Surface Acoustic Wave Frequency Research Articles

Excitation of Ferromagnetic Resonance Using Surface Acoustic Waves

SUMMARYMechanical rotation of a crystal lattice in ferromagnetic materials can be energetically coupled with its magnetization via magnetoelastic coupling or spin rotation coupling. Surface acoustic wave (SAW) in piezoelectric materials is one of the promising candidates to realize the mechanical excitation of magnetization dynamics. In order to understand the mechanical rotation induced magnetization dynamics quantitatively, we examined the ferromagnetic resonance in an Ni film using a SAW in a LiNbO3 substrate. By decreasing a period of interdigital transducer as short as 4 μm which is one‐fifth of the previous work by Weiler [M. Weiler and co‐workers, Elastically driven ferromagnetic resonance in Nickel thin films. Phys Rev Lett 106, 117601 (2011)], the fundamental frequency of SAW could be higher than 800 MHz. From the dependence of microwave absorption on the angle between the magnetization and the wave vector of SAW, it was confirmed that the Rayleigh type SAW, which was significant to obtain a large mechanical coupling with the magnetization, was dominantly excited in the 800‐MHz‐SAW device.

Wet-etched phononic crystal waveguiding on GaAs

A wet-etched phononic crystal waveguide in GaAs with approximately two micron deep inclusions is studied both numerically and experimentally for controlled surface acoustic wave propagation. Numerically, the phononic crystal was modelled using the finite element method (FEM) with COMSOL Multiphysics, and the surface displacement of the acoustic waves was measured using optical interferometry. The computed filter response of the phononic crystal confirmed that the phononic crystal was an effective stop band filter in the interval of 400 MHz and 450 MHz. An L1 linear defect waveguide with a stepped funnel entrance design is shown to perform well at a surface acoustic wave frequency of 410.344 MHz and in agreement to simulated results. The phononic crystal waveguide system shows promise for use in acoustic control of GaAs-based quantum nanostructures.

Enhancement of plant leaf transpiration with effective use of surface acoustic waves: effect of wave frequency.

Water transport in vascular plants provides remarkable opportunities for various engineering applications due to its highly efficient and powerless transportability. Several previous studies were conducted to regulate the biological responses of plants using noninvasive audible or ultrasound waves. However, the control mechanism of acoustic stimuli applied to plants has not been investigated yet. Thus, the practical application of these stimuli to real plants still exhibits technological limitations. This study experimentally investigated the effects of surface acoustic wave (SAW) frequency on plant transpiration to understand the acoustic-activated leaf transpiration and utilize the advantages of SAW. We captured consecutive images of the enhanced water transport in the test plant (Epipremnum aureum) by SAW at three different frequencies (10, 15, and 20 MHz). The dye solution at 15 MHz SAW presented the highest intensity value after 40 min of SAW stimulation. The excitation areas for 15 and 20 MHz SAWs were decreased to 42.3% and 22.6%, respectively, compared with that of 10 MHz SAW. The transpiration rates were directly measured to compare water transport enhancement quantitatively when different SAW frequencies were applied to the same plant leaves. The water transport in the leaves was maximized at 15 MHz SAW, regardless of excitation area.

Frequency dependence of microflows upon acoustic interactions with fluids

Rayleigh surface acoustic waves (SAWs), generated on piezoelectric substrates, can interact with liquids to generate fast streaming flows. Although studied extensively, mainly phenomenologically, the effect of the SAW frequency on streaming in fluids in constrained volumes is not fully understood, resulting in sub-optimal correlations between models and experimental observations. Using microfluidic structures to reproducibly define the fluid volume, we use recent advances modeling the body force generated by SAWs to develop a deeper understanding of the effect of acoustic frequency on the magnitude of streaming flows. We implement this as a new predictive tool using a finite element model of fluid motion to establish optimized conditions for streaming. The model is corroborated experimentally over a range of different acoustic excitation frequencies enabling us to validate a design tool, linking microfluidic channel dimensions with frequencies and streaming efficiencies. We show that in typical microfluidic chambers, the length and height of the chamber are critical in determining the optimum frequency, with smaller geometries requiring higher frequencies.

