Patent ID: 8733154

Claim:
A method for analyzing liquid samples, comprising: applying a liquid to immerse a capacitive micromachined ultrasound transducer (cMUT) device having at least one sensor, each of the at least one sensor including: a functionalized surface functionalized with one from the group consisting of: a functionalized surface including a layer of protein for detecting small molecule protein interactions, a surface functionalized for drug screening, a surface functionalized for in vitro diagnostics, a surface functionalized for point-of-care diagnostics, and a surface functionalized for detecting food spoilage; an electrical oscillator circuit that, in combination with a resonant electrical input impedance of the sensor, establishes a resonant circuit; and encapsulation to protect electronics portions of the cMUT device from the liquid in regions exterior to the functionalized surface; drying each of the at least one sensor; after the drying step, measuring, using a separate electronics unit housed within an apparatus external to the cMUT device, a resonant frequency of the electrical oscillator circuit of each of the at least one sensor; and determining, via the separate electronics unit, whether the liquid includes a particular agent, based on a result of the measuring step; wherein the electronics unit for measuring resonant frequencies and determining whether the liquid includes the particular agent is a separate unit from the cMUT device and is protected from contact with the liquid.