Mechanism of Operation and Design Considerations for Surface Acoustic Wave Device Vapor Sensors.
Abstract
Surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices offer many attractive features for application as vapor phase chemical microsensors. This paper describes the characteristics of SAW devices and techniques by which they can be employed as vapor sensors. The perturbation of SAW amplitude and velocity by polymeric coating films was investigated both theoretically and experimentally. High sensitivity can be achieved when the device is used as the resonating element in a delay line oscillator circuit. A simple equation has been developed from theoretical considerations which offers reasonably accurate quantitative predictions of SAW Device frequency shifts when subjected to a given mass loading. In this mode the SAW device behaves in a fashion very similar to conventional bulk wave quartz crystal microbalance except that the sensitivity can be several orders of magnitude higher and the device size can be several orders of magnitude smaller. Detection of mass changes of less than 1 femtogram by a SAW device having a surface area of 0.0001 square cm. is theoretically possible.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 23, 1984
- Accession Number
- ADA141537
Entities
People
- H. Wohltjen
Organizations
- United States Naval Research Laboratory