A Facile and Flexible Method for On-Demand Directional Speed Tunability in the Miniaturised Lab-on-a-Disc

The Miniaturised Lab-on-a-Disc (miniLOAD) platform, which utilises surface acoustic waves (SAWs) to drive the rotation of thin millimeter-scale discs on which microchannels can be fabricated and hence microfluidic operations can be performed, offers the possibility of miniaturising its larger counterpart, the Lab-on-a-CD, for true portability in point-of-care applications. A significant limitation of the original miniLOAD concept, however, is that it does not allow for flexible control over the disc rotation direction and speed without manual adjustment of the disc’s position, or the use of multiple devices to alter the SAW frequency. In this work, we demonstrate the possibility of achieving such control with the use of tapered interdigitated transducers to confine a SAW beam such that the localised acoustic streaming it generates imparts a force, through hydrodynamic shear, at a specific location on the disc. Varying the torque that arises as a consequence by altering the input frequency to the transducers then allows the rotational velocity and direction of the disc to be controlled with ease. We derive a simple predictive model to illustrate the principle by which this occurs, which we find agrees well with the experimental measurements.

Acoustoelectric Current in Graphene Nanoribbons

Surface acoustic waves (SAWs) propagating on piezoelectric substrates offer a convenient, contactless approach to probing the electronic properties of low-dimensional charge carrier systems such as graphene nanoribbons (GNRs). SAWs can also be used to transport and manipulate charge for applications such as metrology and quantum information. In this work, we investigate the acoustoelectric effect in GNRs, and show that an acoustoelectric current can be generated in GNRs with physical widths as small as 200 nm at room temperature. The positive current in the direction of the SAWs, which corresponds to the transportation of holes, exhibits a linear dependence on SAW intensity and frequency. This is consistent with the description of the interaction between the charge carriers in the GNRs and the piezoelectric fields associated with the SAWs being described by a relatively simple classical relaxation model. Somewhat counter-intuitively, as the GNR width is decreased, the measured acoustoelectric current increases. This is thought to be caused by an increase of the carrier mobility due to increased doping arising from damage to the GNR edges.

Switching of magnetic moments of nanoparticles by surface acoustic waves

We report evidence of the magnetization reversal in nanoparticles by surface acoustic waves (SAWs). The experimental system consists of isolated magnetite nanoparticles dispersed on a piezoelectric substrate. Magnetic relaxation from a saturated state becomes significantly enhanced in the presence of the SAW at a constant temperature of the substrate. The dependence of the relaxation on SAW power and frequency has been investigated. The effect is explained by the effective ac magnetic field generated by the SAW in the nanoparticles.

Optical measurement of damping in nanomagnet arrays using magnetoelastically driven resonances

Surface acoustic waves (SAWs) are optically excited in periodic nanomagnet arrays and drive the magnetization precession via magnetoelastic coupling. The frequency of this mechanically induced magnetic response is pinned at the SAW frequency over an extended range of applied fields. First, we show by experimental and numerical investigation of materials with different combinations of damping and magnetoelastic coupling strengths that the field-dependent width of this pinned resonance depends only on the effective damping αeff. Second, we derive an analytical expression for determining αeff from the Lorentzian lineshape of the field-dependent Fourier amplitude of this resonance. We show that the intrinsic Gilbert damping can be determined in the high field limit by analyzing multiple pinned resonances at different applied fields. This demonstrates that intrinsic damping can be extracted all-optically, despite interactions with nonmagnetic degrees of freedom. We find damping values of 0.027, 0.028 and 0.25 for Ni, Co and TbFe respectively. Finally, the validity of the experimental results is verified by excellent agreement with micromagnetic simulations incorporating the magnetoelastic coupling, which shows that the pinning width is unaffected by the magnetoelastic coupling constant over three orders of magnitude. This finding has implications for the rational design of spintronic devices that involve magnetoelastic effects.

