Photoacoustic spectroscopy for gas sensing: A comparison between piezoelectric and interferometric readout in custom
Stefano Dello Russo1,2, Sheng Zhou3, Andrea Zifarelli1,2
1PolySense Lab - Dipartimento Interateneo di Fisica, University and Politecnico of Bari, Via Amendola 173, Bari, Italy.
Abstract:
We report on a comparison between piezoelectric and interferometric readouts of vibrations in quartz tuning forks (QTFs) when acting as sound wave transducers in a quartz-enhanced photoacoustic setup (QEPAS) for trace gas detection. A theoretical model relating the prong vibration amplitude with the QTF prong sizes and electrical resistance is proposed. To compare interferometric and piezoelectric readouts, two QTFs have been selected; a tuning fork with rectangular-shape of the prongs, having a resonance frequency of 3.4 kHz and a quality-factor of 4,000, and a QTF with prong having a T-shape characterized by a resonance frequency of 12.4 kHz with a quality-factor of 15,000. Comparison between the interferometric and piezoelectric readouts were performed by using both QTFs in a QEPAS sensor setup for water vapor detection. We demonstrated that the QTF geometry can be properly designed to enhance the signal from a specific readout mode.
