Ivan D. Avramov

Investigations on plasma-polymer-coated SAW and STW resonators for chemical gas-sensing applications

Results from gas probing with various analyte vapors on high-Q low-loss surface transverse wave (STW) and surface acoustic wave (SAW) resonators coated with thin plasma-polymer films of hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO), styrene, and allyl alcohol at different polymerization conditions are presented in this paper. At the same acoustic wavelength of 7.22 /spl mu/m and identical film thicknesses, HMDSO-coated STW devices feature substantially higher relative sensitivities to all analytes compared to their SAW counterparts. When operated in a microwave oscillator loop, plasma-poly-styrene and allyl-alcohol-coated STW devices generate strong sensor signals, even at low analyte concentrations, retaining an oscillator short-term stability in the 1/spl times/10/sup -9//s to 1/spl times/10/sup -8//s range. A 250 kHz sensor signal with 7/spl times/10/sup -9//s stability was obtained from a styrene coated 700 MHz STW resonator oscillator at a 1400 parts per million concentration of xylene vapor, which results in a measurement resolution of less than 40 parts per billion for xylene in the ambient air. It is shown that, with respect to sensitivity and stability over long probing periods, plasma-polymer films may become a serious competitor to the more or less unstable soft polymer coatings currently used in SAW-based gas sensors for applications in wireless systems for environmental control and protection.

Gas sensitivity comparison of polymer coated SAW and STW resonators operating at the same acoustic wave length

Results from systematic gas sensing experiments on polymer coated surface-transverse-wave (STW) and surface-acoustic-wave (SAW) based two-port resonators on rotated Y-cut quartz, operating at the same acoustic wavelength of 7.22 /spl mu/m, are presented. The acoustic devices are coated with chemosensitive films of different viscoelastic properties and thicknesses, such as solid hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO), semisolid styrene (ST), and soft allyl alcohol (AA). The sensor sensitivities to vapors of different chemical analytes are automatically measured in a sensor head, evaluated, and compared. It is shown that thin HMDSO- and ST-coated STW sensors are up to 3.8 times more sensitive than their SAW counterparts, while SAW devices coated with thick soft AA-films are up to 3.6 times more sensitive than the STW ones. This implies that SAWs are more suitable for operation with soft coatings while STWs perform better with solid and semisolid films. A close-to-carrier phase noise evaluation shows that the vapor flow homogeneity, the analyte concentration, its sorption dynamics, and the sensor oscillator design are the major limiting factors for the sensor noise and its resolution. A well designed ST-coated 700 MHz STW sensor provides a 178 kHz sensor signal at a 630 ppm concentration of tetra-chloroethylene and demonstrates short-term stability of 3/spl times/10/sup -9//s which results in a sensor resolution of about 7 parts per billion (ppb).

High Q metal strip SSBW resonators using a SAW design

An experimental study of metal strip surface skimming bulk wave (SSBW) resonators using a surface acoustic wave (SAW) design is presented. Characteristics of SSBW and SAW resonators fabricated with the same photolithographic mask are compared and discussed. High Q low-loss SSBW resonators are achieved using a conventional two-port SAW resonator design and taking special care of the distance L between both interdigital transducers, the metal thickness h/ lambda ( lambda =acoustic wavelength) and the finger-to-gap ratio. Best overall performance of the SSBW devices in this study is achieved at L=n lambda /2- lambda /4 (compared with L=n lambda /2- lambda /8 for SAW resonators), h/ lambda =1.6% (compared with 2% for SAW), and finger-to-gap ratio close to 1. The best device fabricated shows an unloaded Q of 5820 and an insertion loss of 7.8 dB at 766 MHz. The SSBW resonant frequency shows a stronger dependence on the metal thickness than the SAW one. This problem, however, is readily solved by frequency trimming using a CF/sub 4/ plasma etching technique. SSBW resonator can be trimmed by 0.2% down in frequency (compared with 0.05% for SAW) without affecting their performance.<<ETX>>

Theoretical and experimental mass-sensitivity analysis of polymer-coated SAW and STW resonators for gas sensing applications

Polymer-coated surface transverse waves (STW) resonators have recently been successfully studied for organic gas sensing applications. The first results indicate increased absolute and even relative sensitivity as compared to similar resonators with surface acoustic waves (SAW). However, the gain in sensitivity is accompanied by the adverse effect of an increased attenuation and the advantage frame is difficult to establish quantitatively. In this paper, a new set of experimental samples with Parylene C-coated quartz substrates are studied. The samples are matched in frequency and wavelength. The results are compared and the obtained features explained using available theoretical algorithms for analyzing layered SAW and Love configurations, and a recently developed STW algorithm. The approximate limits of advantageous applicability of the STW resonator gas sensors are discussed.

