Surface Acoustic Wave Delay Line Research Articles

Development of chipless, wireless current sensor system based on giant magnetoimpedance magnetic sensor and surface acoustic wave transponder.

A chipless, wireless current sensor system was developed using a giant magnetoimpedance (GMI) magnetic sensor and one-port surface acoustic wave (SAW) reflective delay line for real-time power monitoring in a current-carrying conductor. The GMI sensor has a high-quality crystalline structure in each layer, which contributes to a high sensitivity and good linearity in a magnetic field of 3–16 Oe. A 400 MHz RF energy generated from the interdigital transducer (IDT)-type reflector on the one-port SAW delay line was used as an activation source for the GMI magnetic sensor. The one-port SAW delay line replaces the presently existing transceiver system, which is composed of thousands of transistors, thus enabling chipless and wireless operation. We confirmed a large variation in the amplitude of the SAW reflection peak with a change in the impedance of the GMI sensor caused by the current flow through the conductor. Good linearity and sensitivity of ~0.691 dB/A were observed for currents in the range 1–12 A. Coupling of Mode (COM) modeling and impedance matching analysis were also performed to predict the device performance in advance and these were compared with the experimental results.

Comparative Modelling Studies of 400 MHz ST-X Quartz SAW Delay Lines for Potential Gas Sensing Applications

Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) devices like delay lines, filters, resonators etc., are nowadays extensively used as principal solid state components in many electronic applications and chemical vapour sensors. To bring out the best from these SAW devices, computational design and modelling are resorted too. The present paper proposes the modelling of 400 MHz ST-X Quartz based SAW delay line, by three models namely, Impulse Response Model (IRM), Crossed-field Equivalent Circuit Model (ECM) and Couplingof-Modes (COM) model. MATLAB is employed as a computational tool to model the experimental output of the SAW device. A comparative discussion of the modelled device results is also provided.

Real Time Cascade Impactor Based On Surface Acoustic Wave Delay Lines for PM10 and PM2.5 Mass Concentration Measurement.

In this research, Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) sensors are combined with a cascade impactor to perform real time PM10 and PM2.5 mass concentration measurements. The SAW sensors consist of 125 MHz delay lines based on Love waves propagating on an AT-cut quartz substrate. The Love waves are guided on the substrate’s surface using a silica layer. SAW sensors themselves are not capable to discriminate particles by their size, therefore, particle separation based on aerodynamic diameter is achieved using a 3 Lpm dedicated cascade impactor. The latter was designed to integrate the SAW sensors which are monitored using a phase shift measurement. The collected particles impact on the acoustic sensor’s surface inducing a gravimetric effect that modifies the acoustic wave propagation conditions. The resulted phase shift allows the measurement of the mass deposited on the sensitive zone. The novel cascade impactor with SAW sensors as particle collecting stages is exposed to different aerosols in the 0–150 μg/m3 concentration range and proved to be able to detect and differentiate particles based on their size in real time. The system’s response was compared to a commercial optical counter based on light scattering technology and was found to be in good agreement with it.

Zeolitic imidazolate framework-coated acoustic sensors for room temperature detection of carbon dioxide and methane.

The integration of nanoporous materials such as metal organic frameworks (MOFs) with sensitive transducers can result in robust sensing platforms for monitoring gases and chemical vapors for a range of applications. Here, we report on an integration of the zeolitic imidazolate framework - 8 (ZIF-8) MOF with surface acoustic wave (SAW) and thickness shear mode quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) devices to monitor carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) under ambient conditions. The MOF was directly coated on the Y-Z LiNbO3 SAW delay lines (operating frequency, f0 = 436 MHz) and AT-cut quartz TSM resonators (resonant frequency, f0 = 9 MHz) and the devices were tested for various gases in N2 under ambient conditions. The devices were able to detect the changes in CO2 or CH4 concentrations with relatively higher sensitivity to CO2, which was due to its higher adsorption potential and heavier molecular weight. The sensors showed full reversibility and repeatability which were attributed to the physisorption of the gases into the MOF and high stability of the devices. Both types of sensors showed linear responses relative to changes in the binary gas compositions thereby allowing to construct calibration curves which correlated well with the expected mass changes in the sorbent layer based on mixed-gas gravimetric adsorption isotherms measured on bulk samples. For 200 nm thick films, the SAW sensitivities to CO2 and CH4 were 1.44 × 10-6/vol% and 8 × 10-8/vol%, respectively, against the QCM sensitivities 0.24 × 10-6/vol% and 1 × 10-8/vol%, respectively, which were evaluated as the fractional change in the signal. The SAW sensors were also evaluated for 100 nm-300 nm thick films, the sensitivities of which were found to increase with the thickness due to the increased number of pores for the adsorption of a larger amount of gases. In addition, the MOF-coated SAW delay lines had a good response in wireless mode, demonstrating their potential to operate remotely for the detection of the gases at emission sites across the energy infrastructure.

