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Surface Roughness Effects on the Vibration Characteristics of AT-Cut Quartz Crystal Plate
Mengjie Li1, Peng Li1,2, Nian Li1,2
1State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control for Aerospace Structures, College of Aerospace Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, China.
Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)
|June 10, 2023
Summary
Surface roughness in quartz crystal sensors causes an activity dip, reducing stability. This study reveals the physical mechanism, showing roughness lowers resonant frequency and increases mode coupling, which is critical for sensor fabrication.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Physics
- Electrical Engineering
Background:
- Miniaturization and high-frequency demands in quartz crystal sensors necessitate attention to microscopic surface issues.
- Surface roughness is identified as a critical factor impacting the operating performance of these sensors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the physical mechanism behind the activity dip in quartz crystal sensors caused by surface roughness.
- To analyze the impact of surface roughness on the resonant frequency, frequency-temperature characteristics, and mode shapes of AT-cut quartz crystal plates.
Main Methods:
- Modeling surface roughness as a Gaussian distribution.
- Utilizing two-dimensional thermal field equations and COMSOL Multiphysics software for free and forced vibration analysis.
- Analyzing resonant frequency, frequency-temperature curves, mode shapes, admittance, and phase response.
Main Results:
- Surface roughness was found to reduce the resonant frequency of quartz crystal plates.
- Increased likelihood of mode coupling in crystal plates with surface roughness was observed.
- Activity dip, a phenomenon leading to decreased sensor stability, was linked to surface roughness and temperature variations.
Conclusions:
- Surface roughness significantly degrades the performance and stability of quartz crystal sensors by reducing resonant frequency and inducing mode coupling.
- Minimizing surface roughness during device fabrication is crucial for enhancing the reliability and performance of quartz crystal sensors.
