TANG Man,CHEN Dehua,DAI Yuyu,LIU Jiansheng,ZHOU Yinqiu

• 1:State Key Laboratory of Acoustics and Marine Information
• 2: Institute of Acoustics
• 3: Chinese Academy of Sciences
• 4:University of Chinese Academy of Sciences

摘要(Abstract)：

Due to its distinctive dual-cantilever structure and vibrational mode, the tuning fork(TF) sensor can simultaneously and decoupledly measure fluid density and viscosity. This has led to its extensive application in various industrial sectors, such as oil and gas exploration, petrochemical processing, food production, and textiles. The magnitude of the quality factor(Q) is restricted by the effective electromechanical coupling coefficient. A higher coupling efficiency indicates more efficient energy conversion between electrical and mechanical domains, thus improving the Q value. This efficiency is influenced by multiple factors, including the design of the electrode configuration, layout, material properties, and geometric configuration. This study optimizes lithium niobate TF(LNTF) electrode configurations by integrating piezoelectric equations, thermoelastic effects, and contact models into an analysis framework to quantify electromechanical coupling,temperature coefficient of frequency(TCF), and Q value across configurations, with air experiments validating multiple mounting methods. The simulation results show that the double-sided electrode configuration 2(a pair of positive and negative electrodes is patterned on one surface of each tuning fork arm, and the same electrode arrangement is symmetrically implemented on both the upper and lower surfaces) exhibits the highest excitation efficiency. Within 20–180 °C, the singlesided + suspended electrode configuration shows the smallest TCF(-73.01 ppm/°C) and better stability. Under elevated temperatures, double-sided electrode configuration 2 exhibits minimal Q value drift(6.06%), superior thermal stability, and suitability for fluid parameter measurement, supported by experimental validation of simulation findings. A comparative analysis of vibration characteristics under various electrode mounting methods in air and several standard oils verifies that the double-sided electrode configuration 2 exhibits excellent comprehensive performance, making it highly suitable for fluid sensor applications. This research provides theoretical bases and experimental evidence for the optimized electrode design of LNTF sensors.

关键词(KeyWords)：

Abstract:

Keywords:

基金项目(Foundation): supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (42127807, 42074174)

作者(Author): TANG Man,CHEN Dehua,DAI Yuyu,LIU Jiansheng,ZHOU Yinqiu

参考文献(References)：

• [1] Jeon H G, Kim J K, Na S J, et al. Application of condition monitoring for hydraulic oil using tuning fork sensor:a study case on hydraulic system of earth moving machinery. Materials,2022, 15(21):7657
• [2] Gu B L, Zhao Z P, Chen H Y, et al. Design of high temperature piezoelectric acceleration sensor based on lithium niobate. China Meas. Test, 2017, 43(11):74–78
• [3] Parmar S, Ray B, Vishwakarma S, et al. Polymer modified quartz tuning fork(QTF)sensor array for detection of breath as a biomarker for diabetes. Sens. Actuators B Chem., 2022, 358:131524
• [4] Blaauwgeers R, Blazkova M,??love??ko M, et al. Quartz tuning fork:thermometer, pressure-and viscometer for helium liquids. J. Low Temp. Phys., 2007, 146(5-6):537–562
• [5] Sampaolo A, Patimisco P, Giglio M, et al. Quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy for multi-gas detection:a review. Anal. Chim.Acta, 2022, 1202:338894
• [6] Stokowski H S, Mc Kenna T P, Park T, et al. Integrated quantum optical phase sensor in thin film lithium niobate. Nat. Commun., 2023, 14:3355
• [7] Cantatore A F P, Menduni G, Zifarelli A, et al. Lithium niobate-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy. Photoacoustics, 2024, 35:100577
• [8] Toda M, Thompson M, Sirven A, et al. The influence of oil density and viscosity on the behavior of a lithium niobate tuning fork cantilever. International Ultrasonics Symposium, IEEE, Dresden, Germany, 2012:1–4
• [9] Gonzalez M, Seren H, Buzi E, et al. Fast downhole fluid viscosity and density measurements using a self-oscillating tuning fork device. Sensors Applications Symposium(SAS), IEEE, Glassboro, NJ, USA, 2017:1–5
• [10] Ahlstrom S L, Bradley D I,??love??ko M, et al. Response of a mechanical oscillator in solid4He. J. Low Temp. Phys., 2014, 175(1):140–146
• [11] Liu Y, DiFoggio R, Sanderlin K, et al. Measurement of density and viscosity of dodecane and decane with a piezoelectric tuning fork over 298–448 K and 0.1–137.9 MPa. Sens. Actuators A Phys.,2011, 167(2):347–353
• [12] Turutin A V, Vidal J V, Kubasov I V, et al. Highly sensitive magnetic field sensor based on a metglas/bidomain lithium niobate composite shaped in form of a tuning fork. J. Magn. Magn. Mater.,2019, 486:165209
• [13] Liu K F, Lu Y Q, Wu T. 7.5 GHz near-zero temperature coefficient of frequency lithium niobate resonator. IEEE Electron Device Lett.,2023, 44(2):305–308
• [14] Patimisco P, Sampaolo A, Dong L, et al. Analysis of the electroelastic properties of custom quartz tuning forks for optoacoustic gas sensing. Sens. Actuators B Chem., 2016, 227:539–546
• [15] Tang M, Chen D H, Zhang M, et al. Optimized design of lithium niobate tuning forks for the measurement of fluid characteristic parameters. Micromachines, 2023, 14(12):2138
• [16] Cantatore A F P, Sampaolo A, Menduni G, et al. Lithium niobate tuning forks as piezoelectric transducers in photoacoustic spectroscopy. Quantum Sensing and Nano Electronics and Photonics XX, SPIE 12895, SPIE, San Francisco, United States, 2024:1289508
• [17] Pfusterschmied G, Kucera M, Wistrela E, et al. Temperature dependent performance of piezoelectric MEMS resonators for viscosity and density determination of liquids. J. Micromech. Microeng.,2015, 25(10):105014
• [18] Lee S. Fabrication of an array of surface mount device 32.768 kHz quartz tuning fork-type crystals:photolithography and selective etching of an array of quartz tuning fork resonators with subsequent photoresist spray coating. Vacuum, 2002, 65(2):161–168
• [19] Tomar M, Gupta V, Mansingh A, et al. Temperature stability of caxis oriented LiNbO3/SiO2/Si thin film layered structures. J. Phys. D:Appl. Phys., 2001, 34(15):2267–2273
• [20] Wang R Q, Han G W, He Y, et al. Lithium niobate tuning forkenhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy and light-induced thermoelastic spectroscopy. Appl. Phys. Rev., 2025, 12(4):041404
• [21] Zhang M, Chen D H, He X, et al. A hydrodynamic model for measuring fluid density and viscosity by using quartz tuning forks. Sensors, 2020, 20(1):198