Tunable SAW Devices Based on Ni:ZnO/ZnO/GaN Structures with Buried IDTs

Tunable RF devices have promising applications in low-power resettable sensors, adaptive signal processing, and secure wireless communications. We report a tunable surface acoustic wave (SAW) device built on a multifunctional ZnO/GaN-based structure. The device consists of a piezoelectric Ni:ZnO (NZO) layer deposited on the top of a ZnO/GaN semiconductor heterostructure. The multifunctional ZnO layers are made through a hybrid deposition technique: RF sputtering of a piezoelectric NZO layer and metallorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) of a semiconducting n-type ZnO layer on the GaN/Al2O3 substrate. This multifunctional and multilayer structure combines the large electromechanical coupling coefficient of ZnO and high acoustic velocities of GaN. The unique dispersion relationship in ZnO/GaN enables high-frequency (GHz) operation using higher order SAW modes. Two device configurations are designed: one with the interdigital transducer (IDT) exposed on the NZO surface, and one with the IDT buried inside NZO layer. Both devices operate at the GHz frequency. SAW frequency tuning is achieved by voltage controlled acoustoelectric interaction. The device using the buried IDT structure has better performance over the counterpart with exposed IDT SAW. The ZnO/GaN-based tunable SAW device with buried IDTs operating at 1.35 GHz has frequency tunability of ∼0.9% at low biasing voltage range (−12 V∼0 V).

Design of Surface Acoustic Wave Parafoil Riser Tension Sensor

An increasing demand for the online tension measurement in developing parafoil has arisen. In this paper, a new design for surface acoustic wave (SAW) tension sensor, which can be used to test the parafoil riser tension wirelessly and passively, is discussed. An SAW resonator is used for sensing tension by determining the frequency of the resonant reflection device. In accordance with the test requirements, a nondestructive side-loading tension testing structure is created by which stress analysis and optimization can be operated in ANSYS. To understand the relationship between size and frequency of the antenna in the sensor, a new antenna design called microstrip antenna is proposed following the high frequency structure simulator analysis. The proposed design shows good linearity and sensitivity between the SAW frequency and the riser tension through the actual experiment, which meets the stringent requirement for the shape of the sensor. Thus, the sensor can obtain tension measurement during the operation of the parafoil riser.

Acoustic study of Wigner crystal melting in n-GaAs/AlGaAs at high magnetic fields

We have measured absorption and velocity of surface acoustic waves (SAWs) in high-mobility samples n-GaAs/AlGaAs in magnetic fields (12–18) T (filling factors ν = 0.18–0.125) at temperatures T = (40–340) K and SAW frequencies f = (30–300) MHz. From the measurement data, the complex AC conductance, σ AC (ω) ≡ σ 1(ω)—i σ 2(ω) and its dependences on frequency, temperature, and the amplitude of the SAW-induced electric field were found. We conclude that in the studied interval of the magnetic field and at T Tm. We ascribed this change o...

Spatial selective manipulation of microbubbles by tunable surface acoustic waves.

A microfluidic device based on a pair of slant-finger interdigital transducers (SFITs) is developed to achieve a selective and flexible manipulation of microbubbles (MBs) by surface acoustic waves (SAWs). The resonance frequency of SAWs generated by the SFITs depends on the location of its parallel pathway; the particles at different locations of the SAWs' pathway can be controlled selectively by choosing the frequency of the excitation signal applied on the SFITs. By adjusting the input signal continuously, MBs can be transported along the acoustic aperture precisely. The displacement of MBs has a linear relationship with the frequency shift. The resolution of transportation is 15.19 ± 2.65 μm when the shift of input signal frequency is at a step of 10 kHz. In addition, the MBs can be controlled in a two-dimensional plane by combining variations of the frequency and the relative phase of the excitation signal applied on the SFITs simultaneously. This technology may open up the possibility of selectively and flexibly manipulating MBs using a simple one-dimensional device.

Surface Acoustic Wave Device with Reduced Insertion Loss by Electrospinning P(VDF-TrFE)/ZnO Nanocomposites.

Surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices have been utilized for the sensing of chemical and biological phenomena in microscale for the past few decades. In this study, SAW device was fabricated by electrospinning poly(vinylidenefluoride-co-trifluoroethylene) (P(VDF−TrFE)) incorporated with zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles over the delay line area of the SAW device. The morphology, composition, and crystallinity of P(VDF−TrFE)/ZnO nanocomposites were investigated. After measurement of SAW frequency response, it was found that the insertion loss of the SAW devices incorporated with ZnO nanoparticles was much less than that of the neat polymer-deposited device. The fabricated device was expected to be used in acoustic biosensors to detect and quantify the cell proliferation in cell culture systems.

Acoustofluidic particle manipulation inside a sessile droplet: four distinct regimes of particle concentration.

In this study, we have investigated the motion of polystyrene microparticles inside a sessile droplet of water actuated by surface acoustic waves (SAWs), which produce an acoustic streaming flow (ASF) and impart an acoustic radiation force (ARF) on the particles. We have categorized four distinct regimes (R1-R4) of particle aggregation that depend on the particle diameter, the SAW frequency, the acoustic wave field (travelling or standing), the acoustic waves' attenuation length, and the droplet volume. The particles are concentrated at the centre of the droplet in the form of a bead (R1), around the periphery of the droplet in the form of a ring (R2), at the side of the droplet in the form of an isolated island (R3), and close to the centre of the droplet in the form of a smaller ring (R4). The ASF-based drag force, the travelling or standing SAW-based ARF, and the centrifugal force are utilized in various combinations to produce these distinct regimes. For simplicity, we fixed the fluid volume at 5 μL, varied the SAW actuation frequency (10, 20, 80, and 133 MHz), and tested several particle diameters in the range 1-30 μm to explicitly demonstrate the regimes R1-R4. We have further demonstrated the separation of particles (1 and 10 μm, 3 and 5 μm) using mixed regime configurations (R1 and R2, R2 and R4, respectively).

Characterization of an acoustically coupled multilayered microfluidic platform on SAW substrate using mixing phenomena

Optimization of the reusable microfluidic platform on surface acoustic wave (SAW) requires a clear understanding of the various factors that affects the acoustic energy transmission to the fluid in the microchannel. This article reports the characterization and analysis of the reusable SAW microfluidic platform. The acoustic energy transfer through various layers was characterized by the microfluidic mixing phenomenon. During this work, mixing efficiency was considered to evaluate the acoustic energy transmission. The three different parameters taken into consideration are the input voltage, SAW frequency and the coupling layer thickness. The effect of the factors on the output response is examined by conducting experimental studies and developing new analytical models. The acoustic wave was coupled through a liquid layer to a disposable superstrate. The anti-symmetric higher order lamb waves generated on thin glass plate generates compressional waves in the liquid to induce fluid motion. The acoustic energy delivered to the fluid increased as the square of the applied voltage and saturated at 50V. The frequency response demonstrated a higher acoustic energy transmission for the 100MHz compared to the 50MHz, which was validated by numerical studies. Power transmitted through the coupling layer displayed a sinusoidal dependence on the normalized thickness of the layer. Finally, the effect of temperature is also considered to confirm the validity of the developed models.

Nonreciprocity of spin waves in magnonic crystals created by surface acoustic waves in structures with yttrium iron garnet

Experimental results of investigations of nonreciprocity for surface magnetostatic spin waves (SMSW) in the magnonic crystal created by surface acoustic waves (SAW) in yttrium iron garnet films on a gallium gadolinium garnet substrate as without metallization and with aluminum films with different electrical conductivities (thicknesses) are presented. In structures without metallization, the frequency of magnonic gaps is dependent on mutual directions of propagation of the SAW and SMSW, showing nonreciprocal properties for SMSW in SAW – magnonic crystals even with the symmetrical dispersion characteristic. In metalized SAW – magnonic crystals the shift of the magnonic band gaps frequencies at the inversion of the biasing magnetic field was observed. The frequencies of magnonic band gaps as functions of SAW frequency are presented. Measured dependencies, showing the decrease of magnonic gaps frequency and the expansion of the magnonic band gap width with the decreasing of the metal film conductivity are given. Such nonreciprocal properties of the SAW – magnonic crystals are promising for signal processing in the GHz range.

