Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Acoustic Wave Sensors'

In the last decade, miniaturised “lab-on-a-chip” (LOC) devices have attracted significant interest in academia and industry. LOC sensors for electrochemical analysis now commonly reach picomolar in sensitivities, using only microliter-sized samples. One of the major drawbacks of this platform is the diffusion layer that appears as a limiting factor for the sensitivity level. In this thesis, a new technique was developed to enhance the sensitivity of electroanalytical sensors by increasing the mass transfer in the medium. The final device design was to be used for early detection of cancer diseases which causes bleeding in the digestive system. The diagnostic device was proposed to give reliable and repeatable results by additional modifications on its design. The sensitivity enhanced-sensor model was achieved by combining the surface acoustic wave (SAW) technology with the electroanalytical sensing platform. The technique was practically tested on a diagnostic device model and a biosensing platform. A novel, substrate (TMB) based label-free Hb sensing method is developed and tested. Moreover, the technique was further developed by changing the sensing process. Instead of forming the sensitive layer on the electrodes it was localised on polystyrene wells by a rapid one-step process. Results showed that the use of acoustic streaming, generated by SAW, increases the current flow and improves the sensitivity of amperometric sensors by a factor of 6 while only requiring microliter scale sample volumes. The heating and streaming induced by the SAW removes the small random contributions made by the natural convection and temperature variation which complicate the measurements. Therefore, the method offers stabilised conditions for more reliable and repeatable measurements. The label-free detection technique proved to be giving relevant data, according to the hemoglobin concentration. It has fewer steps than ELISA and has only one antibody. Therefore, it is quick and the cross-reactivity of the second antibody is eliminated from the system. The additional modifications made on the technique decreased the time to prepare the sensing platform because the passivation steps (i.e., pegylation), prior to structuring a sensitive layer were ignored. This avoidance also increased the reliability and repeatability of the measurements.

Artificial insemination (AI) is a widely used part of the modern agricultural industry, with the number of animals inseminated globally being measured in the millions per anum. Crucial to the success of AI is that the sperm sample used is of a high Quality. Two factors which determine the quality of the sample are the number of sperm present and their motility. There are numerous methods used to analyse the quality of a sperm sample, but these are generally laboratory based, expensive and in need of a skilled operator to perform the analysis. It would, therefore be useful to have a simple and inexpensive system which could be used outside the laboratory, immediately prior to the insemination of the animal. Presented in this thesis is work developing a time of flight (ToF) technique which makes use of a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM), operating at 5 MHz, as the sensing element. Data is shown developing a device where a 50 μl sample of boar sperm is added to a liquid filled swim channel, which the sperm are allowed to self-propel down and attach to the surface of a QCM at the end. The attachment of the sperm to the surface causes a measurable frequency decrease in the QCM, aproximately 50 Hz. An average effective mass measurement was made using a QCM and gave a value of 8 ± 5 pg per sperm, which was used in conjunction with the frequency change to determine the number rate of sperm reaching the QCM. Additional data is presented to investigate the effect of environmental temperature on the ToF of the sperm, showing a decrease in ToF between 23 0C to 37 0C. The system was also used to investigate increasing the swim speed of the sperm by chemical means. A range of 20 μmol to 100 μmol of progesterone was added to the swim medium and the ToF was shown to decrease as a result. To further develop the system, large commercial electronics were replaced by smaller circuits built in-house. An oscillator circuit based on a Pierce oscillator was used to drive the QCM and a frequency counter circuit making use of a universal frequency to digital converter (UFDC-1) was used to measure the frequency of the QCM. ToF experiments were performed which showed these pieces of equipment to be effective for performing the analysis of sperm samples. The swim cell itself was also refined, resulting in a compact, modular design. Work was performed developing layer-guided, single-port acoustic resonators to replace the QCM as the sensing element in the sperm analysis device. A maximum mass sensitivity of 1110 Hzμg-1cm-2 was found for devices on a LiTaO3 substrate with a 6 μm guiding layer. While viscosity-density sensing experiments found a maximum sensitivity of 488 KHz Pa-1/2 kg1/2 for a 4 μm guiding layer.

This thesis addresses the design and use of suitable nanomaterials and surface acoustic wave sensors for hydrogen detection and sensing. Nanotechnology is aimed at design and synthesis of novel nanoscale materials. These materials could find uses in the design of optical, biomedical and electronic devices. One such example of a nanoscale biological system is a virus. Viruses have been given a lot of attention for assembly of nanoelectronic materials. The tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) used in this research represents an inexpensive and renewable biotemplate that can be easily functionalized for the synthesis of nanomaterials. Strains of this virus have been previously coated with metals, silica or semiconductor materials with potential applications in the assembly of nanostructures and nanoelectronic circuits. Carbon nanotubes are another set of well-characterized nanoscale materials which have been widely investigated to put their physical and chemical properties to use in design of transistors, gas sensors, hydrogen storage cells, etc. Palladium is a well-known material for detection of hydrogen. The processes of absorption and desorption are known to be reversible and are known to produce changes in density, elastic properties and conductivity of the film. Despite these advantages, palladium films are known to suffer from problems of peeling and cracking in hydrogen sensor applications. They are also required to be cycled for a few times with hydrogen before they give reproducible responses. The work presented in this thesis, takes concepts from previous hydrogen sensing techniques and applies them to two nanoengineered particles (Pd coated TMV and Pd coated SWNTs) as SAW resonator sensing materials. Possible sensing enhancements to be gained by using these nanomaterial sensing layers are investigated. SAW resonators were coated with these two different nano-structured sensing layers (Pd-TMV and Pd-SWNT) which produced differently useful hydrogen sensor responses. The Pd-TMV coated resonator responded to hydrogen with nearly constant increases in frequency as compared to the Pd-SWNT coated device, which responded with concentration-dependent decreases in frequency of greater magnitude upon hydrogen exposure. The former behavior is more associated with acousto-electric phenomena in SAW devices and the later with mass loading. The 99% response times were 30-40 seconds for the Pd-TMV sensing layer and approximately 150 seconds for the Pd-SWNT layer. Both the films showed high robustness and reversibility at room temperature. When the Pd film was exposed to hydrogen it was observed that it produced decreases in frequency to hydrogen challenges, conforming to mass loading effect. It was also observed that the Pd film started degrading with repeated exposure to hydrogen, with shifts after each exposure going smaller and smaller.

This research was born from NASA Kennedy Space Center's (KSC) need for passive, wireless and individually distinguishable cryogenic liquid and H2 gas sensors in various facilities. The risks of catastrophic accidents, associated with the storage and use of cryogenic fluids may be minimized by constant monitoring. Accidents involving the release of H2 gas or LH2 were responsible for 81% of total accidents in the aerospace industry. These problems may be mitigated by the implementation of a passive (or low-power), wireless, gas detection system, which continuously monitors multiple nodes and reports temperature and H2 gas presence. Passive, wireless, cryogenic liquid level and hydrogen (H2) gas sensors were developed on a platform technology called Orthogonal Frequency Coded (OFC) surface acoustic wave (SAW) radio frequency identification (RFID) tag sensors. The OFC-SAW was shown to be mechanically resistant to failure due to thermal shock from repeated cycles between room to liquid nitrogen temperature. This suggests that these tags are ideal for integration into cryogenic Dewar environments for the purposes of cryogenic liquid level detection. Three OFC-SAW H2 gas sensors were simultaneously wirelessly interrogated while being exposed to various flow rates of H2 gas. Rapid H2 detection was achieved for flow rates as low as 1ccm of a 2% H2, 98% N2 mixture. A novel method and theory to extract the electrical and mechanical properties of a semiconducting and high conductivity thin-film using SAW amplitude and velocity dispersion measurements were also developed. The SAW device was shown to be a useful tool in analysis and characterization of ultrathin and thin films and physical phenomena such as gas adsorption and desorption mechanisms.?
Ph.D.
Doctorate
Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Engineering and Computer Science
Electrical Engineering

This dissertation discusses the design, simulation and characterization of process-compatible accelerometers and gyroscopes for the implementation of multi-degree-of-freedom (multi-DOF) systems. All components presented herein were designed to operate under the same vacuum-sealed environment to facilitate batch fabrication and wafer-level packaging (WLP), enabling the development of small form-factor single-die inertial measurement units (IMUs). The high-aspect-ratio poly and single-crystal silicon (HARPSS) process flow was used to co-fabricate the devices that compose the system, enabling the implementation ultra-narrow capacitive gaps (< 300 nm) in thick device-layer substrates (40 um). The presented gyroscopes were implemented as high-frequency BAW disk resonators operating in a mode-matched condition. A new technique to reduced dependencies on environmental stimuli such as temperature, vibration and shock was introduced. Novel decoupling springs were utilized to effectively isolate the gyros from their substrate, minimizing the effect that external sources of error have on offset and scale-factor. The substrate-decoupled (SD) BAW gyros were interfaced with a customized IC to achieve supreme random-vibration immunity (0.012 (deg/s)/g) and excellent rejection to shock (0.075 (deg/s)/g). With a scale factor of 800 uV/(deg/s), the complete SD-BAW gyro system attains a large full-scale range (2500 deg/s) with excellent linearity. The measured angle-random walk (ARW) of 0.36 deg/rthr and bias-instability of 10.5 deg/hr are dominated by the thermal and flicker noise of the IC, respectively. Additional measurements using external electronics show bias-instability values as low as 3.5 deg/hr. To implement the final monolithic multi-DOF IMU, accelerometers were carefully designed to operate in the same vacuum environment required for the gyroscopes. Narrow capacitive gaps were used to adjust the accelerometer squeeze-film damping (SFD) levels, preventing an under-damped response. Robust simulation techniques were developed using finite-element analysis (FEA) tools to extract accurate values of SFD, which were then match with measured results. Ultra-small single proof-mass tri-axial accelerometers with Brownian-noise as low as 30 ug/rtHz were interfaced with front-end electronics exhibiting scale-factor values in the order of 5 to 10 mV/g and cross-axis sensitivities of less than 3% before any electronic compensation.

The object of this research was to investigate dispersion in surface phononic crystals (PnCs) for application to a newly developed passive surface acoustic wave (SAW) ozone sensor. Frequency band gaps and slow sound already have been reported for PnC lattice structures. Such engineered structures are often advertised to reduce loss, increase sensitivity, and reduce device size. However, these advances have not yet been realized in the context of surface acoustic wave sensors. In early work, we computed SAW dispersion in patterned surface structures and we confirmed that our finite element computations of SAW dispersion in thin films and in one dimensional surface PnC structures agree with experimental results obtained by laser probe techniques. We analyzed the computations to guide device design in terms of sensitivity and joint spectral operating point. Next we conducted simulations and experiments to determine sensitivity and limit of detection for more conventional dispersive SAW devices and PnC sensors. Finally, we conducted extensive ozone detection trials on passive reflection mode SAW devices, using distinct components of the time dispersed response to compensate for the effect of temperature. The experimental work revealed that the devices may be used for dosimetry applications over periods of several days.