Modelling of 200 MHz Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) Delay Line for Sensor Specific Applications

Modelling of 200 MHz Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) Delay Line for Sensor Specific Applications

Modulation of acousto-electric current using a hybrid on-chip AlN SAW/GFET device

We fabricated a hybrid on-chip acousto-electric (AE) and field-effect device to investigate the modulation of acoustic carrier transportation by gate voltage. The device fabrication exploited a surface micromachining aluminum nitride process on a silicon wafer, facilitating an integration of a surface acoustic wave (SAW) delay line and a graphene field-effect transistor. The SAW device induced an AE current in graphene, which scales linearly with the input power and remains essentially constant when subtracting the offset current at different DC biases. At a constant DC bias, the AE current can be modulated by the gate voltage, due to the change of the carrier mobility in graphene. A four-fold enhancement in the AE current was realized when ∼35 V voltage was applied to the gate electrode. The highly integrated device proves to be a powerful tool to understand the AE current in graphene, and since it supports integration for versatile functionality, it opens an avenue to explore the properties of diverse nanomaterials.

Enhancing the sensitivity of three-axis detectable surface acoustic wave gyroscope by using a floating thin piezoelectric membrane

A new type of surface acoustic wave (SAW) gyroscope was developed on a floating thin piezoelectric membrane to enhance sensitivity and reliability by removing a bulk noise effect and by importing a higher amplitude of SAW. The developed device constitutes a two-port SAW resonator with a metallic dot array between two interdigital transducers (IDTs), and a one-port SAW delay line. The bulk silicon was completely etched away, leaving only a thin piezoelectric membrane with a thickness of one wavelength. A voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) was connected to a SAW resonator to activate the SAW resonator, while the SAW delay line was connected to the oscilloscope to monitor any variations caused by the Coriolis force. When the device was rotated, a secondary wave was generated, changing the amplitude of the SAW delay line. The highest sensitivity was observed in a device with a full acoustic wavelength thickness of the membrane because most of the acoustic field is confined within an acoustic wavelength thickness from the top surface; moreover, the thin-membrane-based gyroscope eliminates the bulk noise effect flowing along the bulk substrate. The obtained sensitivity and linearity of the SAW gyroscope were ∼27.5 µV deg−1 s−1 and ∼4.3%, respectively. Superior directivity was observed. The device surface was vacuum-sealed using poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) bonding to eliminate environmental interference. A three-axis detectable gyroscope was also implemented by placing three gyrosensors with the same configuration at right angles to each other on a printed circuit board.

Fast Surface Acoustic Wave-Based Sensors to Investigate the Kinetics of Gas Uptake in Ultra-Microporous Frameworks.

Observation of the kinetics and measurement of the activation energies for gas diffusion in porous materials requires very fast and sensitive sensors. In this work, thin films of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with different pore sizes are grown on a surface acoustic wave (SAW) substrate, resulting in very sensitive and specific sensor systems for the detection of various gases at very short time scales. Using specially designed SAW delay lines for the detection, up to 200-nm-wide cubic MOF crystals were grown directly from a solution on the sensitive sensor chip area. One example, MFU-4, exhibits a smallest pore aperture of 2.5 Å and shows a highly sensitive and specific response to CO2, H2, He, NH3, and H2O. It is shown that such a MOF@SAW sensor responds within milliseconds to gas loading and its sensitivity reaches levels as low as 1 ppmv, currently only limited by the gas mixing system. This unique combination of sensitivity and fast response characteristics allows even for real-time investigations of the sorption kinetics during gas uptake and release. As is typical for SAW sensors, the production of the chips is very straightforward and inexpensive and-combined with the unique properties of the MOFs with their tunable pore sizes and adjustable internal surface properties-holds promise for different sensor applications.

