SH SAW Research Articles

Comprehensive characterization of surface acoustic wave resonators using relaxor based ferroelectric single crystals

One-port surface acoustic wave resonators (SAW) were fabricated and characterized using Y-cut X propagating relaxor based ferroelectric single crystals of Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-33%PbTiO3 and Pb(In1/3Nb2/3)O3-Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-PbTiO3 (PIN-PMN-PT). The experimental results demonstrated ultrahigh electromechanical coupling factor K2 of ∼60% for shear horizontal SAW and a relatively strong spurious resonance due to the Rayleigh-type SAW which can be sufficiently suppressed with Au electrode of large thickness. Characteristics of temperature stability, sensitivity to DC bias voltage, and homogeneity for the two resonators were evaluated and compared. The results showed similar instability of domain structure, and PIN-PMN-PT resonators have better temperature stability, but inferior homogeneity compared to that of PMN-33%PT resonators.

Experimental and theoretical investigations of some useful langasite cuts for high-temperature SAW applications

Passive high-temperature sensors are a most promising area of use for SAW devices. Langasite (La3Ga5SiO14; LGS) has been identified as promising piezoelectric material to meet high-temperature SAW challenges. Because it is necessary to know the material behavior for an accurate device design, the frequency¿temperature behavior of Rayleigh SAW (R-SAW) and shear-horizontal SAW (SH-SAW) LGS cuts is investigated on delay line and resonator test structures up to 700°C by RF characterization. In the range of the 434-MHz ISM band, the (0°, 22°, 90°) SH-SAW cut shows thermal behavior similar to the (0°, 138.5°, 26.7°) R-SAW cut. Associated with the (0°, 22°, 31°) cut, in which SAWs present mixed types of polarization, the (0°, 22°, 90°) SH-SAW orientation might allow differential measurements on a single substrate. In the temperature range of 400 to 500°C, delay line test devices using the SH-SAW cut show a considerable drop of signal. Theoretical analysis indicates that this newly described behavior might be a result of anisotropy effects in this cut, occurring in case of any slight misorientation of electrode alignment.

Development of a high-sensitivity strain measurement system based on a SH SAW sensor

A strain measurement system based on a shear horizontal surface acoustic wave (SH SAW) was developed. The developed system is composed of a SAW microsensor, a printed circuit board (PCB), an adhesive and a strain gauge. When a compression force is applied to the PCB by the strain gauge, the PCB is bent so that external strain energy can be evenly delivered to the microsensor without any detachment of the sensor from the board. When a stretching force is applied to the PCB under the condition that one side of the PCB is fixed and the other side is modulated, the actual length of the SAW delay line between the two interdigital transducers (IDTs) is increased. The increase in the delay line length causes a change in the time for the propagating SAW to reach the output IDT. If strain energy is applied to the piezoelectric substrate, the substrate density is changed, which then changes the propagation velocity of the SAW. Coupling-of-modes modeling was conducted prior to fabrication to determine the optimal device parameters. Depending on the strain, the frequency difference was linearly modulated. The obtained sensitivity for stretching was 17.3 kHz/% for the SH wave mode and split electrode. And the obtained sensitivity for bending was 46.1 kHz/% for the SH wave mode and split electrode. The SH wave showed about 15% higher sensitivity than the Rayleigh wave, and the dog-bone PCB showed about 8% higher sensitivity than the rectangular PCB. The obtained sensitivity was about five times higher than that of existing SAW-based strain sensors.

Wirelessly Driven and Battery-Free Love Wave Biosensor Based on Dinitrophenyl Immobilization

A Love wave-based wireless immunosensor with a 440 MHz operating frequency was developed on a 41° YX LiNbO3 piezoelectric substrate. The developed sensor was composed of a shear horizontal surface acoustic wave (SH SAW) reflective delay line, a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) waveguide layer, and a 2,4-dinitrophenyl (DNP) receptor layer that specifically responds to an anti-DNP immunoglobulin G (IgG). Fabricated devices were wirelessly tested using a network analyzer. Four reflection peaks with large signal/noise (S/N) ratios and sharp reflection peaks were observed in the time domain, and are attributed to three shorted grating reflectors and DNP-bound gold film. With 10 mW radio frequency (RF) power from the network analyzer, a readout distance of ∼1 m was observed. The binding of IgG to DNP receptor molecules induced a change in the Love wave velocity owing to a mass loading effect, resulting in phase shifts of the original reflection peaks. The phase shifts increased linearly with increasing IgG concentration. Fast response time and long-term stability of the developed sensor in a liquid environment were observed. The phase shifts depending on different PMMA thicknesses were also investigated to identify the optimal PMMA waveguide thickness.

SH surface acoustic wave propagation in a cylindrically layered piezomagnetic/piezoelectric structure

SH surface acoustic wave (SH–SAW) propagation in a cylindrically layered magneto-electro-elastic structure is investigated analytically, where a piezomagnetic (or piezoelectric) material layer is bonded to a piezoelectric (or piezomagnetic) substrate. By means of transformation, the governing equations of the coupled waves are reduced to Bessel equation and Laplace equation. The boundary conditions imply that the displacements, shear stresses, electric potential, and electric displacements are continuous across the interface between the layer and the substrate together with the traction free at the surface of the layer. The magneto-electrically open and shorted conditions at cylindrical surface are taken to solve the problem. The phase velocity is numerically calculated for different thickness of the layer and wavenumber for piezomagnetic ceramics CoFe 2O 4 and piezoelectric ceramics BaTiO 3. The effects of magnetic permeability on propagation properties of SH–SAW are discussed in detail. The distributions of displacement, magnetic potential and magneto-electromechanical coupling factor are also figured and discussed.