Surface acoustic waves (SAWs) have a large number of applications and the majority of them are in the sensor and actuator fields targeted to satisfy market needs. Recently, researchers have focused on optimizing and improving device functions, sensitivity, power consumption, etc. However, SAW actuators and sensors still cannot replace their conventional counterparts in some mechanical and biomedical areas, such as actuators for liquid pumping under microfluidic channels and sensors for real-time cell culture monitoring. The two objectives of this dissertation are to explore the potential of piezoelectric materials and surface acoustic waves for research on actuators and sensors in the mechanical pump and biosensor areas. Manipulation of liquids in microfluidic channels is important for many mechanical, chemical and biomedical applications. In this dissertation, we first introduced a novel integrated surface acoustic wave based pump for liquid delivery and precise manipulation within a microchannel. The device employed a hydrophobic surface coating (Cytop) in the device design to decrease the friction force and increase the bonding. Contrary to previous surface acoustic wave based pumps which were mostly based on the filling and sucking process, we demonstrated long distance media delivery (up to 8mm) and a high pumping velocity, which increased the device’s application space and mass production potential. Additionally, the device design didn’t need precise layers of water and glass between substrate and channel, which simplified the design significantly. In this study, we conducted extensive parametric studies to quantify the effects of the liquid volume pumped, microchannel size, and input applied power as well as the existence of hydrophobic surface coating on the pumping velocity and pump performance. Our results indicated that the pumping velocity for a constant liquid volume with the same applied input power could be increased by over 130% (2.31 mm/min vs 0.99 mm/min) by employing a hydrophobic surface coating (Cytop) in a thinner microchannel (250 µm vs 500 µm) design. This device could be used in circulation, dosing, metering and drug delivery applications which necessitated small-scale precise liquid control and delivery. This dissertation also introduced a novel SAW-based sensor designed and employed for detecting changes in cell concentration. Before conducting cell concentration experiments, preliminary experiments were conducted on weight concentration differentiation of microfluidic particles based on a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) channel and surface acoustic wave resonator design. The results confirmed that our device exerted an ultra-stable status to detect liquid properties by monitoring continuous fluids. An improved design was carried out by depositing a 200 nm ZnO layer on top of the lithium tantalate substrate surface increased the sensitivity and enabled cell concentration detection in a microfluidic system. Comprehensive studies on cell viability were carried out to investigate the effect of shear horizontal (SH) SAWs on both a cancerous (A549 lung adenocarcinoma) and a non-cancerous (RAW264.7 macrophage) cell line. Two pairs of resonators consisting of interdigital transducers (IDTs) and reflecting fingers were used to quantify mass loading by the cells in suspension media as well as within a 3-dimensional cell culture model. In order to predict the characteristics and optimize the design of the SH-SAW biosensor, a 3D COMSOL model was built to simulate the mass loading response of the cell suspensions. These results were compared to experimental data generated by pipetting cell concentrations of 3.125K, 6.25K 12.5K, 25K and 50K cells per 100µL into the PDMS well and measuring to obtain the relative frequency shift from the two oscillatory circuit systems (one of which functioned as a control). Frequency shift measurements were also collected from A549 cells cultured on a 3D nanofiber scaffold produced by electrospinning to evaluate the device’s ability to detect changes in cell density as the cells proliferated in culture over the course of eight days. The device’s ability to detect changes in cell density over time in a 3D model along with its biocompatibility reveal great potential for this device to be incorporated into 3D in vitro cancer research applications.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are a precursor to the formation of ground-level ozone and airborne particulate matter, both of which are hazardous to human health. Currently in Canada, other air pollutants such as ozone and nitrous oxides are measured by an air quality monitoring network in real-time, while VOCs are collected in canisters and sent to a central laboratory for analysis. This is a time-consuming and non real-time method, and due to the spatial variability of air pollution, many points of measurement are needed. A distributed point sensor network could address the resolution and real-time challenges, but would impose an added operating expenditure burden on air quality monitoring agencies. Low-cost, yet sensitive chemical sensors could contribute to lowering operating expenditures of a network’s sensing units over the installed lifetime of the units. The objective of this work was to lay the groundwork for a sensing platform from which low-cost yet sensitive chemical sensors can be developed. The sensing platform is an all-polymer surface acoustic wave (SAW) device, and the materials selected for its fabrication are Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF) for the sensor substrate and Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) for the interdigital transducer electrodes. In this work, an apparatus and a process for preparing piezoelectric PVDF film was developed. PVDF-based resonators were successfully demonstrated. In addition, repeatable processes for inkjet micropatterning highly electrically conductive PEDOT:PSS electrode tracks on PVDF were developed for three inkjet nozzle orifice sizes (20, 30, 40 µm). For tracks micropatterned using the same process, the electrical resistances have a standard deviation of 8.5% of the average. The electrical conductivity of micropatterned tracks is approximately 150 S/cm, or one-sixth of the manufacturer’s claimed bulk film conductivity. Using the 30 µm nozzle, the smallest electrode track width that can be micropatterned repeatably is 75 µm. A track width of 55 µm was achieved using the 20 µm nozzle.

This thesis addresses the development of new gas sensor using surface acoustic wave (SAW) technology. SAW sensors detect the change in mass, modulus, and conductivity of a sensing layer material via absorption or adsorption of an analyte. The advantage of SAW sensor includes low cost, small size, high sensitivity. We investigated the use of nano-crystalline palladium film for sensing hydrogen gas. We also investigated SAW fabrication for radio frequency (RF) range operation where high signal-to-noise ratios can be achieved. A test-bed consisting of a gas dilution system, a temperature-controlled test cell, a network analyzer, and computer-based measurement system was used for evaluating the performance of SAW gas sensors at very low concentrations. Both single and dual delay line SAW devices were fabricated by means of photolithography on a lithium niobate substrate. Tests are carried to determine response speed, resolution, reproducibility, and linear characteristics, over a range of analyte concentrations.

Sensing in harsh environments is always in great need. Although many sensors and sensing systems are reported, such as optical fiber sensors and acoustic sensors, they all have drawbacks. In this dissertation, fused quartz and sapphire acoustic waveguides and sensors are developed for high temperature and heavy gamma radiation. The periodic structure, acoustic fiber Bragg grating (AFBG), is the core sensor structure in this dissertation. To better analyze the propagation of acoustic waves, the acoustic coupled more analysis is proposed. It could solve for the reflection spectrum of the AFBG with at most 2.1% error. For the waveguide, the fused quartz "suspended core" waveguide is designed. It achieved strong acoustic energy confinement so surface perturbations no longer affected the wave propagation. Single crystal sapphire fiber features low acoustic loss, and survivability under high temperature. It is also chosen as an acoustic waveguide. AFBGs are fabricated in both waveguides. The fused quartz suspended core AFBG is shown to sense temperature up to 1000 C and to have stable reading at 700 C for 14 days. The sapphire AFBG as a temperature sensor works up to 1500 C and also provides continuous stable reading at 1100 C for 12 days. Both waveguides with AFBGs are then tested under long-term gamma radiation. Despite some fluctuations from radiation-related causes, the readings of both sensors generally remain stable. Given the experimental observations, the fused quartz AFBG waveguide and the sapphire AFBG waveguide are shown to work well in high temperature and gamma radiations.
Doctor of Philosophy
Sensing in harsh environments, like high temperature, high pressure, and corrosive environment, is always in great need. Efficient and safe operation of instruments like nuclear reactors could be better secured. Although many sensors and sensing systems are reported, such as optical fiber sensors and acoustic sensors, they all have drawbacks so new designs are constantly in need.newline In this dissertation, silica (a glass commonly acquired by melting sand) and sapphire (used in iphone screens due to its transparency and hardness) acoustic waveguides and sensors are developed. A periodic structure known as acoustic fiber Bragg grating (AFBG) is the core sensor structure in this dissertation. A calculation method is proposed first. Acoustic wave needs a waveguide to propagate somewhere further, and a new waveguide structure is made to keep the acoustic energy within the very center of the waveguide, so any change on the outer surface does not affect the wave inside. Also, sapphire has good acoustic property and is used. The AFBGs are fabricated in both waveguides. These sensing waveguides are shown to work at >1000 C temperature and provide stable reading for more than 10 days. Long term exposure to gamma radiation for weeks or months resulted in stable performances. Therefore, it is concluded that silica and sapphire waveguide sensors are successfully developed for high temperature and nuclear radiation applications.

Planar two-dimensional (2-D) nanostructured indium oxide (InOx) and one-dimensional (1-D) tin oxide (SnO2) semiconductor metal-oxide layers have been utilised for gas sensing applications. Novel layered Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) based sensors were developed consisting of InOx/SiOxNy/36°YXLiTaO3, InOx/SiNx/SiO2/36°YXLiTaO3 and InOx/SiNx/36°YXLiTaO3 The 1 µm intermediate layers of silicon oxynitride (SiOxNy), silicon nitride (SiNx) and SiO2/SiNx matrix were deposited on lithium tantalate (36°YXLiTaO3) substrates by r.f. magnetron sputtering, electron-beam evaporation and plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD) techniques, respectively. As a gas sensitive layer, a 100 nm thin layer of InOx was deposited on the intermediate layers by r.f. magnetron sputtering. The targeted gases were ozone (O3) and hydrogen (H2). An intermediate layer has multiple functions: protective role for the interdigital transducers' electrodes as well as an isolating effect from InOx sensing layer, thereby improving the sensor performance. The developed SAW sensors' exhibited high response magnitudes with repeatable, reversible and stable responses towards O3 and H2. They are capable of sensing concentrations as low as 20 parts-per-billion for O3 and 600 parts-per-million for H2. Additionally a conductometric type novel sensing structure of SnO2/36°YX LiTaO3 was also developed by depositing a thin layer of SnO2 nanorods by PECVD. The gas sensing performance exhibited repeatable, reversible, stable responses towards NO2 and CO. The surface morphology, crystalline structure and preferred orientation of the deposited layers were investigated by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD). A polycrystalline, oxygen deficient non-stoichiometric InOx with grain sizes of 20-40 nm was revealed. The 1-D nanostructures were characterised by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) showing nanorods with needle-like shape , diameters of 10-20 nm a t the top and 30-40 nm at the base as well as a preferential growth orientation of [ ] on the LiTaO3 substrate. The developed sensors are promising for O3, H2 and CO sensing.

