Written by an interdisciplinary group of experts from both industry and academia, Acoustic Wave Sensors provides an in-depth look at the current state of acoustic wave devices and the scope of their use in chemical, biochemical, and physical measurements, as well as in engineering applications. Because of the inherent interdisciplinary applications of these devices, this book will be useful for the chemist and biochemist interested in the use and development ofthese sensors for specific applications; the electrical engineer involved in the design and improvement of these devices; the chemical engineer and the biotechnologist interested in using these devices for process monitoring and control; and the sensor community at large. Provides in-depth comparison and analyses of different types of acoustic wave devices Discusses operating principles and design considerations Includes table of relevant material constants for quick reference Presents an extensive review of current uses of these devices for chemical, biochemical, and physical measurements, and engineering applications

Advances in materials science and engineering have paved the way for the development of new and more capable sensors. Drawing upon case studies from manufacturing and structural monitoring and involving chemical and long wave-length infrared sensors, this book suggests an approach that frames the relevant technical issues in such a way as to expedite the consideration of new and novel sensor materials. It enables a multidisciplinary approach for identifying opportunities and making realistic assessments of technical risk and could be used to guide relevant research and development in sensor technologies.

Surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices are widely used in mobile communications, a rapidly evolving market. This book gives an overview on the latest SAW technologies with an emphasis on the design and simulation of devices, such as resonator-based devices employing the SH-type leaky SAW.

In this book, application-related studies for acoustic biomedical sensors are covered in depth. The book features an array of different biomedical signals, including acoustic biomedical signals as well as the thermal biomedical signals, magnetic biomedical signals, and optical biomedical signals to support healthcare. It employs signal processing approaches, such as filtering, Fourier transform, spectral estimation, and wavelet transform. The book presents applications of acoustic biomedical sensors and bio-signal processing for prediction, detection, and monitoring of some diseases from the phonocardiogram (PCG) signal analysis. Several challenges and future perspectives related to the acoustic sensors applications are highlighted. This book supports the engineers, researchers, designers, and physicians in several interdisciplinary domains that support healthcare.

Acoustics is a mature field which enjoys a never ending youth. New developments are induced by either the search for a better understanding, or by technological innovations. Micro-fabrication techniques introduced a whole new class of microdevices, which exploit acoustic waves for various tasks, and in particular for information processing and for sensing purposes. Performance improvements are achievable by better modelling tools, able to deal with more complex configurations, and by more refined techniques of fabrication and of integration in technological systems, like wireless communications. Several chapters of this book deal with modelling and fabrication techniques for microdevices, including unconventional phenomena and configurations. But this is far from exhausting the research lines in acoustics. Theoretical analyses and modelling techniques are presented, for phenomena ranging from the detection of cracks to the acoustics of the oceans. Measurement methods are also discussed, which probe by acoustic waves the properties of widely different systems.

This book concerns the design, operation and application of devices capable of generating acoustic waves in the ultrasonic frequency range. It emphasizes the study of chemical and/or biochemical systems imposed on the surface of such devices, whether operated in the gas- or liquid-phase, i.e. on acoustic wave chemical and biological sensors. It focuses on devices that employ acoustic waves launched and received on the same surface. It touches upon such diverse areas as acoustic wave physics, applied mathematics, chemistry, electronics, fluid mechanics, materials science and polymer science.

There were two reasons that induced me to plan and to organize this book, the first was the lack of a text entirely devoted to the subject of gas sensors, notwithstanding some books devoted to the various kind of chemical sensors have recently been published. The second reason was the need of introducing the basic topics of gas detection mechanisms to a growing number of researchers active in research and development laboratories of industries and uni versities. The field of chemical sensors is indeed in fast and consistent growth, as it is proved by the increased number of participants to the congresses that were recently held on this subject, namely the Third Meeting on Chemical Sensors (September 24 - 26, 1990, Cleveland), Transducers' 91 (June 24 - 27, 1991, S. Francisco) and EUROSENSORS V (September 30 - October 3, 1991, Rome). Therefore, this book is mainly intended as a reference text for researchers with a MS degree in physics, chemistry and electrical engineering; it reports the last progresses in the R. & D. and in the technology of gas sensors. I choose to deal specifically with the topic of gas sensors because these devices show a very large number of applications in the domestic and industrial field and they are characterized by a great effort of research and development.