DETECTING MASS ON A MEMS BIOOSCILLATING RESONATOR ARRAY

• US 20130068025A1
• Filed: 09/21/2012
• Published: 03/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: David Lawrence Medin, James Michael Moniz
• Original Assignee: David Lawrence Medin, James Michael Moniz
• Inventors: Medin, David Lawrence, Moniz, James Michael
• Granted Patent: US 9,354,202 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/579
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/012 Phase angle
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/02466 Biological material, e.g. blood
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/022 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 Class Codes: G01N 29/036 by measuring frequency or resonance of acoustic waves

Abstract

A system configured to determine the mass of an object. The system generates a first output signal by transmitting an excitation signal through an oscillating resonator array. The oscillating resonator array includes a first oscillating resonator, a second oscillating resonator; and an electronic component coupled between the first oscillating resonator and the second oscillating resonator. A user adds an object to a surface of the oscillating resonator array. After adding the object, the system generates a second output signal by transmitting the excitation signal through the oscillating resonator array and determines a phase difference between the first output signal and the second output signal.

Claims

1. A method for determining a mass of an object, the method comprising:

generating a first output signal by transmitting an excitation signal through an oscillating resonator array, wherein the oscillating resonator array comprises;

a first oscillating resonator;

a second oscillating resonator; and

an electronic component coupled between the first oscillating resonator and the second oscillating resonator;

adding an object to a surface of the oscillating resonator array;

after adding the object, generating a second output signal by transmitting the excitation signal through the oscillating resonator array; and

determining a phase difference between the first output signal and the second output signal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first oscillating resonator and second oscillating resonator are arranged in one of a series configuration, a parallel configuration and a mixed configuration.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic component comprises one or more of:

an active component, a passive component, a third resonator, an impedance altering component and an amplifying component.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first oscillating resonator is one of an electrostatic resonator, a force piezoelectric resonator, a mechanical resonator, an electrical resonator and a piezoelectric resonator.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first oscillating resonator exhibits resonance for a narrow range of frequencies and is excited by one or more of an electrical source, an electrostatic field, a charge, a magnetic field, an electromagnetic field and a mechanical source.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the second oscillating resonator is one of an electrostatic resonator, a force piezoelectric resonator, a mechanical resonator, an electrical resonator and a piezoelectric resonator.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the second oscillating resonator exhibits resonance for a narrow range of frequencies and is excited by one or more of an electrical source, an electrostatic field, a charge, a magnetic field, an electromagnetic field and a mechanical source.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising coating both the first and second oscillating resonators with an attractor substance and exposing the second oscillating resonator, and not the first oscillating resonator array, to a material attracted to the attractor substance, whereby the object added to a surface of the oscillating resonator array is disposed on a surface of the second oscillating resonator.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the object is one of a deoxyribonucleic acid sample, a ribonucleic acid sample, a peptide nucleic acid sample, an antigen sample and an antibody sample.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the object is a substance not specifically bound to the surface of the oscillating resonator array.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising taking a measurement before and after the object is added to the surface.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the mass of the object from the phase difference.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

adding a second object to the surface of the oscillating resonator array in addition to the object;

after adding the second object, generating a third output signal by transmitting the excitation signal through the oscillating resonator array;

determining a combined mass of the second object and the object using the third output signal; and

determining a mass of the second object by subtracting the mass of the object from the combined mass.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining an identity of the object from the phase difference.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a concentration of a subset of the object from the phase difference.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising sweeping a frequency of the excitation signal.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the excitation signal is a periodic signal.

18. A method for determining a difference of masses between a first object and a second object, the method comprising:

generating a first output signal by transmitting an excitation signal through a first oscillating resonator array having a first surface with the first object disposed on the first surface, wherein the first oscillating resonator array comprises;

a first resonator;

a second resonator; and

an electronic component coupled between the first resonator and the second resonator;

generating a second output signal by transmitting the excitation signal through a second oscillating resonator array having a second surface with the second object disposed on the second surface, wherein the second oscillating resonator array comprises;

a first resonator;

a second resonator; and

an electronic component coupled between the first resonator and the second resonator; and

determining a phase difference between the first output signal and the second output signal.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the first output signal and the second output signal are successively generated by switching a switch coupled between the first oscillating resonator array and the second oscillating resonator array from one position to another.

20. A method for determining a mass, the method comprising:

generating a first output signal by transmitting an excitation signal through a first oscillating resonator array, the first oscillating resonator array comprising two or more resonators, and one or more electronic components coupled between each of the two or more resonators;

generating a second output signal by transmitting the excitation signal through a second oscillating resonator array, the second oscillating resonator array comprising two or more resonators, and one or more electronic components coupled between each of the two or more resonators;

determining a first phase difference between the first output signal and the second output signal;

adding an object on a surface of the first oscillating resonator array;

after adding the object, generating a third output signal by transmitting the excitation signal through the first oscillating resonator array;

adding an object on a surface of the second oscillating resonator array;

after adding the object, generating a fourth output signal by transmitting the excitation signal through the second oscillating resonator array;

determining a second phase difference between the third output signal and the fourth output signal; and

determining the mass of the object from the first phase difference and the second phase difference.

21. A system for determining a mass of an object, the system comprising:

a transmitter configured to generate an excitation signal;

an oscillating resonator array circuit coupled to the transmitter and configured to receive the excitation signal, to generate a first output signal before adding the object to a surface of the oscillating resonator array circuit and to generate a second output signal after adding the object to the surface of the oscillating resonator array circuit; and

a detector coupled to the oscillating resonator array circuit and configured to determine a phase difference between the first output signal and the second output signal and to generate a mass detection signal based on the phase difference.

22. A system for determining a mass of an object, the system comprising:

a waveform generator configured to generate an excitation signal;

a comparator bias voltage circuit configured to generate an analog reference signal and sweep the analog reference signal through a range of amplitudes;

a comparator clock;

an oscillating resonator array having the object disposed thereon, the oscillating resonator array being coupled to the waveform generator and configured to receive the excitation signal and generate an output signal;

a comparator coupled to the oscillating resonator array and to the comparator bias voltage; and

a latch circuit coupled to an output of the comparator and to the comparator clock, the latch being configured to capture a moment when the output of the comparator toggles because the analog reference signal becomes larger or smaller than the output signal of the oscillating resonator array and to generate a digital signal.

23. The system of claim 22, further comprising an amplifying component coupled to the oscillating resonator array and to the comparator.

24. The system of claim 22, further comprising a memory to store the digital signal.

25. The system of claim 22, further comprising a processor coupled to the latch circuit, the processor being configured to determine an identity and a concentration of the object based on the digital signal.