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A review of surface acoustic wave sensors: mechanisms, stability and future prospects

Zhaozhao Tang (Water Science and Environmental Engineering Research Centre, College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China and State Key Laboratory of Hydroscience and Engineering, Department of Hydraulic Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China)
Wenyan Wu (School of Engineering and the Built Environment, Birmingham City University, Birmingham, UK)
Po Yang (Department of Computer Science, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK)
Jingting Luo (Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Advanced Thin Films and Applications, Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China)
Chen Fu (Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Advanced Thin Films and Applications, Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China)
Jing-Cheng Han (Water Science and Environmental Engineering Research Centre, College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China)
Yang Zhou (Water Science and Environmental Engineering Research Centre, College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China)
Linlin Wang (Water Science and Environmental Engineering Research Centre, College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China)
Yingju Wu (Water Science and Environmental Engineering Research Centre, College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China)
Yuefei Huang (State Key Laboratory of Hydroscience and Engineering, Department of Hydraulic Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China and State Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Qinghai University, Qinghai, China)

Sensor Review

ISSN: 0260-2288

Article publication date: 15 April 2024

30

Abstract

Purpose

Surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensors have attracted great attention worldwide for a variety of applications in measuring physical, chemical and biological parameters. However, stability has been one of the key issues which have limited their effective commercial applications. To fully understand this challenge of operation stability, this paper aims to systematically review mechanisms, stability issues and future challenges of SAW sensors for various applications.

Design/methodology/approach

This review paper starts with different types of SAWs, advantages and disadvantages of different types of SAW sensors and then the stability issues of SAW sensors. Subsequently, recent efforts made by researchers for improving working stability of SAW sensors are reviewed. Finally, it discusses the existing challenges and future prospects of SAW sensors in the rapidly growing Internet of Things-enabled application market.

Findings

A large number of scientific articles related to SAW technologies were found, and a number of opportunities for future researchers were identified. Over the past 20 years, SAW-related research has gained a growing interest of researchers. SAW sensors have attracted more and more researchers worldwide over the years, but the research topics of SAW sensor stability only own an extremely poor percentage in the total researc topics of SAWs or SAW sensors.

Originality/value

Although SAW sensors have been attracting researchers worldwide for decades, researchers mainly focused on the new materials and design strategies for SAW sensors to achieve good sensitivity and selectivity, and little work can be found on the stability issues of SAW sensors, which are so important for SAW sensor industries and one of the key factors to be mature products. Therefore, this paper systematically reviewed the SAW sensors from their fundamental mechanisms to stability issues and indicated their future challenges for various applications.

Keywords

Citation

Tang, Z., Wu, W., Yang, P., Luo, J., Fu, C., Han, J.-C., Zhou, Y., Wang, L., Wu, Y. and Huang, Y. (2024), "A review of surface acoustic wave sensors: mechanisms, stability and future prospects", Sensor Review, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/SR-02-2024-0165

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2024, Emerald Publishing Limited

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