Claims
- 1. An electrode-separated piezoelectric crystal oscillator (which comprises) comprising:
- a crystal wafer characterized by the thickness shear mode; and
- at least two electrodes for applying an electric voltage to said crystal wafer, said at least two electrodes being spaced apart from said crystal wafer, wherein the space between one of said separated electrode and said crystal wafer is filled with a liquid or semi-solid conductive substance.
- 2. A method for detecting an analyte in a sample or determining the concentration of said analyte comprising the steps of:
- (a) obtaining a first oscillation frequency measurement of an electrode-separated piezoelectric crystal oscillator, said first frequency measurement taken at a first or second electrode, each of said first and second electrodes separated from said crystal oscillator by a respective first and second gap, wherein one of said gaps is filled with a liquid or semi-solid electrically conductive substance;
- (b) filling the other of said gaps with said sample;
- (c) binding said analyte contained in said sample directly or indirectly to the electrode-separated piezoelectric crystal oscillator;
- (d) obtaining a second oscillation frequency measurement of said electrode-separated piezoelectric crystal oscillator; and
- (e) detecting the quality or quantity of said analyte by determining the frequency difference between said first and second oscillation frequency measurements.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
1-205590 |
Aug 1989 |
JPX |
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Parent Case Info
This application is a continuation-in-part of copending application Ser. No. 564,374, filed Aug. 8, 1990 now abandened.
US Referenced Citations (3)
Number |
Name |
Date |
Kind |
1860529 |
Cady |
May 1932 |
|
4666547 |
Snowden et al. |
May 1987 |
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4789804 |
Karube et al. |
Dec 1988 |
|
Non-Patent Literature Citations (3)
Entry |
"Handbook of Piezoelectric Crystals" by J.Buchanan, Philco for Wright Air Dev. Ctr., Dec. 1954. |
"Analytical Uses of Piezoelectric Crystals: A Review," by G. Guilbault et al., 1988. |
"A Quartz Plate with Coupled Liquid Column as a Variable Resonator" by F. Fox et al. Proceedings of I.R.E., Jan. 1942. |
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
564374 |
Aug 1990 |
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