Monitoring of dispensed fluid with the quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) for the better control of inkjet or dispenser machine

Abstract

Novel methods of materials deposition such as inkjet or dispenser can be used to integrate a variety of functional materials, light emitting materials, biomaterials, catalysts, while retaining their original functional activity. Coupled in with the high sensitivity of the quartz crystal microbalance (QCM), the average weight of one drop of deposited material can be monitored. The variations of the frequency changes of the QCM sensor are well correlated with the deposited mass of the droplet of the inkjet as well as dispenser. We are able to predict the dispensing volume with proper calibration of this QCM sensor. © 2008 The Ceramic Society of Japan. All rights reserved.