| This thesis describes the design and fabrication of a proof-of-concept MEMS Flexural Plate Wave (FPW) resonator that would be used for biological and chemical detection. The device, leveraging existing FPW-based sensor work, employs a MEMS mechanical membrane and a piezoelectric layer. The design also employs passive electrical circuit components, an inductor and a capacitor, which create a resonant circuit, characterized by a unique center frequency. The passive circuit elements are used in a telemetry readout system that employs inductive coupling. Thus, the sensor is both wireless and passive and requires no power supply, battery or other active element to sense and transmit data. The wireless nature of the FPW device makes this research unique. The design methods, fabrication development, and testing procedures used to create this sensor will be discussed; the results will be analyzed and other possible avenues of research explored. |