Detection of Escherichia coli O157:H7 with langasite pure shear horizontal surface acoustic wave sensors

The toxigenic Escherichia coli O157:H7 bacterium has been connected with hemorrhagic colitis and hemolytic uremic syndrome, which may be characterized by diarrhea, kidney failure and death. On average, O157:H7 causes 73,000 illnesses, 2100 hospitalizations and 60 deaths annually in the United States alone. There is the need for sensors capable of rapidly detecting dangerous microbes in food and water supplies to limit the exposure of human and animal populations. Previous work by the authors used shear horizontal surface acoustic wave (SH SAW) devices fabricated on langasite (LGS) Euler angles (0 degrees, 22 degrees, 90 degrees) to successfully detect macromolecular protein assemblies. The devices also demonstrated favorable temperature stability, biocompatibility and low attenuation in liquid environments, suggesting their applicability to bacterial detection. In this paper, a biosensor test setup utilizing a small volume fluid injection system, stable temperature control and high frequency phase measurement was applied to validate LGS SH SAW biosensors for bacterial detection. The LGS SH SAW delay lines were fabricated and derivatized with a rabbit polyclonal IgG antibody, which selectively binds to E. coli O157:H7, in this case a non-toxigenic test strain. To quantify the effect of non-specific binding (negative control), an antibody directed against the trinitrophenyl hapten (TNP) was used as a binding layer. Test E. coli bacteria were cultured, fixed with formaldehyde, stained with cell-permeant nucleic acid stain, suspended in phosphate buffered saline and applied to the antibody-coated sensing surfaces. The biosensor transmission coefficient phase was monitored using a network analyzer. Phase responses of about 14 degrees were measured for the E. coli detection, as compared to 2 degrees due to non-specific anti-TNP binding. A 30:1 preference for E. coli binding to the anti-O157:H7 layer when compared to the anti-TNP layer was observed with fluorescence microscopy, thus confirming the selectivity of the antibody surface to E. coli.

Pure shear horizontal SAW biosensor on langasite

The undetected introduction of pathogens into food or water supplies can produce grave consequences in terms of economic loss and human suffering. Sensitive and selective sensors capable of quickly detecting microbial pathogens are urgently needed to limit the effects of bioterrorist incidents, accidents, or pollution. Shear horizontal surface acoustic wave (SH SAW) devices provide an attractive platform for the design of microbial biosensors that function in liquid media, where Rayleigh-type modes are rapidly attenuated. This paper reports on an exploratory SH SAW delay line designed and fabricated on langasite, La3Ga5SiO14 (LGS), along the novel Euler propagation direction (0 degrees, 22 degrees, 90 degrees). A liquid chamber was fabricated and attached to the top surface, and the device was submitted to liquid and biochemical tests. Moderate (6 dB) additional attenuation of the transmission coefficient, /S21/, was consistently observed when the SH SAW delay line was assembled in the test fixture and submitted to the liquid tests, indicating that LGS is an attractive candidate for liquid sensing. Sensor selectivity can be achieved by integrating the LGS SH SAW delay line with a biochemical recognition layer. A test setup was implemented for the characterization of LGS SH SAW-based biosensors. The delay line response to biomolecule binding was shown by detection of sequential binding of proteins to the SH SAW device delay path. The biotinylated sensor was exposed sequentially to biotin-binding deglycosylated avidin, biotin-modified rabbit IgG, and goat anti-rabbit IgG antibody. As each protein was bound to the sensing surface, marked changes in the delay-line phase were recorded. The reported results demonstrate the capability of these devices to act as biochemical detectors in aqueous solutions, and this work represents the first effort using the novel material LGS in SAW-based biosensor technology.

Simultaneous Detection of Density and Viscosity Using Surface Acoustic Wave Liquid-Phase Sensors

A shear horizontal surface acoustic wave (SH–SAW) can function as a liquid-phase sensor. In this paper, we describe the simultaneous measurement methods for liquid density and viscosity. For this purpose, a textured (or sagittally corrugated) propagation surface is designed to trap the liquid in dented structures. Although a smooth surface is affected by the density and viscosity products, the textured surface is influenced by both the density and viscosity products, and also the density due to trapping of liquid in the dented structures. Therefore, by detecting the differential signals between the textured and the smooth surfaces we can determine the liquid density and viscosity separately.

Identification of natural spring water using shear horizontal SAW based sensors

The acoustoelectric interaction between a shear horizontally polarised surface acoustic wave (SH-SAW) sensor and different commercial brands of natural still spring water is investigated. Transient frequency responses for the samples are presented where the sensing mechanism is based upon perturbation of the electrical properties of the adjacent liquid. SH-SAW devices were fabricated on 36° rotated Y-cut, X propagating LiTaO 3 and implemented in an oscillator configuration. Modelling and simulation of the SH-SAW sensor/liquid interface is achieved using a high frequency electronic simulation software package. Theoretical and experimental results are compared and show good agreement and support the validity of the SH-SAW sensor model. Pattern recognition using a neural network algorithm is applied for the discrimination between the four types of sample liquids, with an initial recognition probability of 90%.