Development of wireless, chipless neural stimulator by using one-port surface acoustic wave delay line and diode–capacitor interface

For the first time, a wireless and chipless neuron stimulator was developed by utilizing a surface acoustic wave (SAW) delay line, a diode–capacitor interface, a sharp metal tip, and antennas for the stimulation of neurons in the brain. The SAW delay line supersedes presently existing complex wireless transmission systems composed of a few thousands of transistors, enabling the fabrication of wireless and chipless transceiver systems. The diode–capacitor interface was used to convert AC signals to DC signals and induce stimulus pulses at a sharp metal probe. A 400 MHz RF energy was wirelessly radiated from antennas and then stimulation pulses were observed at a sharp gold probe. A ∼5 m reading distance was obtained using a 1 mW power from a network analyzer. The cycles of electromagnetic (EM) radiation from an antenna were controlled by shielding the antenna with an EM absorber. Stimulation pulses with different amplitudes and durations were successfully observed at the probe. The obtained pulses were ∼0.08 mV in amplitude and 3–10 Hz in frequency. Coupling-of-mode (COM) and SPICE modeling simulations were also used to determine the optimal structural parameters for SAW delay line and the values of passive elements. On the basis of the extracted parameters, the entire system was experimentally implemented and characterized.

Hydrogen Gas Sensing Using Palladium-Graphene Nanocomposite Material Based on Surface Acoustic Wave

We report the fabrication and characterization of surface acoustic wave (SAW) hydrogen sensors using palladium-graphene (Pd-Gr) nanocomposite as sensing material. The Pd-Gr nanocomposite as sensing layer was deposited onto SAW delay line sensor-based interdigitated electrodes (IDTs)/aluminum nitride (AlN)/silicon (Si) structure. The Pd-Gr nanocomposite was synthesized by a chemical route and deposited onto SAW sensors by air-brush spraying. The SAW H2 sensor using Pd-Gr nanocomposite as a sensing layer shows a frequency shift of 25 kHz in 0.5% H2 concentration at room temperature with good repeatability and stability. Moreover, the sensor showed good linearity and fast response/recovery within ten seconds with various H2 concentrations from 0.25 to 1%. The specific interaction between graphene and SAW transfer inside AlN/Si structures yields a high sensitivity and fast response/recovery of SAW H2 sensor based on Pd-Gr/AlN/Si structure.

Enhanced sensitivity of temperature-compensated SAW-based current sensor using the magnetostrictive effect

A temperature-compensated surface acoustic wave (SAW)-based current sensor was proposed in this contribution, composed of a sensor chip made by SAW delay line patterns on a SiO2/128° YX LiNbO3 piezoelectric substrate, a magnetostrictive FeCo film deposited on the SAW propagation path, and a corresponding differential oscillation configuration. The FeCo coating produced magnetostrictive strain under the magnetic field generated by the applied current, leading to linearity changes in the SAW propagation in the form of velocity change. The corresponding differential oscillation frequency shift was used to evaluate the tested current. By solving the coupled electromechanical field equation in a layered structure while considering the magnetostrictive effect, the optimal FeCo film thickness, and sensor operation frequency yielding high current sensitivity, were determined, and then confirmed experimentally by evaluating the developed SAW current sensor system utilizing a Helmholtz coil. A high sensitivity of 16.6 KHz A−1 (8.3 KHz m−1 T−1), excellent linearity, and lower detection limit (∼0.2 mA) were achieved with our 300 MHz SAW sensor with a 500 nm FeCo coating and aspect ratio of 2:1.

Theoretical and experimental characterisation of a SAW delay line through its Y ‐matrix

Surface acoustic wave (SAW) delay lines are commonly used devices, and it is important to characterise them to find the causes of deviations between the experimental and theoretical behaviour in order to consider them during design. The authors present the theoretical characteristics and the characterisation of a SAW delay line through X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy and the measurement of S-parameters. Using the S-parameters, the Y-parameters were calculated and comparing them with those obtained theoretically, they found disagreement in their magnitudes and also that the experimental SAW velocity was 2.8% larger than the theoretical one. The magnitude of experimental Y11 is smaller than that obtained theoretically because of the ill-defined profile and the metallisation ratio of the electrodes is not ideal due to inherent limitations in the fabrication process, and besides Y21 is smaller than expected because the attenuation of the SAW when it propagates through the delay line. When the electrode defects, the experimental SAW velocity and the attenuation coefficient of SAW in this material are considered in the theoretical calculations, agreement is found between theoretical and experimental results. This procedure is based in the comparison between experimental and theoretical Y-parameters and could be used to estimate attenuation, electrode capacitance and SAW velocity.

