Harnessing a Vibroacoustic Mode for Enabling Smart Functions on Surface Acoustic Wave Devices ‐ Application to Icing Monitoring and Deicing

Abstract

Microacoustic wave devices are essential components in the radio frequency (RF) electronics and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) industry with increasing impact in various sensing and actuation applications. Reliable and smart operation of acoustic wave devices at low costs will cause a crucial advancement. Herein, this study presents the enablement of temperature and mechanical sensing capabilities in a Rayleigh‐mode standing surface acoustic wave (sSAW) chip device by harnessing an acoustic shear‐thickness dominant wave (SD) using the same set of electrodes. Most importantly, this mode is excited by switching the polarity of the sSAW transducer electrodes by simple electronics, allowing for direct and inexpensive compatibility with an existing setup. The method in the emergent topic of surface de‐icing is validated by continuously monitoring temperature and liquid–solid water phase changes using the SD mode, and on‐demand Rayleigh‐wave deicing with a negligible energy cost. The flexibility for adapting the system to different scenarios, and loads and the potential for scalability opens the path to impact in lab‐on‐a‐chip, internet of things (IoT) technology, and sectors requiring autonomous acoustic wave actuators.

A Dual-Mode Surface Acoustic Wave Delay Line for the Detection of Ice on 64°-Rotated Y-Cut Lithium Niobate

“…It was followed by the first devices deploying a Love wave in a SiO 2 waveguide layer on ST-X+90 • quartz [4] and 31 • -rotated Y-cut quartz [5], respectively. Today's aspirations in further developing SAW ice sensors still cover Love wave [6] as well as acoustic plate mode devices [7,8]. Moreover, dual-mode delay line devices are proposed by [9], consisting of a ZnO/quartz structure making use of the difference of Rayleigh-type wave's dominating sagittal polarization strongly coupling with liquids for actuation (mixing) and the Love wave's horizontal polarization weakly coupling with liquids for sensing purposes.…”