Rayleigh surface acoustic wave as an efficient heating system for biological reactions: investigation of microdroplet temperature uniformity.

When a microdroplet is put on the Rayleigh surface acoustic wave path, longitudinal waves are radiated into the liquid and induce several phenomena such as the wellknown surface acoustic wave streaming. At the same time, the temperature of the microdroplet increases as it has been shown. In this paper, we study the temperature uniformity of a microdroplet heated by Rayleigh surface acoustic wave for discrete microfluidic applications such as biological reactions. To precisely ascertain the temperature uniformity and not interfere with the biological reaction, we used an infrared camera. We then tested the temperature uniformity as a function of three parameters: the microdroplet volume, the Rayleigh surface acoustic wave frequency, and the continuous applied radio frequency power. Based on these results, we propose a new device structure to develop a future lab on a chip based on reaction temperatures.

Effect of exciton dragging by a surface acoustic wave

We present the theory of the effect of exciton dragging by a Rayleigh surface acoustic wave at temperatures above the condensation temperature of the exciton gas and at zero temperature, where the effects of the Bose-Einstein condensation of the exciton gas are most pronounced. The magnitude of the acoustic drag flux in the exciton gas at high temperatures has been calculated taking into account the exciton-exciton interaction. It has been shown that the drag flux at typical experimental parameters (at a given intensity of the surface acoustic wave (SAW)) is independent of the frequency of the acoustic wave, whereas the interaction between excitons leads to screening of the SAW-induced perturbation, which results in an exponentially fast decrease in the drag flux with an increase in the exciton density. At low temperatures, in the presence of a condensate, the drag flux of condensate particles exhibits a resonance character when the velocity of Bogoliubov excitations approaches the velocity of the acoustic wave and the magnitude of the flux is linear in the SAW frequency. The drag flux of the above-condensate particles has a threshold character: the above-condensate particles are dragged by the wave at a velocity of the acoustic wave higher than the bogolon velocity. The magnitude of the above-condensate flux is inversely proportional to the SAW frequency.

Temperature dependence of the acoustoelectric current in graphene

The acoustoelectric current in graphene has been investigated as a function of temperature, surface acoustic wave (SAW) intensity, and frequency. At high SAW frequencies, the measured acoustoelectric current decreases with decreasing temperature, but remains positive, which corresponds to the transport of holes, over the whole temperature range studied. The current also exhibits a linear dependence on the SAW intensity, consistent with the interaction between the carriers and SAWs being described by a relatively simple classical relaxation model. At low temperatures and SAW frequencies, the measured acoustoelectric current no longer exhibits a simple linear dependence on the SAW intensity, and the direction of the acoustoelectric current is also observed to reverse under certain experimental conditions.

Nebulization of water/glycerol droplets generated by ZnO/Si surface acoustic wave devices

Efficient nebulization of liquid sessile droplets (water and water/glycerol mixtures) was investigated using standing waves generated using ZnO/Si surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices under different RF powers, frequencies and liquid viscosity (varied glycol concentrations in water). At such high RF powers, there are strong competitions between vertical jetting and nebulization. At lower SAW frequencies of 12.3 and 23.37 MHz, significant capillary waves and large satellite droplets were generated before nebulization could be observed. At frequencies between 23.37 and 37.2 MHz, spreading, displacement or occasionally jetting of the parent sessile droplet was frequently observed before a significant nebulization occurred. When the SAW frequencies were increased from 44.44 to 63.3 MHz, the minimum RF power to initiate droplet nebulization was found to increase significantly, and jetting of the parent droplet before nebulization became significant, although the average size of the nebulized particles and ejected satellite droplets appeared to decrease with an increase in frequency. With the increase of glycerol concentration in the test sessile droplets (or increase in liquid viscosity), nebulization became difficult due to the increased SAW damping rate inside the liquid. Acoustic heating effects were characterized to be insignificant and did not show apparent contributions to the nebulization process due to silicon substrate’s natural effect as an effective heat sink and the employment of a metallic holder beneath the ZnO/Si SAW device substrates.