Patent ID: 8459123

Claim:
A sensor system comprising: a sensor for detecting the presence of a target vapor-phase analyte including: a substrate, a plurality of microbeams, each of the microbeams having a different fundamental resonant frequency, and at least two of the microbeams having a different sorbent material disposed thereon, each of the microbeams being connected to the substrate by at least one support, each of said microbeams adapted to be actuated into resonance; and an optical interrogation system including: an interrogation laser operating at a first wavelength configured to simultaneously interrogate the microbeams by illuminating all of the microbeams with a single laser spot, and a photodetector configured to receive reflected optical energy from the microbeams and to produce frequency division multiplexed electrical signals indicating the respective resonant frequency of each of the microbeams, wherein upon adsorption of the target analyte by the sorbent material on one of the microbeams, a detected change in the respective resonant frequency of said one of the microbeams indicates sorption of the target analyte by the sorbent material disposed on said one of the microbeams.