Gigahertz range resonant devices for oscillator applications using shear horizontal acoustic waves

It is shown that surface transverse wave (STW) resonant devices are not only very well suited for stable oscillator applications but have some unique features offering greater design flexibility than their surface acoustic wave (SAW) counterparts. Various designs for single- and multimode resonators and resonator filters are presented, and their properties in respect to applications in stable fundamental-mode fixed-frequency and voltage-controlled oscillators in the range of 750 MHz to 2 GHz are discussed. Characteristics of SAW and STW two-port metal strip resonators using identical designs are compared. Data from frequency trimming on STW resonators, using heavy ion bombardment, are presented.<<ETX>>

Highly Mass-Sensitive Thin Film Plate Acoustic Resonators (FPAR)

The mass sensitivity of thin aluminum nitride (AlN) film S0 Lamb wave resonators is theoretically and experimentally studied. Theoretical predictions based on modal and finite elements method analysis are experimentally verified. Here, two-port 888 MHz synchronous FPARs are micromachined and subsequently coated with hexamethyl-disiloxane(HMDSO)-plasma-polymerized thin films of various thicknesses. Systematic data on frequency shift and insertion loss versus film thickness are presented. FPARs demonstrate high mass-loading sensitivity as well as good tolerance towards the HMDSO viscous losses. Initial measurements in gas phase environment are further presented.

A 0-phase circuit for QCM-based measurements in highly viscous liquid environments

Currently, the series resonant frequency f/sub s/ and the motional resistance Rm of liquid loaded quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) sensors are extracted either directly, through network analyzer (NWA) impedance measurements, or from QCM-stabilized oscillator circuits. Both methods have serious drawbacks that may affect measurement accuracy, especially if the sensor is operated under highly viscous load conditions and Rm exceeds 1 k/spl Omega/. This paper presents a simple passive low-loss impedance transformation LC network which greatly reduces additional electrical loading of the QCM by the measurement system or sensor electronics and maintains a symmetric resonance and a steep 0-phase crossing at f/sub s/, even if Rm increases by several orders of magnitude as a result of liquid loading. A simple S21 transmission measurement allows direct f/sub s/ reading at the 0-phase frequency, while Rm is obtained from the circuit loss at f/sub s/. Circuit operation was verified at 9 MHz by QCM measurements in a liquid with known density and viscosity. The agreement between predicted and experimental data, which was obtained by a temperature-controlled measurement, was within 1%, even in very high viscosity ranges in which Rm exceeds 10 k/spl Omega/.

IC-compatible power oscillators using Thin Film Plate Acoustic Resonators (FPAR)

In this study, two-port 880MHz FPAR devices operating on the lowest order fast symmetric Lamb wave mode (S0) in c-oriented AlN membranes on Si, were fabricated and subsequently tested for their power handling capabilities in a feedback-loop power oscillator circuit. The S0 Lamb waves were excited and detected by a classical two-port resonator structure, as in Rayleigh SAW (RSAW) resonators. Incident power levels of up to 24 dBm (250 mW) for the FPARs were provided by a high-power sustaining amplifier in the loop. No measurable performance degradation was observed. The results from this study indicate that IC-compatible S0 FPAR devices can dissipate orders of magnitude higher RF-power levels than their RSAW counterparts on quartz and are well suited for integrated microwave power oscillators with thermal noise floor (TNF) levels below −175 dBc/Hz.

The RF-powered surface wave sensor oscillator - a successful alternative to passive wireless sensing

A novel, passive wireless surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensor providing a highly coherent measurand proportional frequency, frequency modulated (FM) with identification (ID) data and immune to interference with multiple-path signals is described. The sensor is appropriate for bandwidth-limited applications requiring high-frequency accuracy. It comprises a low-power oscillator, stabilized with the sensing SAW resonator and powered by the rectified radio frequency (RF) power of the interrogating signal received by an antenna on the sensor part. A few hundred microwatts of direct current (DC) power are enough to power the sensor oscillator and ID modulation circuit and achieve stable operation at 1.0 and 2.49 GHz. Reliable sensor interrogation was achieved over a distance of 0.45 m from a SAW-based interrogation unit providing 50 mW of continuous RF power at 915 MHz. The -30 to -35 dBm of returned sensor power was enough to receive the sensor signal over a long distance and through several walls with a simple superheterodyne FM receiver converting the sensor signal to a low measure and proportional intermediate frequency and retrieving the ID data through FM detection. Different sensor implementations, including continuous and pulsed power versions and the possibility of transmitting data from several measurands with a single sensor, are discussed.

Polymer coating behavior of Rayleigh-SAW resonators with gold electrode structure for gas sensor applications

Results from systematic polymer coating experiments on surface acoustic wave (SAW) resonators and coupled resonator filters (CRF) on ST-cut quartz with a corrosion-proof electrode structure entirely made of gold (Au) are presented and compared with data from similar SAW devices using aluminium (Al) electrodes. The recently developed Au devices are intended to replace their earlier Al counterparts in sensor systems operating in highly reactive chemical gas environments. Solid parylene C and soft poly[chlorotrifluoroethylene-co-vinylidene fluoride] (PCFV) polymer films are deposited under identical conditions onto the surface of Al and Au devices. The electrical performance of the Parylene C coated devices is monitored online during film deposition. The PCVF coated devices are evaluated after film deposition. The experimental data show that the Au devices can stand up to 40% thicker solid films for the same amount of loss increase than the Al devices and retain better resonance and phase characteristics. The frequency sensitivities of Au and Al devices to parylene C deposition are nearly identical. After coating with soft PCFV sensing film, the Au devices provide up to two times higher gas sensitivity when probed with cooling agent, octane, or tetrachloroethylene