We motivate how integrated waveguides (WGs) can be part of an on-chip non-dispersive infrared sensor system for environmental sensing. We report the hurdles in maintaining WG quality when integrating emitter and detector structures on the same chip. Thus, we introduce the concept of how to determine the intrinsic loss and a process scheme to protect WG structures from damage caused during fabrication. This could pave the way to systems for environmental sensing with a minimal footprint.

A setup for the characterization of liquids with the perspective of monitoring crystallization processes is presented. The novelty of this setup is the realization of viscosity and conductivity measurements using two quartz crystal microbalances. Additionally, there is the possibility to apply an electric field through the sample, enabling the manipulation of charged particles. The results show that the measured values are in reasonable agreement with values from the literature or standards.