A LN/Si-Based SAW Pressure Sensor.

Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) sensors are small, passive and wireless devices. We present here the latest results obtained in a project aimed at developing a SAW-based implantable pressure sensor, equipped with a well-defined, 30 μm-thick, 4.7 mm-in-diameter, Lithium Niobate (LN) membrane.

Electrostatic Generation of Bulk Acoustic Waves and Electrical Parameters of Si-MEMS Resonators.

This paper proposes an analytical approach to model the generation of bulk acoustic waves in an electrostatically excited silicon MEMS structure, as well as its electromechanical response in terms of static and dynamic displacements, electromechanical coupling, and motional current. The analysis pertains to the single-port electrostatic drive of trapped-energy thickness-extensional (TE) modes in thin plates. Both asymmetric single-side and symmetric double-side electrostatic gap configurations are modeled.

Fast-beam self-trapping in LiNbO(3) films by pyroelectric effect.

We report light-beam self-trapping triggered by the pyroelectric effect in an isolated ferroelectric thin film. Experiments are performed in an 8-μm-thick congruent undoped LiNbO(3) film bonded onto a silicon wafer. Response time two orders of magnitude faster than in bulk LiNbO(3) is reported.

Acoustic resonator based on periodically poled lithium niobate ridge.

The constant improvement of industrial needs to face modern telecommunication challenges leads to the development of novel transducer principles as alternatives to SAW and BAW solutions. The main technological limits of SAW (short-circuit between electrodes) and BAW (precise thickness control) solutions can be overcome by a new kind of transducer based on periodically poled ferroelectric substrate. The approach proposed in this paper exploits a ridge structure combined with a periodically poled transducer (PPT), allowing for the excitation of highly coupled modes unlike previously published results on planar PPTs.

High-sensitivity open-loop electronics for gravimetric acoustic-wave-based sensors.

Detecting chemical species in gas phase has recently received an increasing interest mainly for security control, trying to implement new systems allowing for extended dynamics and reactivity. In this work, an open-loop interrogation strategy is proposed to use radio-frequency acoustic transducers as micro-balances for that purpose. The resulting system is dedicated to the monitoring of chemical compounds in gaseous or liquid-phase state.

Acoustic wave filter based on periodically poled lithium niobate.

Solutions for the development of compact RF passive transducers as an alternative to standard surface or bulk acoustic wave devices are receiving increasing interest. This article presents results on the development of an acoustic band-pass filter based on periodically poled ferroelectric domains in lithium niobate. The fabrication of periodically poled transducers (PPTs) operating in the range of 20 to 650 MHz has been achieved on 3-in (76.

Prediction and measurement of boundary waves at the interface between LiNbO3 and silicon.

Interface acoustic waves (IAWs) propagate along the boundary between two perfectly bonded solids. For a leakage- free IAW, all displacement fields must be evanescent along the normal to the boundary inside both solids, but leaky IAWs may also exist depending on the selected combination of materials. When at least one of the bonded solids is a piezoelectric material, the IAW can be excited by an interdigital transducer (IDT) located at the interface, provided one can fabricate the transducer and access the electrical contacts.

GHz frequency ZnO/Si SAW device.

The demand for high-frequency low-loss filters generates intensive research on innovative wave guide solutions. In this work, a GHz SAW device based on a ZnO/Si structure was fabricated using classical UV photolithography. The thickness of the piezoelectric thin film was optimized and a specific interdigital transducer structure was used to generate third and fifth harmonic guided waves at 2.

Detection and high-precision positioning of liquid droplets using SAW systems.

The capability to accurately handle liquids in small volumes is a key point for the development of lab-on-chip devices. In this paper, we investigate an application of surface acoustic waves (SAW) for positioning micro-droplets. A SAW device based on a 2 x 2 matrix of inter-digital transducers (IDTs) has been fabricated on a (YXI)/128 degrees LiNbO3 substrate, which implies displacement and detection in two dimensions of droplets atop a flat surface.

Integrated Love Wave Device Dedicated to Biomolecular Interactions Measurements in Aqueous Media.

Mass-sensitive electro-acoustic devices such as surface acoustic wave (SAW)micro-balances, capable to operate with aqueous media are particularly favorable for thedevelopment of biosensors. Their dimensions and physical properties offer a large potentialin biological fluid investigations, especially for measuring physical phenomenon (massdeposition, adsorption, pressure..

Accurate measurement of anhydride fluorhydric acid concentration in controlled gaseous flow with STW sensors.

This paper presents theoretical and experimental developments for the implementation of surface acoustic waves (SAW) sensors able to detect small concentrations of anhydride fluorhydric (HF) acid in air. Solutions based on the use of surface transverse waves (STW) on quartz (YXlt)/36 degrees/90 degrees have been analyzed to evaluate their sensitivity to HF. Devices have been tested first in a NH4F solution to evaluate the kinetics of the reaction.

High-frequency surface acoustic waves excited on thin-oriented LiNbO3 single-crystal layers transferred onto silicon.

The need for high-frequency, wide-band filters has instigated many developments based on combining thin piezoelectric films and high acoustic velocity materials (sapphire, diamond-like carbon, silicon, etc.) to ease the manufacture of devices operating above 2 GHz. In the present work, a technological process has been developed to achieve thin-oriented, single-crystal lithium niobate (LiNbO3) layers deposited on (100) silicon wafers for the fabrication of radio-frequency (RF) surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices.