In this dissertation, guided surface acoustic wave sensors were investigated theoretically and experimentally in detail for immunosensing applications. Shear horizontal polarized guided surface acoustic wave propagation for mass loading sensing applications was modeled using analytical modeling and characterized by perturbation analysis. The model verification was performed experimentally and a surface acoustic wave immunosensor case study was presented. The results of the immunosensing were also investigated using the perturbation analysis. Guided surface acoustic wave propagation problem was investigated in detail for gravimetric (or mass loading) guided wave sensors, more specifically for immunosensors. The analytical model was developed for multilayer systems taking viscoelasticity into account. The closed form algebraic solutions were obtained by applying appropriate boundary conditions. A numerical approach was used to solve dispersion equation. Detailed parametric investigation of dispersion curves was conducted using typical substrate materials and guiding layers. Substrate types of ST-cut quartz, 41° YX lithium Niobate and 36° YX lithium tantalate with guiding layers of silicon dioxide, metals (chromium and gold), and polymers (Parylene-C and SU-8) were investigated. The effects of frequency and degree of viscoelasticity were also studied. The results showed that frequency only has effect on thickness with same shaped dispersion curves. Dispersion curves were found to be unaffected by the degree of viscoelasticity. It was also observed that when there was a large shear velocity difference between substrate and guiding layer, a transition region with a gradual decrease in phase velocity was obtained. However, when shear velocities were close, a smooth transition was observed. Furthermore, it was observed that, large density differences between substrate and guiding layer resulted in sharp and with nearly constant slope transition. Smooth transition was observed for the cases of minimal density differences. Experimental verification of the model was done using multi-layer photoresists. It was shown that with modifications, the model was able to represent the cases studied. Perturbation equations were developed with first order approximations by relating the slope of the dispersion curves with sensitivity. The equations were used to investigate the sensitivity for material selection (substrate, guiding layer, and mass perturbing layer) and degree of viscoelasticity. The investigations showed that the sensitivity was increased by using guiding layers with lower shear velocities and densities. Among the guiding layers investigated, Parylene C showed the highest sensitivity followed by gold and chrome. The perturbation investigations were also extended to viscoelasticity and to protein layers for immunosensing applications. It was observed that, viscous behavior resulted in slightly higher sensitivity; and sensitivity to protein layers was very close to sensitivity for polymers. The optimum case is found to be ST-cut quartz with Parylene-C guiding layer for protein layer sensing. Finally, an immunosensing case study was presented for selective capture of protein B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), which is elevated in many cancer types including ovarian cancer. The immunosensor was designed, fabricated, and experimentally characterized. An application-specific surface functionalization scheme with monoclonal antibodies, ODMS, Protein A/G and Pluronic F127 was developed and applied. Characterization was done using the oscillation frequency shift of with sensor used as the feedback element of an oscillator circuit. Detection of Bcl-2 with target sensitivity of 0.5 ng/ml from buffer solutions was presented. A linear relation between frequency shift and Bcl-2 concentration was observed. The selectivity was shown with experiments by introducing another protein, in addition to Bcl-2, to the buffer. It was seen that similar detection performance of Bcl-2 was obtained even with presence of control protein in very high concentrations. The results were also analyzed with perturbation equations.

The object of this thesis research is to facilitate the appraisal and analysis of the signatures of the modern acoustic wave biosensors, as well as to improve the experimental methodology to enhance sensor performance. For this purpose, both theoretical characterization of acoustic wave sensor signatures and experimental studies for the most frequently used acoustic wave biosensors, the liquid phase QCM (quartz crystal microbalance) and the vapor phase SAW (surface acoustic wave) sensors, are presented. For the study of SAW vapor phase detection, the author fabricated different types of two-port SAW resonator sensors on quartz substrates and designed and performed a significant number of detection experiments. These were conducted both with calibrated or known target samples under laboratory conditions at Georgia Tech Hunt Lab and with samples of unknown concentrations such as seized crack cocaine (courtesy of Georgia Bureau of Investigation, GBI) to see the sensors capability to work in the field conditions. In addition, the dependence of the SAW sensor signatures on specific locations of the surface perturbation was investigated to account for some observed abnormal responses. Finally, a novel approach to classify and visualize chemically analogous substances is introduced. The author expects that the thesis work herein may contribute to the study of the modern acoustic wave biosensors which includes but is not limited to: the establishment of underpinning theory that will aid in the evaluation of the signatures; the practical aspects of design and fabrication of SAW devices specific to the vapor phase immunoassay; the development of efficient experimental methodologies; the strategic immobilization of a biolayer on SAW resonator based biosensors; and, the acquisition of reference data for the development of commercial acoustic wave sensors.

In this thesis, the author proposes and presents a novel simulation technique for the analysis of multilayered Flexural Plate Wave (FPW) devices based on the convergence of the Finite Element method (FEM) with classical Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) analysis techniques and related procedures. Excellent agreement has been obtained between the author's approach and other more conventional modelling techniques. Utilisation of the FEM allows the performance characteristics of a FPW structure to be critically investigated and refined before undertaking the costly task of fabrication. Based on a series of guidelines developed by the author, it is believed the proposed technique can also be applied to other acoustic wave devices. The modelling process developed is quite unique as it is independent of the problem geometry as verified by both two and three dimensional simulations. A critical review of FEM simulation parameters is presented and their effect on the frequency domain response of a FPW transducer given. The technique is also capable of simultaneously modelling various second-order effects, such as triple transit, diffraction and electromagnetic feedthrough, which often requires the application of several different analysis methodologies. To verify the results obtained by the author's novel approach, several commonly used numerical techniques are discussed and their limitations investigated. The author initially considers the Transmission Matrix method, where it is shown that an inherent numerical instability prevents solution convergence when applied to large frequency-thickness products and complex material properties which are characteristic of liquids. In addition the Stiffness Matrix method is investigated, which is shown to be unconditionally stable. Based on this technique, particle displacement profiles and mass sensitivity are presented for multilayered FPW structures and compared against simpler single layer devices commonly quoted in literature. Significant differences are found in mass sensitivity between single layer and multilayered structures. Frequency response characteristics of a FPW device are then explored via a spectral domain Green's function, which serves as a further verification technique of the author's novel analysi s procedure. Modifications to the spectral domain Green's function are discussed and implemented due to the change in solution geometry from SAW to FPW structures. Using the developed techniques, an analysis is undertaken on the applicability of FPW devices for sensing applications in liquid media. Additions are made to both the Stiffness Matrix method and FEM to allow these techniques to accurately incorporate the influence of a liquid layer. The FEM based approach is then applied to obtain the frequency domain characteristics of a liquid loaded FPW structure, where promising results have been obtained. Displacement profiles are considered in liquid media, where it is shown that a tightly coupled Scholte wave exists that is deemed responsible for most reported liquid sensing results. The author concludes the theoretical analysis with an in-depth analysis of a FPW device when applied to density, viscosity and mass sensing applications in liquid media. It is shown that a single FPW device is potentially capable of discriminating between density and viscosity effects, which is typically a task that requires a complex and costly sensor array.

For centuries scientific ingenuity and innovation have been influenced by Mother Natures perfect design. One of her more elusive designs is that of the sensory olfactory system, an array of highly sensitive receptors responsible for chemical vapor recognition. In the animal kingdom this ability is magnified among canines where ppt (parts per trillion) sensitivity values have been reported. Today, detection dogs are considered an essential part of the US drug and explosives detection schemes. However, growing concerns about their susceptibility to extraneous odors have inspired the development of highly sensitive analytical detection tools or biosensors known as electronic noses. In general, biosensors are distinguished from chemical sensors in that they use an entity of biological origin (e.g. antibody, cell, enzyme) immobilized onto a surface as the chemically-sensitive film on the device. The colloquial view is that the term biosensors refers to devices which detect the presence of entities of biological origin, such as proteins or single-stranded DNA and that this detection must take place in a liquid. Our biosensor utilizes biomolecules, specifically IgG monoclonal antibodies, to achieve molecular recognition of relatively small molecules in the vapor phase.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--West Virginia University, 2009.
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The analysis and development of robust sensing platforms based on solidly-mounted ZnO bulk acoustic wave devices was proposed. The exploitation of acoustic energy trapping was investigated and demonstrated as a method to define active sensing areas on a substrate. In addition, a new "hybrid" acoustic mode experiencing acoustic energy trapping was studied theoretically and experimentally. This mode was used as an explanation of historical inconsistencies in observed thickness-shear mode velocities. Initial theoretical and experimental results suggest that this mode is a coupling of thickness-shear and longitudinal particle displacements and, as such, may offer more mechanical and/or structural information about a sample under test. Device development was taken another step further and multi-mode ZnO resonators operating in the thickness-shear, hybrid, and longitudinal modes were introduced. These devices were characterized with respect to sample viscosity and conductivity and preliminary results show that, with further development, the multi-mode resonators provide significantly more information about a sample than their single-mode counterparts. An alternative to resonator-based platforms was also presented in the form of bulk acoustic delay lines. Initial conceptual and simulation results show that these devices provide a different perspective of typical sensing modalities by using properly designed input pulses, device tuning, and examining overall input and output signal spectra.

Fibre optic sensors have demonstrated a broad range of commercial potential due to their intrinsic characteristics such as low loss, very small size, light weight and immunity to electromagnetic interference. Representing one type of optical fibre sensors, long period gratings (LPGs) have shown a high sensitivity to a number of parameters, including temperature, strain, refractive index and bending, therefore they have been explored widely for a range of potential sensing applications. This thesis is focused on the design, implementation and evaluation of LPGs for acoustic wave detection. In doing so, the LPG-based sensor has been evaluated and optimized under low frequency conditions (up to 3 kHz) both in air and underwater, with varying acoustic pressure values. This complements the research widely reported for the detection of ultrasounds. The LPG-based sensor, fixed between two pillars with one pillar being movable, is found to be sensitive over a specific frequency range with a minimum detectable sound pressure to be 63dB (ref 1μPa) in water and 66.8dB (ref 20μPa) in air. The sensor has demonstrated a linear response to the variation of the amplitude of the acoustic pressure applied. The sensor performance, by varying the acoustic frequencies, acoustic pressure amplitude and the bending curvature, fits well with the theoretical model derived from the bending effect of the LPG. Both the in-air and underwater tests of the LPG-based sensor have confirmed the potential of using optical fibre sensors for acoustic signal detection and for working in harsh working conditions, where conventional acoustic sensors have shown some limitations.

In the middle of the fourth industry revolution the necessity of intelligent manufacturing and sensors plays an important role and pulls the research activity of these days. In particular, smart objects able to sense, act, and behave within smart environments are suitable tools to make this revolution evolve even further. More efficient devices (in terms of costs, time and results) and data generated at all levels, from industry production processes to people health monitoring, are desirable to improve life quality. This goal would not be achieved without smart lab-on-chips (LoCs) and sensors. Over the last decades surface acoustic wave (SAW) technology has been studied and exploited to realize such smart devices. Main advantages over standard microfluidic fluids manipulators and sensors are the high portability of these devices, their all-electrical readout systems, their fabrication scalability and their application versatility. In this context I developed my Ph.D. research activity, by designing, fabricating, characterizing and testing new SAW-based devices for LoC and sensing applications. I exploited both Rayleigh and Love SAWs for this purpose, exploring different designs and working frequencies and obtaining several encouraging results. With these SAW devices I demonstrated for the first time that it is possible to enhance cells proliferation or gold functionalization kinetics and efficiency. One of the main advantages of these devices is that they are totally integrable with other ones and compatible with standard laboratories protocols. Moving for the first time to ultra-high frequency (UHF), I realized SAW biosensors with lower limit of detection than standard commercial acoustic sensors and higher sensitivity and dynamic range than low-frequency SAW sensors. The devices were tested with benchmark analytes and cells after being characterized in details with microscopes, a laser Doppler vibrometer, a vector network analyzer, an infrared camera and by means of micro-particle image velocimetry. Given these results, the devices here presented are promising in the light of the development of versatile, portable, and sensitive SAW-based devices for more efficient production of functionalized materials and cells, smart diagnostics and monitoring of diseases, food and air quality. They have the potential to contribute to the improvement of daily life in the vision of the internet of things devices, for a smarter and more efficient “future” world.

