated mass measurements of various nanoparticles down to 20 nm in diameter and viruses in solution with a resolution of 27 ag in a 1 kHz bandwidth, which represents a 100-fold improvement over existing SMRs and, to our knowledge, is the most precise mass measurement in liquid today.
Keywords :
biosensors; cantilevers; mass measurement; micromechanical resonators; microorganisms; nanobiotechnology; nanofluidics; nanoparticles; nanosensors; cantilever; mass measurements; mass resolution; maximum quality factor; resonance frequency; suspended microchannel resonators; suspended nanochannel resonators; viruses; weighing nanoparticles; Atmospheric measurements; Nanoparticles; Optical resonators; Particle measurements; Q factor; Resonant frequency; Signal to noise ratio;
Conference_Titel :
Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS), 2011 IEEE 24th International Conference on
Conference_Location :
Cancun
Print_ISBN :
978-1-4244-9632-7
DOI :
10.1109/MEMSYS.2011.5734594
