Surface acoustic wave resonant sensor
Inventors
Jesorka, Aldo • KUSTANOVICH, Kiryl • MITKOV YANCHEV, Ventislav
Assignees
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Publication Number
US-11243189-B2
Publication Date
2022-02-08
Expiration Date
Abstract
A surface acoustic wave resonant sensor for measuring a sample comprising a single port surface acoustic wave (SAW) resonator comprising an interdigital transducer and at least one reflective grating. The sensor is provided with a region for receiving the sample, said region being in communication with the at least one reflective grating and the IDT is separated acoustically and electrically from the region for receiving a sample such that the IDT is not mass sensitive to the sample. The sensor is especially suitable for bio sensing applications.
Core Innovation
The invention provides a one-port surface acoustic wave (SAW) resonator sensor for measuring a sample for chemical, biological, and physical sensing in liquids. The sensor includes an interdigital transducer (IDT) and at least one reflective grating, with a region for receiving the sample positioned above and in direct contact with the at least one reflective grating. This arrangement separates the IDT acoustically and electrically from the sample-receiving region such that the IDT is not mass sensitive to the sample.
The reflective grating concentrates resonance energy near the sample region while reducing the mass sensitivity of the IDT, thereby improving liquid-loaded performance. In described embodiments, the reflective grating is implemented as periodic metallic thin-film strip arrays, optionally including interdigitated and/or capacitor-forming structures at the sample interface. This provides a compact one-port structure in which the sample interacts primarily with the reflective grating and not with the IDT.
The described sensor structures further include microfluidic chambers or channels with a protective cap, including embodiments with a sealed configuration or an air gap. An optional interlayer/passing layer is used for bonding and thermal drift reduction, and the sensor is implemented on a piezoelectric substrate such as Y-cut LiNbO3, Y-cut LiTaO3, quartz, or thin-film composite piezoelectric material systems. The document reports characterization of an approximately 184.9 MHz device showing a resonance frequency/peak shift in water while maintaining liquid performance, along with quality-factor degradation values and comparison to QCM.
Claims Coverage
The partial content identifies one independent claim (clm-00001). The independent claim covers a one-port SAW resonant sensor with an IDT and at least one reflective grating, with a sample-receiving region directly above and in contact with the reflective grating and acoustic/electrical separation of the IDT so it is not mass sensitive to the sample.
Separated one-port SAW resonator with non-mass-sensitive IDT
A one-port SAW resonator including an interdigital transducer (IDT) and at least one reflective grating, with the sample-receiving region positioned above and in direct contact with the at least one reflective grating, and the IDT acoustically and electrically separated from the sample-receiving region such that the IDT is not mass sensitive to the sample.
Sample interface directly coupled to reflective grating
A region for receiving the sample located above and in direct contact with the at least one reflective grating, so that the sample-receiving region is defined by its direct coupling to the reflective grating.
Across the identified independent claim coverage, the core inventive concept is that the IDT is acoustically and electrically separated from the sample-receiving region while a reflective grating directly couples the sample to the SAW resonator, yielding a one-port SAW resonant sensor architecture for sample measurement.
Stated Advantages
Improves liquid-loaded performance by concentrating resonance energy near the sample region while reducing mass sensitivity of the IDT.
Provides one-port high-frequency sensing comparable to QCM.
Enables reduced size and robustness suitable for array integration.
Documented Applications
Chemical, biological, and physical sensing in liquids using a one-port SAW resonant sensor.
Using multiple sensors together in a sensor assembly with shared microfluidic features.
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