SAW based sensors can offer wireless, passive operation in numerous environments and various device embodiments are employed for retrieval of the sensed data information. Single sensor systems can typically use a single carrier frequency and a simple device embodiment, since tagging is not required. In a multi-sensor environment, it is necessary to both identify the sensor and retrieve the sensed information. This dissertation presents the concept of orthogonal frequency coding (OFC) for applications to SAW sensor technology. OFC offers all advantages inherent to spread spectrum communications including enhanced processing gain and lower interrogation power spectral density (PSD). It is shown that the time ambiguity in the OFC compressed pulse is significantly reduced as compared with a single frequency tag having the same code length and additional coding can be added using a pseudo-noise (PN) sequence. The OFC approach is general and should be applicable to many differing SAW sensors for temperature, pressure, liquid, gases, etc. Device embodiments are shown and a potential transceiver is described. Measured device results are presented and compared with COM model predictions to demonstrate performance. Devices are then used in computer simulations of the proposed transceiver design and the results of an OFC sensor system are discussed.
Ph.D.
School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Engineering and Computer Science
Electrical Engineering

El gran impacto de la tecnología FBAR tanto en sistemas de radio frecuencia como más recientemente en sensores han motivado el desarrollo de aplicaciones integradas. Esto implica que los procesos de fabricación deberían lograr producir dispositivos resonadores con un alto factor de calidad, al tiempo que permitir la integración de los FBAR con tecnologías CMOS estándar. De tal manera, esta tesis doctoral aborda dichos requerimientos, contribuyendo con el diseño, fabricación y caracterización de resonadores FBAR; su integración con tecnologías CMOS estándar; y su aplicación a sistemas de sensores.
El desarrollo de la tecnología de fabricación de los FBAR ha involucrado la puesta a punto de las técnicas de depósito y micro-mecanización de la estructura en capas del resonador, la cual está comprendida por una película de material acústico hecha de nitruro de aluminio (AlN). Se realizaron diversas pruebas para analizar la calidad del AlN depositado. También se probaron y pusieron a punto diferentes tecnologías de micro¬mecanización para liberar la estructura del FBAR, destacando entre ellas la técnica de ataque en seco por la cara de componentes, dados los altos factores de calidad obtenidos (superiores a 2.000 a 2,4 GHz). Sobre los dispositivos fabricados se realizaron caracterizaciones estructurales, modelos utilizando análisis de elementos finitos y la extracción de parámetros de circuito equivalente. Una variación del proceso que involucraba el diseño, modelado y fabricación de un dispositivo FBAR con compensación de temperatura fue igualmente desarrollada. En este ámbito vale la pena resaltar la concepción y realización de una novedosa técnica post-fabricación para el ajuste fino de la frecuencia de resonancia de los FBAR por medio de un haz de iones focalizados (FIB).
Basado en la tecnología arriba mencionada, se desarrolló un método de integración heterogénea a nivel de oblea de los dispositivos FBAR en sustratos CMOS estándar. De acuerdo con este método, se logró fabricar por primera vez dispositivos FBAR flotando sobre sustratos CMOS estándar. Este método ha sido exitosamente demostrado por medio de la integración de los FBAR tanto con la tecnología comercial AMS035 como con la CNM25, desarrollada en el CNM-IMB (CSIC).
En el terreno de las aplicaciones, se diseñaron y realizaron diferentes aplicaciones de sensores basadas en FBAR, siendo el detector de masas localizadas la más relevante de entre ellas. Es de anotar que esta aplicación fue demostrada por primera vez utilizando FBARs de alta frecuencia como elemento sensor. De tal forma, se contrastaron los resultados experimentales y de modelado del sensor. Por otra parte, se presenta también el concepto de sensores mecánicos basados en FBAR. Para ello se han desarrollado dos ejemplos: el acelerómetro basado en FBAR y el sensor de fuerza para aplicaciones de puntas de AFM. Se reporta también en esta tesis la fabricación y caracterización de un nuevo tipo de resonadores acústicos de AlN sin contacto entre electrodos.
The high impact of FBAR on radio-frequency and, most recently, on sensing systems has motivated the development of integrated applications. This means that the fabrication process should succeed in producing high-quality-factor resonators and, at the same time, in integrating FBARs with standard CMOS technologies. Hence, this Ph.D. thesis addresses these requirements by contributing with the design, fabrication and characterization of thin-film bulk acoustic wave resonators (FBAR); their integration with standard complementary-metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technologies; and their application to sensing systems.
The development of the FBAR's fabrication technology has involved the set up of the deposition and micromachining techniques of the layered structure of the resonator, which comprises an acoustic layer made of aluminum nitride (AlN). Several tests on the deposition and characterization of the AlN quality were carried out. Also, different micro-machining technologies for FBAR releasing were tested, the front-side micro-machining technique having obtained the best quality-factor results (over 2,000 at 2.4 GHz). Structural and device experimental characterization; and equivalent-circuit parameter and finite-element modeling of the FBAR were carried out. A process variation involving the design, modeling and fabrication of a temperature-compensated (TC) FBAR device was also implemented. Another remarkable result is the implementation of a post-fabrication, focused-ion-beam assisted technique for tuning of the resonance frequency of the FBAR.
Based on the foregoing-mentioned FBAR technology, a method for performing wafer-level heterogeneous integration of the FBAR with a CMOS substrate was developed. According to this method, the fabrication of a floating FBAR above standard CMOS substrates has been achieved for the first time. The method was demonstrated by integrating FBARs on the commercial AMS035 and the in-house CNM25 CMOS technologies.
On the application side, different FBAR-based sensor applications were implemented, the localized-mass detector being the most relevant, which has been demonstrated for the first time for high-frequency bulk-acoustic resonators. Experimental and modeling results have been contrasted. Also, the concept of FBAR-based mechanical sensor has been introduced. Two examples are the embedded-FBAR accelerometer and the force sensor for AFM-cantilever applications. The fabrication and characterization results of an AlN-based contactless acoustic resonator are also reported in this thesis.

