Quartz Crystal Microbalances
Quartz Crystal Microbalances (QCMs)
This page lists some groups that do research on QCMS and some companies that sell QCMs and related products. It is incomplete. If your favorite researcher or company has been omitted, please feel free to tell me so.
You can find some information about QCMs and terminology here.
Researchers
Wrote on general theory of multiple layered stacks with one or more piezoelectric layers. Now developing viscosity sensor.
Center for Polymer Interfaces and Macromolecular Assemblies
Multiple projects; tools include QCM.
The Materials adherence experiment
on Pathfinder used used QCMs to measure how dusty Mars is.
Vendors
They make GaPO4 crystals which can be used in thickness monitors like quartz crystals, but which can work at much higher temperatures.
QCMs to detect particles and aerosols.
Products include a PC controlled time resolved electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM). The frequency is compared to that of a reference oscillator.
Products include quartz crystals for use in sensors (to be coated by user), crystals for use with microprocessors, and oscillators for use in communications.
They make 27 MHz QCM sensors that work in a reaction bath. The QCM can be coated with proteins; as molecules bind to the proteins the QCM's frequency drops.
International Crystal Manufacturing
QCM related products include custom crystals, oscillators, and liquid flow cells.
Thin Film Process Control. (Thickness monitors and controllers.)
Products include a big line of thickness monitors. Offers "z-match" algorithm.
Their combination QCM / heat conduction calorimeter monitors reactions between gasses and solid films.
Now part of Inficon. Products include QCM equipment for electrochemical use.
They sell a QCM designed primarily for electrochemical use.
They make crystals and oscillators, including custom orders.
Products include quartz crystal sensor arrays (sniffers).
Products include QCMs for use in space.
Products include QCM that are hit with an electrical impulse after which the "ring-down" is recorded. This allows both the frequency and the damping factor to be recorded. Sells equipment for use in liquids.
Sells a combined analysis of impedance as a function of driving frequency of QCM and Surface Plasmon spectrocopy.
They apparently sell electrochemical quartz cystal microbalances.
Now part of Inficon. Products include thickness monitors and controllers.
Offers a QCM which can be used as an electrochemical QCM, can be used in viscous liquids, and can be used with polymer films.
Products include thickness monitors and controllers.
Products include quartz crystals for electrochemical QCMs, liquid monitoring and thickness monitors, and gallium phospate crystals for high temperature use.
Products include electrochemical quartz microbalance, a quartz nanobalance for use in fluids, and a "nose" based on quartz crystal microbalances.
Thickness monitors.
Thin film deposition monitors, rate controllers, instruments for monitoring & controlling plating and etching in liquids, and sensor crystals.
They sell quartz crystals with coatings, such as antibodies, that absorb only particular chemicals. They thus let QCMs become sensitive detectors of those chemicals
Products include many kinds of crystals including quartz crystals. Offers information on quartz resonators and other topics after log-in.
This page was last changed / fiddled with / fixed on December 19,2020.
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christopher e reed at cs . com