Device for Detection of Small Bound Mass
- Detailed Technology Description
- Cornell researchers have invented a NEMS (Nano-Electro-Mechanical Systems) resonant mass sensor that is able to detect very small amounts of material in the unit of attograms (10-18 g).
- Others
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Patent: 7,409,851
- *Abstract
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The feat is achieved through oscillating cantilevers that note the change an added mass produces in vibration frequency (think of diving boards being jumped on). The vibrating cantilever, 4 micrometers long and 500 nanometers wide, is very small to begin with, so adding even a tiny amount of mass produces a measurable change in its frequency.
Novel features, such as the inclusion of a precisely located binding site that permits selective chemical modification, enable the sensor’s calibrated detection of specific materials. The invention is also designed to enhance the optical detection of motion while maintaining low mass and the proper spring constant needed for sensitive mass detection.
Potential Applications
- Extremely small mass detection for biomedical purposes, such as detection of a single biomolecule or microorganism
- Extension of mass sensitivity into the zeptogram (10-21 g) regime for applications in fiber optics, displays, and sensors
Advantages
- Mass detection as small as 6 attograms, smaller than the mass of a single virus (about 10 attograms)
- Enhanced sensitivity through enclosure of the NEMS sensor in near vacuum
- Compatible with current lithographic techniques for mass production
- *Licensing
- Martin Teschlmt439@cornell.edu(607) 254-4454
- Country/Region
- USA