[EN] Different electronic interfaces have been proposed to measure major parameters for the characterization of quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) during the last two decades. The measurement of the adequate parameters of the sensor for a specific application is very important, since an error in this measure can lead to an error in the interpretation of the results. The requirements of the system of characterization depend on the application. In this thesis we propose two characterization systems for two types of applications that involve the majority of sensor applications: 1) Characterization of materials under variable damping conditions and 2) Detection of substances with high measurement resolution. The proposed systems seek to solve the problems detected in the systems currently in use. For applications in which the sensor damping varies during the experiment, we propose a system based on a new configuration of the technique of automatic capacitance compensation (ACC). This new configuration provides the measure of the series resonance frequency, the motional resistance and the parallel capacitance of the sensor. Moreover, it allows an easy calibration of the system that improves the precision in the measurement. We show the experimental results for 9 and 10 MHz crystals in fluid media, with different capacitances in parallel, showing the effectiveness in the capacitance compensation. The system presents some deviation in frequency with respect to the series resonance frequency, as measured with an impedance analyser. These deviations are due to the non-ideal, specific behaviour of some of the components of the circuit. A new circuit is proposed as a possible solution to this problem. For high-resolution applications we propose an integrated platform to characterize high-frequency acoustic sensors. The proposed system is based on a new concept in which the sensor is interrogated by means of a very stable, low-noise external source at a constant frequency, while the changes provoked by the charge in the phase of the sensor are monitored. The use of high-frequency sensors enhances the sensitivity of the measure, whereas the design characterization system reduces the noise in the measurement. The result is an improvement in the limit of detection (LOD). This way, we achieve one of the challenges in the acoustic high-frequency devices. The validation of the platform is performed by means of an immunosensor based in high fundamental frequency QCM crystals (HFF-QCM) for the detection of two pesticides: carbaryl and thiabendazole. The results obtained for carbaryl are compared to the results obtained by another high-frequency acoustic technology based in Love sensors, with the optical technique based in surface plasmonic resonance and with the gold standard technique Enzyme Linked Immunoassay (ELISA). The LOD obtained with the acoustic sensors HFF-QCM and Love is similar to the one obtained with ELISA and improves by one order of magnitude the LOD obtained with SPR. The conceptual ease of the proposed system, its low cost and the possibility of miniaturization of the quartz resonator, allows the characterization of multiple sensors integrated in an array configuration, which will allow in the future to achieve the challenge of multianalyte detection for applications of High-Throughput Screening (HTS).
[ES] Durante las dos últimas décadas se han propuesto diferentes interfaces electrónicos para medir los parámetros más importantes de caracterización de los cristales de microbalanza de cuarzo (QCM). La medida de los parámetros adecuados del sensor para una aplicación específica es muy importante, ya que un error en la medida de dichos parámetros puede resultar en un error en la interpretación de los resultados. Los requerimientos del sistema de caracterización dependen de la aplicación. En esta tesis se proponen dos sistemas de caracterización para dos ámbitos de aplicación que comprenden la mayoría de las aplicaciones con sensores QCM: 1) Caracterización de materiales bajo condiciones de amortiguamiento variable y 2) detección de sustancias con alta resolución de medida. Los sistemas propuestos tratan de resolver la problemática detectada en los ya existentes. Para aplicaciones en las que el amortiguamiento del sensor varía durante el experimento, se propone un sistema basado en una nueva configuración de la técnica de compensación automática de capacidad (ACC). La nueva configuración proporciona la medida de la frecuencia de resonancia serie, la resistencia dinámica y la capacidad paralelo del sensor. Además, permite una fácil calibración del sistema que mejora la precisión en la medida. Se presentan resultados experimentales para cristales de 9 y 10MHz en medios fluidos, con diferentes capacidades en paralelo, demostrando la efectividad de la compensación de capacidad. El sistema presenta alguna desviación en frecuencia con respecto a la frecuencia resonancia serie, medida con un analizador de impedancias. Estas desviaciones son explicadas convenientemente, debidas al comportamiento no ideal específico de algunoscomponentes del circuito. Una nueva propuesta de circuito se presenta como posible solución a este problema. Para aplicaciones de alta resolución se propone una plataforma integrada para caracterizar sensores acústicos de alta frecuencia. El sistema propuesto se basa en un nuevo concepto en el que el sensor es interrogado, mediante una fuente externa muy estable y de muy bajo ruido, a una frecuencia constante mientras se monitorizan los cambios producidos por la carga en la fase del sensor. El uso de sensores de alta frecuencia aumenta la sensibilidad de la medida, por otro lado, el sistema de caracterización diseñado reduce el ruido en la misma. El resultado es una mejora del límite de detección (LOD). Se consigue con ello uno de los retos pendientes en los dispositivos acústicos de alta frecuencia. La validación de la plataforma desarrollada se realiza con una aplicación de un inmunosensor basado en cristales QCM de alta frecuencia fundamental (HFF-QCM) para la detección de dos pesticidas: carbaryl y tiabendazol. Los resultados obtenidos para el Carbaryl se comparan con los obtenidos con otra tecnología acústica de alta frecuencia basada en sensores Love, con la técnica óptica basada resonancia superficial de plasmones (SPR) y con la técnica de referencia Enzyme Linked Immuno Assay (ELISA). El LOD obtenido con los sensores acústicos HFFQCM y Love es similar al obtenido con las técnicas ELISA y mejora en un orden de magnitud al obtenido con SPR. La sencillez conceptual del sistema propuesto junto con su bajo coste, así como la capacidad de miniaturización del resonador de cuarzo hace posible la caracterización de múltiples sensores integrados en una configuración en array, esto permitirá en un futuro alcanzar el reto de la detección multianalito para aplicaciones High-Throughput Screening (HTS).
[CAT] Durant les dues últimes dècades s'han proposat diferents interfases electrònics per a mesurar els paràmetres més importants de caracterització dels cristalls de microbalança de quars (QCM). La mesura dels paràmetres adequats del sensor per a una aplicació específica és molt important, perquè un error en la interpretació dels resultats pot resultar en un error en la interpretació dels resultats. Els requeriments del sistema de caracterització depenen de l'aplicació. En aquesta tesi, es proposen dos sistemes de caracterització per a dos àmbits d'aplicació que comprenen la majoria de les aplicacions amb sensors QCM: 1) Caracterització de materials sota condicions d'amortiment variable i 2) detecció de substàncies amb alta resolució de mesura. Els sistemes proposats tracten de resoldre la problemàtica detectada en els ja existents. Per a aplicacions en les quals l'amortiment del sensor varia durant l'experiment, es proposa un sistema basat en una nova configuració de la tècnica de compensació automàtica de capacitat (ACC). La nova configuració proporciona la mesura de la freqüència de ressonància sèrie, la resistència dinàmica i la capacitat paral¿lel del sensor. A més, permet un calibratge fàcil del sistema que millora la precisió de la mesura. Es presenten els resultats experimentals per a cristalls de 9 i 10 MHz en mitjans fluids, amb diferents capacitats en paral¿lel, demostrant l'efectivitat de la compensació de capacitat. El sistema presenta alguna desviació en freqüència respecte a la freqüència ressonància sèrie, mesurada amb un analitzador d'impedàncies. Aquestes desviacions són explicades convenientment, degudes al comportament no ideal específic d'alguns components del circuit. Una nova proposta de circuit es presenta com a possible solució a aquest problema. Per a aplicacions d'alta resolució es proposa una plataforma integrada per a caracteritzar sensors acústics d'alta freqüència. El sistema proposat es basa en un nou concepte en el qual el sensor és interrogat mitjançant una font externa molt estable i de molt baix soroll, a una freqüència constant mentre es monitoritzen els canvis produïts per la càrrega en la fase del sensor. L'ús de sensors d'alta freqüència augmenta la sensibilitat de la mesura, per altra banda, el sistema de caracterització dissenyat redueix el soroll en la mateixa. El resultat és una millora en el límit de detecció (LOD). S'aconsegueix amb això un dels reptes pendents en els dispositius acústics d'alta freqüència. La validació de la plataforma desenvolupada es realitza amb una aplicació d'un immunosensor basat en cristalls QCM d'alta freqüència fonamental (HFF-QCM) per a la detecció de dos pesticides: carbaryl i tiabendazol. Els resultats obtinguts per al carbaryl es comparen amb els obtinguts amb altra tecnologia acústica d'alta freqüència basada en sensors Love, amb la tècnica òptica basada en ressonància superficial de plasmons (SPR) i amb la tècnica de referència Enzyme Linked Immuno Assay (ELISA). El LOD obtingut amb els sensors acústics HFF-QCM i Love és similar al obtingut amb les tècniques ELISA i millora en un ordre de magnitud el obtingut amb SPR. La senzillesa conceptual del sistema proposat junt amb el seu baix cost, així com la capacitat de miniaturització del ressonador de quars fa possible la caracterització de múltiples sensors integrats en una configuració en array, el que permetrà en un futur assolir el repte de la detecció multianalit per a aplicacions High-Throughput Screening (HTS).
García Narbón, JV. (2016). Improved characterization systems for quartz crystal microbalance sensors: parallel capacitance compensation for variable damping conditions and integrated platform for high frequency sensors in high resolution applications [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/63249
TESIS

The safety concern of aging aircraft is a rising issue in terms of both safety and cost. An aircraft structure failure during flight is unacceptable. A method needs to be developed and standardized to test the integrity of both commercial and military aircrafts. The current method to test the structure of an aircraft requires the aircraft to be taken out of service for inspection; this is costly due to the inspection required to be performed and the lost use from downtime. A novice idea of an on-site structural health monitoring (SHM) system has been proposed to test the integrity of aircraft structure. An on-site system is a system that can be used to perform inspection on an aircraft simultaneously while the aircraft is in use. This SHM system uses the principles of active lamb wave and passive acoustic emission through the use of piezoelectric sensors as the sensing elements. Piezoelectric sensors can be used both as an input device and as a sensing element. This research focuses on the development of the major data acquisition electronic components of the system. These components are charge amplifier, high pass filter, low pass filter and line driver. A charge amplifier converts a high impedance signal to a low impedance signal. A high pass filter attenuates the low frequency content of a signal, while a low pass filter attenuates the high frequency content of a signal. A line driver converts a low current signal to a high current signal. All of these components need to operate up to a frequency of 2 MHz. Off-the-shelf electronics will be used for prototyping as custom components will not be feasible at this point of the research.
Master of Science

It is demonstrated that by using a miniature chemical reaction vessel under adaptive mechatronic control, it is possible to design and construct a low-cost carbon dioxide measurement system. With further development such a system would be potentially suitable for low-cost commercial application, in particular as sacrificial, single-mission instrumentation packages in horticultural cargo monitoring. Current instrumentation systems for carbon dioxide (CO2) gas measurement are reviewed and their limitations with respect to low cost commercial applications determined. These utilise technology intended for laboratory measurements. In particular the optical energy absorbance of CO2 in the infra-red electromagnetic spectrum. These systems require large optical paths (typically 10cm) in order to measure small CO2 concentrations. This in turn has a large impact on the physical size of the sensing system. Of the many applications requiring online CO2 sensing packages (such as medical, petroleum, environmental and water treatment)the horticultural industry is the primary focus for this research. CO2 sensing systems are primarily used in horticulture to monitor the produce environment and help extend storage time. For these applications CO2 concentrations are typically low (in the range 0 to 1%) and the paramount need is for low-cost (and possibly disposable) sensing packages. The basis of the measurement technique is the use of bulk (but small volume) aqueous chemical reaction under mechatronic control. Unlike thin film technologies where very thin membranes are passively exposed to the gaseous sample, here a small volume (approximately 2mL) of simple and very cheap liquid chemical indicator (calcium hydroxide solution) is used to produce an opaque precipitate. CO2 concentration is then assessed by low-cost optical attenuation measurements of the developing opacity of the solution. The instrumentation package comprises pumps, flowmeter, reaction cell and infra-red optics for the turbidity measurement, plus reagent and waste vessels, pipelines and electronics. During each measurement cycle, the reaction cell is flushed, with fresh chemical indicator and a sample of gas admitted. The indicator and the sample gas are then vigorously mixed and the change in the indicators optical properties measured at regular intervals. An embedded 8-bit microcontroller performs the necessary analysis to deduce the CO2 concentration (as percentage by volume) for the sample gas by reference to one or more of five ``Time-To-Threshold'' calibration models. These models evaluate the trend in turbidity development as precipitate is formed. First and second prototypes of the measurement system have been constructed and their (low-cost) components and overall performance evaluated, the first a `proof-of-concept' and the second to investigate methodology shortcomings. As a result the design of a third prototype is outlined. The measurement systems have been shown to work adequately well within expected limitations, resulting in a usable low-cost measurement technique. The current prototypes have a useful range of at least 5% to 100% CO2 with a discrimination of typically +-6%. Deficiencies, particularly performance at low concentrations, are identified and potential enhancements for future prototypes proposed.