Fast-response and low-loss surface acoustic wave humidity sensor based on bovine serum albumin-gold nanoclusters film

The impact of ambient air humidity on surface acoustic wave (SAW) propagation in structures consisting of bovine serum albumin (BSA) and bovine serum albumin - gold nanoclusters (BSA-Au NCs) films deposited on YZ lithium niobate (LiNbO3) substrate has been investigated. The BSA-Au NCs film deposited on the surface of LiNbO3 significantly reduced the low-humidity value of the SAW transmission loss and considerably improved its long-term stability as compared to the BSA film. The amplitude of the output signal of the BSA-Au NCs on LiNbO3 SAW delay line was measured as a function of relative humidity (RH) at the steady-state conditions and as a function of time upon the step-like RH variation. An observed decrease in the transmitted SAW amplitude with increasing RH was explained in terms of the acoustoelectric attenuation. The response and recovery times of the structure with BSA-Au NCs on LiNbO3 SAW delay line upon abrupt humidity changes were on the order of 0.2s. No impact of RH variation on the SAW propagation was observed in the structures with BSA-Au NCs films deposited on metalized LiNbO3 substrate surface. The time-stable, fast-response and low-loss BSA-Au NCs on LiNbO3 SAW humidity sensor has been applied for monitoring the human respiration by detecting moisture contained in the exhaled air.

A Comparison of Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) Delay Line Modelling Techniques for Sensor Applications

A Comparison of Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) Delay Line Modelling Techniques for Sensor Applications

Investigating the cross-interference effects of alumina refinery process gas species on a SAW based mercury vapor sensor

In this study, the effect of some common alumina refinery process gas species on the response of a surface acoustic wave (SAW) based elemental mercury (Hg0) vapor microsensor was investigated. The developed sensor was based on a SAW delay line, fabricated on a ST-cut quartz substrate with nickel (Ni) interdigitated transducer (IDT) electrodes and gold (Au) film sensitive layer. Ni was chosen as IDT material due to its immiscibility in mercury and thus allowing the sensor to operate for a longer time, as required by the industries. The sensor was exposed to mercury vapor concentrations between 24 and 365ppbv without/with the presence of ammonia, acetaldehyde, ethyl mercaptan, dimethyl disulphide, methyl ethyl ketone and humidity. The detection limit of the sensor toward Hg0 vapor was calculated to be 1.4ppbv and 4.0ppbv at operating temperatures of 35 and 75°C, respectively. The coefficient of variance of the sensor response magnitude was found to be within ±1.86 and ±5.73% at 75°C when exposed to repeated pulses of 365ppbv of Hg0 vapor without and with the presence of interfering gas species, respectively. This indicates high precision of sensor while measuring low concentrations of Hg0 vapor. Results showed that when any one of the interfering gas species was exposed along with Hg0 vapor, the response magnitude of the sensor deviated up- to 7% (93% selectivity) at an operating temperature of 75°C. Furthermore, the sensor showed a selectivity of 87% when Hg0 vapor was tested along with a mixture of all interfering gases. There was insignificant cross-sensitivity effect when the humidity content was increased within the range of 15,300 to 30,600ppmv (equivalent to 50 to 100% relative humidity at room temperature). The overall results indicate that the developed sensor is able to detect Hg0 vapor selectively even in simulated industrial conditions and can be a potentially cheaper and more reliable alternative to the current Hg0 monitoring methods used in alumina refineries.

DLL‐based signal conditioning system for SAW sensor with digital output

The use of a delay-locked loop (DLL) for conditioning signals from a surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensor is proposed. The system consists of a reference oscillator and a DLL. The signal generated in the reference oscillator is propagated through a sensitive SAW delay line (SAW-DL). The SAW propagating through this structure has a phase velocity dependent on environmental parameters such as temperature, humidity, mechanical deformation, or analyte concentration. Therefore, the system measures the physical quantity of interest by tracking the delay caused by the sensitive SAW-DL via a DLL. Fully digital DLL is made use of for the delay-tracking, which provides the conversion of the environmental parameter being sensed directly to the digital domain. The system is demonstrated through results from behavioural simulation, using a model of an SAW-DL sensitive to humidity.

