Thin film bulk acoustic resonator with signal enhancement

1. A system for detecting an analyte in a sample, comprising:

a thin film bulk acoustic resonator (TFBAR) comprising a surface to which a first recognition component is immobilized,

the first recognition component being configured to selectively bind the analyte, an analyte molecule to which a tag is linked, or a tag, or any one of these molecules to which an amplification element-linked second recognition component is bound,

the TFBAR having a resonance band of about 2 GHz to about 10 GHz;

one or more containers housing an amplification molecule, the amplification element-linked second recognition component, and optionally one or both of the tag and the analyte molecule;

a fluid path from the one or more containers to the surface of the TFBAR to which the first recognition component is bound;

actuation circuitry configured to drive the TFBAR in an oscillating motion;

measurement circuitry arranged to be coupled to the TFBAR and configured to measure one or more resonator output signals representing resonance characteristics of the oscillating motion of the sensing resonator; and

a controller operatively coupled with the actuation and measurement circuitry.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to receive input from the measurement circuitry and determine an oscillation phase shift.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the oscillation phase shift is an insertion or reflection coefficient phase shift.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to adjust the actuation circuitry to maintain a resonance point of the TFBAR.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the resonance point of the TFBAR is a point of maximum group delay.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the frequency is from about 2 GHz to about 2.5 GHz.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the amplification element is an enzyme and the amplification precursor is a substrate, and wherein the enzyme is configured to convert the substrate to a precipitate.

8. A kit for use with a device for detecting an analyte in a sample, comprising:

a thin film bulk acoustic resonator (TFBAR) comprising a surface to which a first recognition component is immobilized,

the first recognition component being configured to selectively bind the analyte, an analyte molecule to which a tag is linked, or a tag, or any one of these molecules to which an amplification element-linked second recognition component is bound,

the TFBAR having a resonance band of about 2 GHz to about 10 GHz; and

one or more containers housing an amplification molecule, the amplification element-linked second recognition component, and optionally one or both of the tag and the analyte molecule.

9. The kit of claim 8 , further comprising a controller is configured to receive input from measurement circuitry and determine an oscillation phase shift.

10. The kit of claim 9 , wherein the oscillation phase shift is an insertion or reflection coefficient phase shift.

11. The kit of claim 9 , wherein the controller is configured to adjust actuation circuitry to maintain a resonance point of the TFBAR.

12. The kit of claim 11 , wherein the resonance point of the TFBAR is a point of maximum group delay.

13. The kit of claim 8 , wherein the frequency is from about 2 GHz to about 2.5 GHz.

14. The kit of claim 8 , wherein the amplification element is an enzyme and the amplification precursor is a substrate, and wherein the enzyme is configured to convert the substrate to a precipitate.