A perturbation method for predicting the temperature and stress sensitivities of quartz vibrating structures simulated by finite-element analysis.

Thermal and mechanical sensitivities of vibrating structures and wave guides are key parameters for the optimization of high stability resonant devices operating in the ultrasonic frequency range (from a few tenth of kilohertz to a few gigahertz). In this paper, the possibility to simulate and predict temperature coefficients of frequency (TCF) of quartz transducers of any shape as well as their stress sensitivity coefficients is addressed. The theoretical developments based on harmonic finite-element analysis coupled with a variational perturbation method are detailed, showing how to derive the regarded parameters.

Surface Green's function of a piezoelectric half-space.

The computation of the two-dimensional harmonic spatial-domain Green's function at the surface of a piezoelectric half-space is discussed. Starting from the known form of the Green's function expressed in the spectral domain, the singular contributions are isolated and treated separately. It is found that the surface acoustic wave contributions (i.

Theoretical analysis of micro-machined ultrasonic transducer using a simple 1-D model.

Micro-machined ultrasonic transducers (MUT) appear as an attractive alternative to standard bulk transducers mainly based on PZT ceramic actuators. However, the simulation of these new devices requires one to take correctly into account their operating conditions. Particularly, most of the MUT structures are periodic, associating a very large number of elementary actuators excited in phase.

Prediction of the thermal sensitivity of surface acoustic waves excited under a periodic grating of electrodes.

The prediction of the temperature sensitivity of surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices still requires improvement because the nature of the implemented surface modes and the devices' complexity strongly change from the early basic Rayleigh-wave-based devices. To address this problem, a theoretical analysis and a numerical tool have been developed to predict the thermal dispersion of general electro-acoustic devices. The proposed model accounts for the electrode contribution to the frequency-temperature law.

Three-dimensional modelling of micromachined-ultrasonic-transducer arrays operating in water.

We report on the 3-D modelling of periodic arrays of capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers (cMUTs) operating in fluid. Specific developments have been performed to model biperiodic transducer arrays and to take into account radiation into any stratified media at the front-side as well as the back-side of the device. The model is based on a periodic finite-element-analysis/boundary-element-method (FEA/BEM).

A P-matrix based model for SAW grating waveguides taking into account modes conversion at the reflection.

Several models exist for analyzing the wave-guiding effect of a reflective grating. On the one hand, there are models based on scalar waveguide theory. These models consider that a device can be described as being made of several regions having different velocities.

Dyadic Green's functions of a laminar plate.

We introduce the concept of dyadic Green's functions of a laminar plate. These functions generalize classical Green's functions. In addition to relating displacements and stresses at the surface of a medium, they relate these quantities at both the top and the bottom surfaces of a medium of finite thickness and infinite extent in the transverse directions.

Fast FEM/BEM simulation of SAW devices via asymptotic waveform evaluation.

The finite element method/boundary element method (FEM/BEM) computation model applied to surface acoustic wave devices requires the solution of a large linear system for each frequency point. An asymptotic waveform evaluation technique is used to obtain an approximate solution of the linear system that is valid over a large frequency bandwidth. The approximate solution was shown to be very accurate and vastly reduces the computation time.

A new triply rotated quartz cut for the fabrication of low loss IF SAW filters.

Analysis of the quartz properties shows the existence of unexplored angular domains for which Rayleigh waves can be efficiently excited, exhibiting physical characteristics better than the ones of the (ST,X) cut. This paper presents a family of quartz cuts allowing significant improvements of surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices on quartz. A first set of experiments has been performed, confirming the theoretical predictions of the basic properties of SAW on these cuts.

Interface acoustic waves properties in some common crystal cuts.

Interface acoustic waves (IAWs), also termed boundary waves, propagate at the interface between two solids. We present two IAW numerical analysis tools, inspired from well established surface acoustic wave (SAW) methods. First, the interface effective permittivity is derived for arbitrary piezoelectric solids and is used to estimate some basic parameters of IAWs.

Vibration maps of capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers by laser interferometry.

In this letter, a 1.8-mm x 1.8-mm capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT) element is experimentally characterized by means of optical measurements.

A full 3D plane-wave-expansion model for 1-3 piezoelectric composite structures.

The plane-wave-expansion (PWE) approach dedicated to the simulation of periodic devices has been extended to 1-3 connectivity piezoelectric composite structures. The case of simple but actual piezoelectric composite structures is addressed, taking piezoelectricity, acoustic losses, and electrical excitation conditions rigorously into account. The material distribution is represented by using a bidimensional Fourier series and the electromechanical response is simulated using a Bloch-Floquet expansion together with the Fahmy-Adler formulation of the Christoffel problem.

SSBW to PSAW conversion in SAW devices using heavy mechanical loading.

The development of efficient computation tools based on mixed analytical and numerical calculation approaches allows precise descriptions and characterizations of surface acoustic waves (SAW) propagation, taking into account realistic electrical and mechanical boundary conditions. As an example, suppression of the leaky SAW, also called pseudo SAW (PSAW), attenuation has been predicted using such tools allowing to explain experimental occurrences for SAW devices on YX cut lithium niobate and lithium tantalate with thick aluminum strip gratings (6% < h/lambda < 10%). In this work, such a theoretical model is used to analyze the evolution of surface waves on standard YX lithium tantalate cuts versus aluminum strip height.