Micro-Cantilever Biochemical Sensing Based on Robust Finite-Horizon Non-Linear Estimation

A novel non-linear estimation based micro-cantilever bio-chemical rheological sensing technique is proposed in this paper. Contrary to classical rheological measurements using micro-cantilevers, which is either restricted to resonant phenomena, or based on the measurement of fluid properties over a range of vibration frequencies, the proposed measurement technique can be applied to arbitrary available vibration frequency. By applying non-linear estimation technique, the fluid characteristic parameters including density and viscosity, can be estimated and used to quantify fluid properties. The preliminary simulation studies demonstrate that vibrating micro-cantilevers with nonlinear estimation can be used as effective and robust fluid characterization micro-system in liquid environments. The proposed technique is encouraging for the development of a useful micro-rheometer on a silicon chip for fluid detection application.