Le développement de matériaux avec différents ordres ferroïques couplés (multiferroïques) motive d’intenses activités de recherche. Une combinaison particulièrement intéressante est celle des paramètres d'ordre magnétique et électrique qui, dans le cas favorable où ceux-ci sont couplés, ouvre la voie au contrôle électrique de l’aimantation. Celui-ci peut être envisagé via la manipulation de la polarisation d’un ferroélectrique ou des déformations d’un piézoélectrique Les propriétés du matériau ferroélectrique/piézoélectrique peuvent être inversement modifiées par l’état d’aimantation, ce qui laisse envisager des applications dans le domaine des capteurs de champs magnétiques. Ce travail s’inscrit dans l’étude de systèmes piézoélectrique/ magnétostrictif, avec un intérêt spécifique porté à l’influence de l’aimantation sur les ondes acoustiques de surface (SAW) générées dans le dispositif. Nous avons ainsi déposé des couches polycristallines de Ni, des multicouches [Co/IrMn], ainsi que des couches épitaxiées de TbFe2 sur des substrats de Niobate de Lithium (LNO) de différentes orientations. Sur LNO Z-cut, la croissance de TbFe2 est réalisée en utilisant différentes couches tampons simples ou doubles qui permettent d’obtenir des directions de croissance [111] ou [110] avec des anisotropies magnétiques respectivement perpendiculaire et planaire. Sur des substrats de coupe 128Y et 41Y, la croissance s’avère beaucoup plus complexe mais il est néanmoins possible d’obtenir un film cristallisé de TbFe2 multidomaines avec des relations d’orientation 3D similaires à celles obtenus sur LNO Z-cut, que ce soit entre la couche magnétique et la couche tampon, ou entre la couche tampon et le substrat. Des dispositifs magnétiques à ondes acoustiques de surface (MSAW) ont été ensuite fabriqués dans une géométrie de résonateur permettant une interrogation à distance aisée. La fréquence de résonance des dispositifs MSAW est sensible à l’application d’un champ magnétique externe, via des effets statiques liés à l’orientation de l’aimantation sous champ et via des effets dynamiques d’origine magnétoélastique liés à l’excitation acoustique. Nous avons examiné les réponses magnéto-acoustiques des différents dispositifs, en corrélation étroite avec les propriétés magnétiques statiques, en particulier l’anisotropie, la coercivité et l’hystérèse. Un modèle piézomagnétique équivalent a été utilisé pour simuler certaines de ces réponses. De manière générale, nous montrons qu’un choix judicieux du matériau magnétique et le contrôle de ses propriétés permettent d’élaborer des capteurs spécifiques : un matériau magnétique doux permet de contrôler l’anisotropie de la réponse acoustique via la forme des IDT; un matériau magnétique dur ouvre la voie au développement de capteurs de forts champs magnétiques; un système à anisotropie d’échange dont on peut contrôler la réversibilité de la réponse magnétique permet d’envisager un capteur de champ magnétique hors plan
The development of materials with different coupled ferroic orders (multiferroics) drives an intense research activity. A particularly interesting combination is the case where magnetic and electrical orders are simultaneously present, which, in the favorable case where these are coupled, opens the way to the electrical control of magnetization. This can be achieved in manipulating the polarization in a ferroelectric or the strains in a piezoelectric compound. Ferroelectric or piezoelectric properties can inversely be influenced by the magnetic state, an interesting feature for the development of magnetic field sensors. This work aims in the investigation of piezoelectric/magnetostrictive systems, more especially in the role of the magnetization and of the magnetization versus field behavior on the surface acoustic waves (SAW). Polycristalline Ni films, [Co/IrMn] multilayers and epitaxial TbFe2 films have been deposited on Lithium Niobate (LNO) substrates of different orientations. On LNO Z-cut, various single or double buffer layers have been used to achieve the TbFe2 epitaxial growth, along either [111] or [110] directions and with either perpendicular or in-plane magnetic anisotropy. On LNO 128Y and 41Y substrates, the growth is more complex but it is nevertheless possible to obtain crystalline multidomains TbFe2 films with 3D orientation relationships similar to those obtained on LNO Z-cut, both between the magnetic and the buffer layers, and between the buffer layer and the substrate. Magnetic surface acoustic wave (MSAW) devices have been patterned in a resonator geometry that enables an easy wireless interrogation. The MSAW device resonance frequency is sensitive to an external magnetic field, both via static effects related to the field-induced magnetization changes, and via magnetoelastic dynamic effects related to the acoustic excitation. We have investigated the MSAW magneto acoustic responses of the various devices in close connection with the static magnetic properties, especially the anisotropy, the coercivity and the hysteresis. An equivalent piezomagnetic model could support some of these observations. We show more generally that the proper choice of magnetic material and the control of the magnetic properties helps to build up specific sensors: soft magnetic materials enable to tailor the anisotropy of the MSAW response by engineering the IDT’s shape; hard magnetic materials enable to achieve high field unipolar or bipolar field response; exchange-biased systems in which the reversibility of the magnetic response is achieved let envision the development of sensors for out-of-plane magnetic fields

Au cours des dernières décennies, on a assisté à une croissance considérable dans le domaine des technologies des capteurs magnétiques. Le domaine est passé de simples dispositifs micro-usinés à base de silicium à des microsystèmes intégrés plus complexes combinant des transducteurs de haute performance ainsi que des interfaces sans fil. Cependant, presque tous ces appareils fonctionnent avec un mécanisme complexe tout en étant alimentés simultanément de l'extérieur et coûteux. Il y a donc un besoin profond de développer un capteur magnétique qui surmonte ces défis. Ces travaux de recherche ont porté sur le développement de capteurs à ondes élastiques de surface (SAW) pour la détection des champs magnétiques. La configuration résonateur a été considérée dans cette étude afin de permettre une interrogation sans fil. La première partie de notre travail est consacrée à l’étude de la physique et à l'interaction entre les ondes élastiques et les couches magnétostrictives lorsqu'elles sont soumises à un champ magnétique. Nous avons donc étudié des résonateurs SAW en utilisant le niobate de lithium comme substrat et un empilement multicouches [TbCo2/FeCo] comme électrode et matériau sensible. Nous avons étudié et montré le rôle de l'effet de forme dans le magnétisme résultant de la géométrie de l'électrode. Un banc de mesure expérimental a été mis au point pour démontrer l’utilisation d’un capteur magnétique SAW pour la mesure du courant électrique le long d’une lignes hautes tension. Par la suite, nous avons développé un capteur auto-compensé en température rendant sa fréquence de résonance uniquement sensible à l’intensité du champ magnétique. Ce capteur à structure multicouche utilise la coupe ST du quartz comme substrat avec comme direction de propagation des ondes X+90°C. Cette direction de la coupe ST présente un coefficient de température positif (TCF) qui a été compensé par le les couches de ZnO et du CoFeB qui présentent un TCF négatif. Enfin, en combinant nos connaissances sur les effets de forme magnétiques et sur le comportement des structure SAW multicouche pour développer un dispositif qui non seulement annule les effets de la température sur la fréquence de résonance mais également sur l'anisotropie magnétique. De plus, cette structure présente également la possibilité de réaliser un dispositif multisensoriel puisque dans le même dispositif, plusieurs modes sont générés. En plus du mode compensé en température qui permet de mesurer l’intensité du champ magnétique, un autre peu sensible au champ magnétique, permettra de mesurer la température de l’environnement de fonctionnement
The last few decades have seen tremendous growth in the area of magnetic sensor technologies. The field has grown from simple micro-machined silicon based devices to more complex integrated microsystems combining high performance transducers as well as wireless interfaces. However, almost all of these devices operate with a complex mechanism while simultaneously being externally powered as well as expensive. Thus, there arises a deep need to develop a magnetic sensor that overcomes the challenges. This research work focused on the development of surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensors for the detection of magnetic field. Owing to the possibility of wireless interrogation, SAW devices of the resonator configuration have been considered in this study. The first part of our work aims to address the physics and interaction between the acoustic waves and magnetostrictive layers when subjected to a magnetic field. We investigated SAW resonators using LiNbO3 as the substrate and multi-layered [TbCo2/FeCo] as the electrode and sensitive material. We studied and showed the role of the shape effect in magnetism arising from the electrode geometry. A model experimental set-up was developed to demonstrate an application of the fabricated device as a sensor for detection of current along a cable. Subsequently, we developed a device that is self-compensated for the effects of temperature on the resonance frequency. The multi-layered sensor was based on ST-cut Quartz as the substrate whose positive temperature coefficient of frequency (TCF) was compensated for by the negative TCF of ZnO and CoFeB. Finally, we combine our understandings of the shape effects in magnetism and the multi-layered TCF compensated SAW structure to develop a device that is not only compensated for the effects of temperature on the resonance frequency but also on the magnetic anisotropy. In addition, this structure also presents the possibility of a proof-of-concept multi-sensory device because along with the temperature compensated resonance peak, there exist other resonances which are highly sensitive to any change in the temperature while at the same time immune to magnetic field

Surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices are a solution for today's ever growing need for passive wireless sensors. Orthogonal frequency coding (OFC) together with time division multiplexing (TDM) provides a large number of codes and coding algorithms producing devices that have excellent collision properties. Novel SAW noise-like refector (NLR) structures with pulse position modulation (PPM) are shown to exhibit good auto- and cross-correlation, and anti-collision properties. Multi-track, multi-transducer approaches yield devices with adjustable input impedances and enhanced collision properties for OFC TDM SAW sensor devices. Each track-transducer is designed for optimum performance for loss, coding, and chip reflectivity. Experimental results and theoretical predictions confirm a constant Q for SAW transducers for a given operational bandwidth, independent of device and transducer embodiment. Results on these new NLR SAW structures and devices along with a new novel 915 MHz transceiver based on a software radio approach was designed, built, and analyzed. Passive wireless SAW temperature sensors were interrogated and demodulated in a spread spectrum correlator system using a new adaptive filter. The first-ever SAW OFC four-sensor operation was demonstrated at a distance of 1 meter and a single sensor was shown to operate up to 3 meters. Comments on future work and directions are also presented.
ID: 029809964; System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader.; Mode of access: World Wide Web.; Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Central Florida, 2011.; Includes bibliographical references (p. 161-166).
Ph.D.
Doctorate
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Engineering and Computer Science

Polypyrol (PPy) je heterocyklický vodivý polymer s chemickou strukturou založenou na existenci systému konjugovaných elektronů mezi střídajícími se jednoduchými a dvojnými vazbami. Díky svým vynikajícím vlastnostem jako je dobrá elektrická vodivost, relativně vysoká stabilita prostředí a zároveň i jednoduchost a variabilita metod jeho přípravy, přilákal tento polymer pozornost mnoha vědců z různých vědních disciplín. Cílem výzkumu v této dizertační práci byla studie senzorického chování PPy. Za tímto účelem byla ověřena účinnost nanostruktur PPy při detekci vybraných „vysoce důležitých molekul plynů“ včetně acetonu, amoniaku, etanolu, etylenu a toluenu. V této práci byl připraven PPy ve formě nanotyčinek (NRs) pomocí elektrochemické syntézy a také ve formě nanočástic (NPs) chemickou cestou. Dále byly připraveny modifikované PPy struktury, a to funkcionalizací PPy NPs katalytickými částicemi zlata (Au), stříbra (Ag) a teluridu kademnatého (CdTe). Pro charakterizaci morfologie, složení a struktury připravených materiálů bylo použito několik komplementárních analytických (mikroskopických i spektroskopických) technik. Navíc byly využity techniky jako Ramanova a rentgenová fotoelektronová spektroskopie (XPS) pro in-situ test detekce plynů, které potvrdily potenciál připraveného materiálu, tedy PPy NRs i PPy NPs, pro využití v senzorech plynů. Za účelem výroby senzoru plynů byl připravený PPy materiál integrován do dvou typů převodníkových platforem: chemorezistivní a na bázi povrchové akustické vlny v tzv. Love módu (L-SAW). Test detekce plynů pro chemorezistivní senzory s PPy NRs ukázal pouze zanedbatelnou odpověď těchto senzorů pro oxid dusičitý a amoniak z důvodu jejich komplikované architektury. Změření odzevy tvou typú chemorezistivních senzorů-nemodifikovaného i modifikovaného PPy NPs nebylo možné z dúvodu extrémně vysoké odporu v řádu G. Nicméně multivodivé L-SAW senzory založené na holých PPy NPs či PPy NPs modifikovaných Au či Ag NPs a nebo CdTe kvantovými tečkami (QDs) vykazovaly odezvu pro nízké koncentrace všech testovaných velmi důležitých molekul plynů při pokojové teplotě (RT). Obecně měly L-SAW senzory s modifikovanou citlivou vrstvou vyšší citlivost než senzory s nemodifikovanou PPy citlivou vrstvou. Účinnost L-SAW senzoru primárně závisí na pracovní frekvenci a na výběru citlivé vrstvy v aktivní oblasti senzoru. Z otestovaných typů vrstev senzoru vuči jednotlivým plynům, modifikovaná PPy NPs s Ag NPs i Au NPs se javí jako nejlepší varianta pro detekci acetonu. Připravené L-SAW senzory na bázi PPy jsou jednoduchá a cenově přijatelná zařízení s vylepšenými detekčními vlastnostmi jako je vysoká senzitivita a nízký limit detekce (LOD), což je řadí mezi potenciální kandidáty v budoucích systémech pro kontrolu kvality vzduchu, potravin a rovněž pro diagnostiku nemocí z dechu.

