Multiple-frequency acoustic wave devices for chemical sensing and materials characterization in both gas and liquid phase

Patent · Tue Aug 10 04:00:00 EDT 1993

OSTI ID:6292409

Martin, S J; Ricco, A J

A chemical or intrinsic physical property sensor is described comprising: (a) a substrate; (b) an interaction region of said substrate where the presence of a chemical or physical stimulus causes a detectable change in the velocity and/or an attenuation of an acoustic wave traversing said region; and (c) a plurality of paired input and output interdigitated electrodes patterned on the surface of said substrate where each of said paired electrodes has a distinct periodicity, where each of said paired electrodes is comprised of an input and an output electrode; (d) an input signal generation means for transmitting an input signal having a distinct frequency to a specified input interdigitated electrode of said plurality so that each input electrode receives a unique input signal, whereby said electrode responds to said input signal by generating an acoustic wave of a specified frequency, thus, said plurality responds by generating a plurality of acoustic waves of different frequencies; (e) an output signal receiving means for determining an acoustic wave velocity and an amplitude of said acoustic waves at several frequencies after said waves transverses said interaction region and comparing these values to an input acoustic wave velocity and an input acoustic wave amplitude to produce values for perturbations in acoustic wave velocities and for acoustic wave attenuation as a function of frequency, where said output receiving means is individually coupled to each of said output interdigitated electrode; (f) a computer means for analyzing a data stream comprising information from said output receiving means and from said input signal generation means to differentiate a specified response due to a perturbation from a subsequent specified response due to a subsequent perturbation to determine the chemical or intrinsic physical properties desired.

• DOE Contract Number: AC04-76DP00789
• Assignee: Dept. of Energy, Washington, DC (United States)
• Patent Number(s): US 5235235; A
• Application Number: PPN: US 7-705408
• OSTI ID: 6292409
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360000 -- Materials
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
400201 -- Chemical & Physicochemical Properties
42 ENGINEERING
420500* -- Engineering-- Materials Testing
440800 -- Miscellaneous Instrumentation-- (1990-)
47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION
ACOUSTIC MEASUREMENTS
ACOUSTIC TESTING
AMPLITUDES
ATTENUATION
CHEMICAL PROPERTIES
COMPUTER CALCULATIONS
DATA ANALYSIS
DESIGN
ELECTRODES
FLUIDS
FREQUENCY DEPENDENCE
GASES
LIQUIDS
MATERIALS
MATERIALS TESTING
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
MODIFICATIONS
NONDESTRUCTIVE TESTING
OPERATION
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
SOUND WAVES
TESTING
WAVE PROPAGATION