P Matrix Analysis of Surface Acoustic Waves in Piezoelectric Phononic Crystals.

Large time/memory costs have constituted a significant obstacle for accurately analyzing surface acoustic waves (SAWs) in large size two-dimensional (2-D) piezoelectric phononic crystals (PnCs). To overcome this obstacle, this study introduces the unit P matrix and its associated cascading. To obtain an accurate unit P matrix, the Y parameters of the SAW delay lines were derived using a three-dimensional (3-D) finite element model (FEM) with and without 2-D piezoelectric PnCs, respectively, on the transmitting path. A time window function was adopted to extract the desired signals from the P matrix analysis. Then, unit P matrix cascading was used to obtain SAW propagation parameters for the large size piezoelectric PnCs. Using this method, the SAW in aluminum (Al) /128º-YXLiNbO3 PnCs was analyzed over 150 periods. Experiments were also conducted. To choose the appropriate size of the unit P matrix, the variance between experimental results and theoretical results, and time/memory cost were compared for different periods. The results indicate that cascading by unit P matrix of 25 PnCs periods can be appropriately adopted to accurately derive the SAW propagation parameters over 150 periods. This indicates the accuracy of the unit P matrix derived by 3-D FEM and the effectiveness of P matrix analysis.

Traveling surface spin-wave resonance spectroscopy using surface acoustic waves

Coherent gigahertz-frequency surface acoustic waves (SAWs) traveling on the surface of a piezoelectric crystal can, via the magnetoelastic interaction, resonantly excite traveling surface spin waves in an adjacent thin-film ferromagnet. These excited surface spin waves, traveling with a definite in-plane wave-vector q∥ enforced by the SAW, can be detected by measuring changes in the electro-acoustical transmission of a SAW delay line. Here, we provide a demonstration that such measurements constitute a precise and quantitative technique for spin-wave spectroscopy, providing a means to determine both isotropic and anisotropic contributions to the spin-wave dispersion and damping. We demonstrate the effectiveness of this spectroscopic technique by measuring the spin-wave properties of a Ni thin film for a large range of wave vectors, |q∥| = 2.5 × 104–8 × 104 cm−1, over which anisotropic dipolar interactions vary from being negligible to quite significant.

A Shear horizontal surface acoustic wave biosensor for a rapid and specific detection of d-serine

d-serine is an amino acid that has an important role in the regulation of N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) signalling in the central nervous system. In fact, it acts as an endogenous co-agonist molecule for the NMDA receptor activation. Since an abnormal body level of d-amino acids is usually associated to different neurological diseases, it appears evident that it is of high interest to develop a fast and specific biosensor for the determination of d-serine.In this work, we report on the design and development of a surface acoustic wave (SAW) biosensor to detect the level of d-serine. The SAW-biosensor is based on the utilization of an inactivated form of the d-serine dehydratase isolated from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a biomolecule that is able to specifically bind d-serine. In particular, we produced a PLP-reduced d-serine dehydratase biomolecule that was still able to bind d-serine and not to transform it into the product. The binding event between the “inactivated” d-serine dehydratase and d-serine was monitored by SAW delay-lines.

Maximum measurement range and accuracy of SAW reflective delay line sensors.

In a surface acoustic wave (SAW) wireless sensor with a reflective delay line structure, three reflectors are often used to eliminate 2π ambiguity of phase measurement. The maximum range of the measured parameter and the maximum accuracy have recently been attracting much research attention. In this paper, an analytical formula for all the factors influencing the measurement range and accuracy of the delay line SAW sensor are deduced for the first time. The factors include: the sensor sensitivity, the topology of the delay line, the available wireless bandwidth and the allowed maximum phase measuring error of the reading system, which is easier to retrieve and more fully describes the possible noises than SNR. Additionally, many designers believe that increasing the reflector could improve accuracy continuously or realize multi-resolution measurement. However, they ignore some certain criteria that the reflector location must satisfy. The reachable maximum accuracy by every increase of a reflector is also presented. A SAW temperature sensor system using 128° YX-LiNbO3 is designed to verify the above theoretical analysis.