Le cadre général dans lequel s’insère ce travail de thèse est celui de l’étude de la diffusion Brillouin dans une nouvelle génération de fibres optiques à cristaux photoniques (PCFs). Ces fibres, qui présentent un arrangement périodique de micro-canaux d’air parallèles le long de la fibre, possèdent en effet des propriétés optiques et acoustiques remarquables et inédites par rapport aux fibres conventionnelles. De façon plus précise, nous montrons dans ce travail, par le biais de simulations numériques et de données expérimentales, que les fibres à cristaux photoniques offrent la possibilité de supprimer ou, à contrario, augmenter les interactions entre les photons et les phonons. Dans une première partie, nous présentons une méthode de cartographie des fluctuations longitudinales de la microstructure des fibres PCFs à l’aide d’un capteur distribué basé sur une méthode innovante d’écho Brillouin. Cette méthode, très sensible et à haute résolution, est directement intéressante pour caractériser et améliorer l’uniformité des PCFs lors de leur fabrication et également pour la détection des différentes contraintes de température et étirement induites le long des fibres. Sur le plan fondamental, notre système de mesure distribuée à haute résolution nous a également permis d’observer, pour la première fois à notre connaissance, le temps de vie des ondes acoustiques dans les fibres à cristaux photoniques et les fibres standard. Par ailleurs, sur le plan technique, nous avons développé une architecture simplifiée de capteur distribué combinant la technique des échos Brillouin et celle de la modulation différentielle par déplacement de phase avec un seul modulateur d’intensité. Nos résultats montrent une résolution centimétrique dans la zone de soudure entre deux fibres optiques à l’aide d’une impulsion de phase de 500 ps. Nous démontrons dans une deuxième partie la suppression directe et passive de la rétrodiffusion Brillouin stimulée dans une fibre optique micro structurée en faisant varier périodiquement le diamètre de la microstructure. Une augmentation de 4 dB du seuil de puissance Brillouin a été obtenue avec une variation de seulement 7% sur une période de 30m. Ce résultat est très intéressant car la diffusion Brillouin est un facteur limitant dans les systèmes de télécommunications par fibre optique et les lasers à fibre. La troisième et dernière partie est consacrée à l’étude numérique et expérimentale de la diffusion Brillouin en avant dans les fibres à cristaux photoniques. En plus de la suppression de la plupart des modes acoustiques transverses, nous montrons que cette diffusion Brillouin est fortement augmentée pour certains modes acoustiques à haute fréquence qui sont piégés au cœur de la microstructure. Nous avons également étudié une fibre à structure multi-échelle qui révèle l’excitation sélective de plusieurs phonons acoustiques à des fréquences allant jusqu’a 2GHz. Ces mesures ont étés confirmées par des simulations numériques basées sur une méthode vectorielle aux éléments finis. L’impact des irrégularités de la microstructure a aussi été mis en évidence.Mots clés : optique non linéaire, diffusion Brillouin, fibres optiques microstructurées, seuil Brillouin, capteurs Brillouin distribués
Brillouin scattering is a fundamental nonlinear opto-acoustic interaction present in optical fibers with important implications in fields ranging from modern telecommunication networks to smart optical fiber sensors. This thesis is aimed at providing a comprehensive theoretical and experimental investigation of both forward and backward Brillouin scattering in next generation photonic crystal fibers in view of potential applications to above mentioned fields. We show in particular that these micro-structured optical fibers have the remarkable ability to either suppress or enhance photon-phonon interactions compared to what is commonly observed in conventional fibers. Firstly, this thesis provides a complete experimental characterization of several photonic crystal fibers using a novel highly-resolved distributed sensing technique based on Brillouin echoes. We perform distributed measurements that show both short-scale and long-scale longitudinal fluctuations of the periodic wavelength-scale air-hole microstructure along the fibers. Our mapping technique is very sensitive to structural irregularities and thus interesting for fiber manufacturers to characterize and improve the fiber uniformity during the drawing process. With this technique, we also report the first experimental observationof the acoustic decay time and the Brillouin linewidth broadening in both standard and photonic crystal fibers. Furthermore, we experimentally demonstrate a simplified architecture of our Brillouin echoes-based distributed optical fiber sensor with centimeter spatial resolution. It is based on differential phase-shift keying technique using a single Mach-Zehnder modulator to generate a pump pulse and a _-phase-shifted pulse with an easy and accurate adjustment of delay. These sensing techniques are also applied to distributed strain measurement. Another aspect of this thesis is the investigation of a novel method for suppressing stimulated Brillouin scattering that is detrimental to optical fiber transmissions and fiber lasers. We experimentally study several fibers and a demonstrate 4 dB increase of the Brillouin threshold in a photonic crystal fiber by varying periodically the core diameter by only7%. The efficiency of this passive technique is verified by use of our distributed sensing technique where the oscillating Brillouin frequency shift is clearly observed.Lastly, we present experimental and numerical results demonstrating the simultaneous vi Abstract frequency-selective excitation of several guided acoustic Brillouin modes in a photonic crystal fiber with a multi-scale structure design. These guided acoustic modes are identified by using a full vector finite-element model to result from elastic radial vibrations confined by the air-silica microstructure. We further show the strong impact of structural irregularities of the fiber on the frequency and modal shape of these acoustic resonances

Récemment, les systèmes multicapteurs ont trouvé de nombreuses applications dans des domaines tels que l’industrie agroalimentaire, l’environnement, la médecine et la défense. Parmi les technologies existantes, les capteurs à ondes acoustiques de surface sont l’une des plusprometteuses et fait l’objet de nombreuses recherches. Les travaux décrits dans ce manuscrit concernent le développement d’algorithmes permettant la reconnaissance de composés chimiques et l’estimation de leur concentration. Cette étude décrit une méthode permettant d’estimer les paramètres des phénomènes de transduction. L’intérêt de ces derniers est mis en évidence expérimentalement dans des applications consistant à identifier des toxiques chimiques, des capsules de café contrefaites et à détecter la présence de DMMP et de 4-NT en présence d’interférents
Recently, gas sensor arrays have found numerous applications in areas such as the food, the environment, the medicine and the defenseindustries. Among the existing technologies, the surface acoustic wave technology is one of the most promising and has been the subject of abundant research. The work described in this manuscript concerns the development of algorithms allowing the recognition of chemical compounds and the estimation of their concentration. This study describes a method for estimating the parameters of transduction phenomena. Their interest is demonstrated experimentally in applications consisting in identifying toxic chemical compounds, counterfeit coffee capsules and in detecting the presence of DMMP and 4-NT in the presence of interfering compounds

Les travaux décrits dans ce mémoire ont pour but de conduire à la réalisation de capteurs et de filtres à ondes élastiques de surface (SAW) innovants, passifs et sans fil, dédiés à une utilisation en environnement sévère. Différentes structures de composants SAW sont alors étudiées. Les caractéristiques générales, telles que les pertes d’insertion ou les bandes passantes relatives atteignables, des structures usuelles (résonateurs, lignes à retard, LCRF, filtres en échelle…) sont connues de l’homme de l’art. Cependant, pour concevoir un dispositif SAW qui respecte les critères d’un cahier des charges donné, il est impératif de définir le comportement spécifique de chaque dispositif avant son envoi en production.Pour ce faire, des modèles numériques sont développés, qui incluent à la fois la possibilité d’analyser le comportement de systèmes à la géométrie complexe (filtres en échelles, transducteurs apodisés) et qui prennent en compte la présence de phénomènes perturbateurs (modes transverses, pertes liées à la nature des matériaux). La comparaison entre les calculs numériques et les mesures a mis en avant l’adéquation des résultats expérimentaux et de calculs.La mise en place de ces outils permet le développement de capteurs et filtres SAW innovants grâce à une analyse numérique rapide et fiable de leur comportement.Ainsi, l’étude de résonateurs et capteurs dédiés à une utilisation à des températures excédant les 700°C est menée. Il est démontré qu’en dépit de son inhomogénéité, le Ba2TiSi2O8 est un matériau adapté à la réalisation de SAW soumis à des températures élevées pour des fréquences de l’ordre de 300 MHz jusqu’au GHz.Par ailleurs, une structure disposant d’un transducteur à trois doigts par longueur d’ondes est utilisée dans le but de réaliser des résonateurs insensibles aux effets de la directivité lorsque la température évolue. Cette même configuration a mis en exergue la possibilité de réaliser des capteurs n’utilisant qu’un seul résonateur (contre au moins deux jusqu’à présent). Ce dernier point permet de limiter l’encombrement des composants et résout la problématique du vieillissement différentiel des structures.Un second type de capteurs, passifs et sans fil, fondés sur l’utilisation d’un seul SAW et dédiés à la mesure d’hygrométrie, a été étudié. Dans cette nouvelle configuration, un SAW de type LCRF est utilisé comme transpondeur et la zone sensible est externalisée. La sensibilité des modes (de plus d’un MHz) à la variation d’un élément capacitif ou d’une antenne dipôle a été mise en avant numériquement. En pratique, la fabrication des dispositifs a montré une variation différentielle de plusieurs centaines de kHz des résonances selon la condition électrique appliquée à l’un des ports.Finalement, des filtres, dédiés aux applications stratégiques, agiles en fréquence sont réalisés. L’objectif de faire varier la fréquence centrale des dispositifs au cours de leur fonctionnement est atteinte en modifiant les conditions électriques appliquées aux réflecteurs. Deux types de tirage en fréquence sont observés : un glissement fin, de quelques ‰ de la fréquence centrale, cyclique, et un saut de fréquences lié au glissement et à l’ouverture de la bande de Bragg des miroirs aux hautes fréquences. La fabrication des structures et leur connexion à des interrupteurs MEMS validé la faisabilité de la structure.Ces travaux mettent en lumière les capacités de prédiction du comportement des structures SAW grâce au développement de logiciels dédiés. De plus, l’étude et la réalisation de filtres et capteurs innovants ouvre la voie à de nouvelles fonctionnalités
This thesis aims at designing innovative, passive and wireless surface acoustic waves (SAW) sensors and filters, dedicated to harsh environments. Several types of SAW components are consequently studied. The main characteristics, such as insertion losses or relative bandwidth, of usual structures (resonators, delay lines, LCRF, ladder filters…) are known by men of the art. However, to design a SAW device that respects specific requirements, the definition of the proper behavior of each device must be established before the manufacturing.For this purpose, numerical models are developed. Not only they include the possibility to analyse he beha-vior of systems with complex geometry (ladder filters, apodised transducers) but they take into account disturbing phenomena (transverse modes, losses due to the intrinsic nature of the materials). The comparison between computations and measures points out the match between experimental results and calculations.The implementation of these tools allows the development of innovative SAW sensors and filters thanks to a fast and reliable numerical analysis of their behavior.Thus, the design of resonators and sensors dedicated to a use at temperatures exceeding 700°C is studied. It is demonstrated that despite its inhomogeneity, Ba2TiSi2O8 is suitable for the manufacturing of SAW devices subject to high temperatures and in a frequency range from 300 MHz to the GHz.Furthermore, a structure composed of a three electrodes per wavelength transducer is used to produce re-sonators that are not subject to directivity effects when the temperature changes. This configuration offers the possibility to design sensors that use a single resonator (versus at least two until now). This last point makes smaller components possible and solves the question of a differential aging of the structures.A second type of sensors, also passive and wireless, dedicated to humidity measurements, based on the use of a single SAW, is studied. In this new configuration, a LCRF is used as a transponder and the sensitive area is outsourced. The mode sensitivity (of more than a MHz) to the variation of a capacitance or a dipole antenna is numerically brought to light. In practice, the device manufacturing showed a differential variation of the resonances of about 600 kHz depending on the electric condition applied to one of the ports.Finally, filters, dedicated to strategic applications, with frequency agility are designed. The purpose is to make the frequency vary depending on the electrical conditions applied to the mirrors. Two kinds of agility are identified : a slight sliding, of a few ‰ of the initial central frequency, periodic, and a frequency jump due to the shift of the Bragg band to the high frequencies. The manufacturing of some structures and their connection to MEMS switches attest the feasibility of such a structure.This work highlights the ability to predict the behavior of SAW structures thanks to the development of dedicated software. Moreover, the analysis and the manufacturing of innovative sensors and filters pave the way to new functionalities

