A study of mesh variations effect on the quartz crystal microbalance finite element simulation

Quartz Crystal Microbalance (QCM) is a high-sensitivity piezoelectric sensor that enables it to detect loads in the nanogram order. QCM usually consists of a thin quartz plate with an AT-cut orientation. At the beginning of its development, research on QCM was carried out using an experimental approach. In experiments, it is quite difficult to create the ideal system, which often neglects several important factors so that the experimental results are very prone to errors. The Finite Element Analysis (FEA) can be a solution to overcome some of the shortcomings in the experimental method. In this paper, a study was conducted on mesh variations on the QCM sensor simulation. It is very important to determine an accurate and efficient mesh. The hexagonal mesh was used with mesh variations in XY-direction (parallel to the QCM surface) and Z-direction (perpendicular to the QCM surface). The resolution of the mesh in the Z-direction has more impact on the resonance frequency of QCM. Whereas the resolution of the mesh in the XY direction has more impact on the details of the deformation pattern in the QCM vibration mode.