Uniformization of
mass sensitivity distribution is conducive to
the application of the quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) in some fields.
However, the sensitivity of the QCM sensor surface perpendicular to
the displacement direction is higher that of the displacement direction
in the mass sensitivity distribution of ring and double-ring QCMs,
which leads to poor reproducibility of the sensor. Considering the
effect of the electrode structure on the mass sensitivity distribution,
we found that for ring- and double-ring-type QCMs, when the elliptical
single ring and double-ring electrode structures are combined, an
approximately uniform mass sensitivity can be obtained in all directions.
Therefore, this study proposes the elliptical single-ring and elliptical
double-ring electrode structure design. Through theoretical calculations
and three-dimensional finite element analysis verification, a systematic
investigation is carried out to quantify the effect of the ratio of
the minor axis to the major axis of the elliptical electrode on the
mass sensitivity distribution in different directions, and the optimal
ratio is found to be 0.8. Comparing the mass sensitivity of the new
type of electrodes and the original electrodes, the result shows that
the mass sensitivity distribution of the elliptical double-ring electrode
structure is more uniform. Hence, these specially designed electrodes
are conducive to improving the repeatability.