Récemment, les systèmes multicapteurs ont trouvé de nombreuses applications dans des domaines tels que l’industrie agroalimentaire, l’environnement, la médecine et la défense. Parmi les technologies existantes, les capteurs à ondes acoustiques de surface sont l’une des plusprometteuses et fait l’objet de nombreuses recherches. Les travaux décrits dans ce manuscrit concernent le développement d’algorithmes permettant la reconnaissance de composés chimiques et l’estimation de leur concentration. Cette étude décrit une méthode permettant d’estimer les paramètres des phénomènes de transduction. L’intérêt de ces derniers est mis en évidence expérimentalement dans des applications consistant à identifier des toxiques chimiques, des capsules de café contrefaites et à détecter la présence de DMMP et de 4-NT en présence d’interférents
Recently, gas sensor arrays have found numerous applications in areas such as the food, the environment, the medicine and the defenseindustries. Among the existing technologies, the surface acoustic wave technology is one of the most promising and has been the subject of abundant research. The work described in this manuscript concerns the development of algorithms allowing the recognition of chemical compounds and the estimation of their concentration. This study describes a method for estimating the parameters of transduction phenomena. Their interest is demonstrated experimentally in applications consisting in identifying toxic chemical compounds, counterfeit coffee capsules and in detecting the presence of DMMP and 4-NT in the presence of interfering compounds

Le codage spectral Ultra Large Bande (ULB) appliqué aux dispositifs `a ondes élastiques de surface(SAW), exploit ´es comme capteurs passifs interrogeables par liaison radio fréquence, augmente lenombre de données stockées et échangées, et améliore la résolution sur la mesure. L’approcheproposée est de réaliser des dispositifs SAW ULB dans la bande de fréquence 2 GHz − 2.5 GHzréglementée par la norme de communication radio fréquence américaine, après prototypage dansune bande de fréquences plus basses de 200 MHz − 400 MHz. La puissance autorisée sur cettepremière bande est de −41.3 dBm/MHz : pour un dispositif SAW ayant des pertes d’insertion del’ordre de 30 dB, la distance d’interrogation établie par application de l’ équation du RADAR estthéoriquement limitée `a environ 1 m. Afin d’avoir la portée la plus grande possible, nous avonsétudié plusieurs architectures de dispositifs SAW : standards et modulés linéairement en fréquence,pour limiter les pertes d’insertion. A l’aide d’un lecteur embarqué, nous avons réalisé des mesuresen température sans fils simultanées de trois capteurs, apportant une solution au problème decollision. La résolution en température atteinte est de 0.1 _C pour une distance de mesure de 20 cm.Nous montrons que la communication ULB est aussi une solution pour l’interrogation sans fils enmilieux réflectifs aux ondes radio fréquences. `A l’aide d’un synthétiseur de fonction arbitraire et d’unoscilloscope, nous montrons expérimentalement que le retournement temporel fonctionne sur lesdispositifs SAW LFM et qu’il bénéficie du gain de traitement ce qui améliore le rapport signal surbruit
Applying Ultra Wide Band (UWB) spectral coding to surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices, usedas passive sensors interrogated through a radio frequency link, increases the number of stored andexchanged data and improves the measurement resolution. The proposed approach is to design SAWUWB devices in the frequency band of 2 GHz − 2.5 GHz complying with the American radio frequencycommunication standards after prototyping them in the lower 200 MHz − 400 MHz frequency band.The authorized emitted power is −41.3 dBm/MHz: for a SAW device exhibiting insertion losses ofabout 30 dB, the interrogation distance determined by the RADAR equation adapted to SAW devicesis theoretically limited to 1 m. In order to improve the reading distance, we investigated severalarchitectures as standard SAW devices and as linear frequency modulated (LFM) devices, in order toreduce insertion losses. Using an embedded SAW reader, we simultaneously measured temperatureon three sensors, showing a solution to the problem of collision. The temperature resolution reachedwas 0.1 C for a reading distance of 20 cm. We show that the UWB communication is also a solutionfor communications in radio frequency wave reflective environment. Using a arbitrary waveformgenerator and an oscilloscope, we also show experimentally, that time reversal works on LFM SAWdevices, with the response signal to noise ratio improved by the processing gain

Les travaux visant au développement de capteurs passifs interrogeables sans fil pour sonder des températures supérieures à 600 °C s’inscrivent dans le projet européens SAWHOT. Des capteurs à ondes élastiques de surface sont modélisés, réalisés et caractérisés par une liaison radiofréquence. Le paramètre physique mesuré par ce capteur est la température, avec une mesure au-delà de 900°Cpour les applications de maintenance préventive des turbines à combustion ou pour le contrôle de procédés dans les fours de synthèse de nano-tubes de carbone. Les substrats piezoélectriques standards tels que le quartz ou le niobate de lithium ne sont pas envisageables : l’ensemble de ces travaux s’articule autour de la langasite, substrat piezoélectrique opérant jusqu’à 1470°C et ne présentant aucune température de transition (température de Curie) jusqu’à sa température de fusion située à 1470°C. Compte tenu de la vitesse des ondes élastiques de surface des coupes considérés et également des limitations imposées par les moyens de réalisations technologiques, ces résonateurs sont mesurés sans fil à une fréquence proche de la bande ISM centré en 434 MHz. Les dispositifs ainsi réalisés ont été encapsulés via une procédure innovante de mise en boîtier qui permet alors la mesure de capteurs à ondes élastiques de surface dans des environnements où la température dépasse 700°C. De nombreuses études expérimentales ont alors été menés dans le but d’évaluer les performances des capteurs à ondes élastiques de surface en terme de bilan de liaison radiofréquence, reproductible de la mesure, vieillissement au cours des cycles en températures
Development of wireless passive sensor for temperature measurement above 600°C has been performed in the frame of the European SAWHOT project. In this context, surface acoustic wave sensors have been designed, fabricated and characterized by radiofrequency measurement. Physical parameter measured by these sensors is the temperature, reaching values up to 900°C for monitoring in combustion engines andIn ovens used for carbon nano-tubes growth. In order to measure temperature in harsh environments, classical piezoelectric substrates are not usuable: langasite substrate has been considered as a favorable option since it exhibits no transition temperature and is able to operate until its exhibits no transition temperature and is able to operate until its melting temperature, at 1470 °C. regarding the parameters of the surface acoustic waves and the limitation of the fabrication process and devices, the resonators are measured wirelessly in the ISM band centered at 434 MHz (3μm of interdigital transducer period and a transducers with of 1μm). Two main manufacturing technologies are considered, stepper and nano-imprint technologies. The fabricated devices have been packaged by using an innovative process protecting the devices and allowing fir wireless measurements until 700°C. Multiple experiments have been performed in order to characterize the radiofrequency link between the reader and the sensor, the reproducibility of the measurement, the aging effect on the response of the device after high temperature cycles

Surface Acoustic Waves (SAW) fall under a special category of elastic waves that need a material medium to propagate. The energy of these waves is confined to a limited depth below the surface over which they propagate, and their amplitudes decay with increasing depth. As a consequence of their being a surface phenomenon, they are easily accessible for transduction. Due to this reason, a lot of research has been carried out in the area, which has resulted in two very popular applications of SAW - SAW devices and in Non-Destructive Testing and Evaluation. A major restriction of SAW devices is that the SAW need a piezoelectric medium for generation, propagation and reception. This thesis reports the attempt made to overcome this restriction and utilize the SAW on non-piezoelectric substrates for sensing capabilities. The velocity of the SAW is known to be dependent purely on the material properties, specifically the elastic constants and material density. This dependence is the motivation for the sensor system developed in the present work. Information on the survey of the methods suitable for the generation and reception of SAW on non-piezoelectric substrates has been included in the thesis. This is followed by the theoretical and practical details of the method chosen for the present work - the point source/point receiver method. Advantages of this method include a simple and inexpensive fabrication procedure, easy customizability and the absence of restrictions due to directivity of the SAW generated. The transducers consist of a conically shaped PZT element attached to a backing material. When the piezoelectric material on the transmitter side is electrically excited, they undergo mechanical oscillations. When coupled to the surface of a solid, the oscillations are transferred onto the solid, which then acts as a point source for SAW. At the receiver, placed at a distance from the source on the same side, the received mechanical oscillations are converted into an electrical signal as a consequence of the direct piezoelectric effect. The details of the fabrication and preliminary trials conducted on metallic as well as non-metallic samples are given. Various applications have been envisaged for this relatively simple sensor system. One of them is in the field of pressure sensing. Experiments have been carried out to employ the acoustoelastic property of a flexible diaphragm made of silicone rubber sheet to measure pressure. The diaphragm, when exposed to a pressure on one side, experiences a varying strain field on the surface. The velocity of SAW generated on the stressed surface varies in accordance with the applied stress, and the consequent strain field generated. To verify the acoustoelastic phenomenon in silicone rubber, SAW velocities have been measured in longitudinal and transverse directions with respect to that of the applied tensile strain. Similar measurements are carried out with a pressure variant inducing the strain. The non-invasive nature of this setup lends it to be used for in situ measurement of pressure. The second application is in the field of elastography. Traditional methods of diagnosis to detect the presence of sub-epidermal lesions, some tumors of the breast, liver and prostate, intensity of skin irritation etc have been mainly by palpation. The sensor system developed in this work enables to overcome the restrictive usage and occasional failure to detect minute abnormal symptoms. In vitro trials have been conducted on tissue phantoms made out of poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA-C) samples of varying stiffnesses. The results obtained and a discussion on the same are presented.