Suspended microchannel resonators for Biosensing applications

A Suspended microchannel resonator (SMR) is composed by a hollow resonant structure containing embedded microfluidic channel. This device allows to circumvent the viscous damping confining the fluid to the inside of the resonant beam. The goal of this project is to optimize the device developed in A. de Pastina’s PhD work. She created and fabricated a SMR containing a microfluidic channel with piezoelectric electrodes embedded. The final objective is to measure mechanical properties of cells, studying their mass and stiffness. The deviation of these mechanical properties is linked to some diseases, as for the cancer cells. The use of this device, monitoring the advancement of specific disease, could be an alternative to surgical techniques. It allows also to reduce the time and the cost of the results and to personalize the cure, avoiding the use of an invasive approach. This project focuses on the fabrication of the two components of this device: electrodes and channels. Each step of the fabrication will be explained motivating the choice of materials and equipment used. Several references to the prior fabrication will be done, to understand which progress will be realized.