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Micromachines
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Surface and Bulk Acoustic Wave Devices, 2nd Edition
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Surface and Bulk Acoustic Wave Devices, 2nd Edition

A special issue of Micromachines (ISSN 2072-666X). This special issue belongs to the section "A：Physics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 October 2026 | Viewed by 3350

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Jinkai Chen

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Guest Editor
Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of RF Circuits and Systems, College of Electronics & Information, Hangzhou Dianzi University, Hangzhou 310000, China
Interests: self-powered/passive sensing systems; wireless sensing; surface acoustic wave devices; tribotronics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Shurong Dong

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Information Science & Electronic Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
Interests: resonators; SAW; BAW; wearable/implantable electronics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Hao Jin

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Information Science & Electronic Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
Interests: resonators; SAW; FBAR; passive wireless sensing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) and Bulk Acoustic Wave (BAW) devices are pivotal in various applications in the fields of telecommunications, consumer electronics, and sensor systems. These devices capitalize on acoustic waves to provide solutions for signal processing, sensing, and actuation at the microscale level. In this Special Issue, we aim to showcase cutting-edge research that highlights the development, optimization, and application of SAW and BAW devices. Contributions may cover a range of topics including, but not limited to, novel fabrication techniques, material innovations, theoretical modeling, and application-driven studies of these devices in new and existing fields. We invite researchers and practitioners to share their insights and findings that contribute to pushing the boundaries of what is possible with acoustic wave technology.

Dr. Jinkai Chen
Prof. Dr. Shurong Dong
Dr. Hao Jin
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Micromachines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2100 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • acoustic wave sensors
  • piezoelectric materials
  • signal processing
  • fabrication techniques
  • material innovations
  • device optimization
  • theoretical modeling

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 1627 KB  
Article
Flexible Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) Magnetic Sensor Based on Terfenol-D Grating-Arrayed Thin Polymer Film
by Akeel Qadir, Fayyaz Muhammad, Shahid Karim, Jinkai Chen, Hongsheng Xu and Umar Farooq
Micromachines 2026, 17(5), 537; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi17050537 - 28 Apr 2026
Viewed by 289
Abstract
Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) magnetic sensors are traditionally fabricated on rigid substrates, which severely limits their application on curved or irregular surfaces. To address this critical limitation, this paper presents a novel flexible SAW magnetic sensor based on a grating-arrayed Terfenol-D thin film [...] Read more.
Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) magnetic sensors are traditionally fabricated on rigid substrates, which severely limits their application on curved or irregular surfaces. To address this critical limitation, this paper presents a novel flexible SAW magnetic sensor based on a grating-arrayed Terfenol-D thin film deposited on a 50 µm thick flexible lithium niobate (LiNbO3) substrate. Unlike conventional designs using a continuous magnetostrictive layer, the proposed grating-arrayed structure is designed to aid in hysteresis compensation and minimize measurement errors associated with residual magnetization. As demonstrated experimentally, the sensors achieve a high sensitivity of 85.8 kHz/mT for devices with λ-wide gratings and a maximum frequency shift of 377 kHz at 5 mT. A systematic investigation reveals that sensitivity is critically dependent on the grating width and film thickness, with 500 nm thick gratings yielding optimal performance. Crucially, the sensor’s functionality under mechanical deformation is validated, and a differential measurement method is introduced to effectively compensate for stress-induced frequency shifts, ensuring reliable operation in practical, non-ideal conditions. The results confirm the sensor’s robust performance under the tested stress conditions, positioning this flexible SAW magnetic sensor as a promising solution for advanced, conformable sensing applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface and Bulk Acoustic Wave Devices, 2nd Edition)
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17 pages, 4339 KB  
Article
Research on Cantilever Beam Roller Tension Sensor Based on Surface Acoustic Wave
by Yang Feng, Bingkun Zhang, Yang Chen, Ben Wang, Hua Xia, Haoda Yu, Xulehan Yu and Pengfei Yang
Micromachines 2025, 16(9), 1044; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi16091044 - 11 Sep 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 874
Abstract
This paper presents a design method for a continuous tension detection sensor based on a cantilever beam structure and compensates for the temperature drift of a SAW sensor based on a neural network algorithm. Firstly, a novel cantilever beam roller structure is proposed [...] Read more.
This paper presents a design method for a continuous tension detection sensor based on a cantilever beam structure and compensates for the temperature drift of a SAW sensor based on a neural network algorithm. Firstly, a novel cantilever beam roller structure is proposed to significantly enhance the sensitivity of the transmission of silk thread tension to a SAW tension sensor. Secondly, to improve the sensitivity of the SAW tension sensor, the COMSOL finite element method (FEM) is employed for simulation to determine the optimal IDT placement. An unbalanced split IDT design is utilized to suppress potential parasitic responses. Finally, the designed sensor is tested, and a GA-PSO-BP algorithm is employed to fit the test data for temperature compensation. The experimental results demonstrate that the temperature sensitivity coefficient of the data optimized by the GA-PSO-BP algorithm is reduced by an order of magnitude compared to the raw data, with reductions of 6.0409×10−3 °C−1 and 3.0312×10−3 °C−1 compared to the BP neural network and the PSO-BP algorithm, respectively. The average output error of the optimized data is reduced by 5.748% compared to the sensor measurement data, and it is also lower than both the BP neural network and the PSO-BP algorithm. It provides new design ideas for the development of tension sensors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface and Bulk Acoustic Wave Devices, 2nd Edition)
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16 pages, 3174 KB  
Article
Efficient Particle Aggregation Through SSAW Phase Modulation
by Yiming Li, Zekai Li, Zuozhi Wei, Yiran Wang, Xudong Niu and Dongfang Liang
Micromachines 2025, 16(8), 910; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi16080910 - 5 Aug 2025
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1167
Abstract
In recent years, various devices utilizing surface acoustic waves (SAW) have emerged as powerful tools for manipulating particles and fluids in microchannels. Although they demonstrate a wide range of functionalities across diverse applications, existing devices still face limitations in flexibility, manipulation efficiency, and [...] Read more.
In recent years, various devices utilizing surface acoustic waves (SAW) have emerged as powerful tools for manipulating particles and fluids in microchannels. Although they demonstrate a wide range of functionalities across diverse applications, existing devices still face limitations in flexibility, manipulation efficiency, and spatial resolution. In this study, we developed a dual-sided standing surface acoustic wave (SSAW) device that simultaneously excites acoustic waves through two piezoelectric substrates positioned at the top and bottom of a microchannel. By fully exploiting the degrees of freedom offered by two pairs of interdigital transducers (IDTs) on each substrate, the system enables highly flexible control of microparticles. To explore its capability on particle aggregation, we developed a two-dimensional numerical model to investigate the influence of the SAW phase modulation on the established acoustic fields within the microchannel. Single-particle motion was first examined under the influence of the phase-modulated acoustic fields to form a reference for identifying effective phase modulation strategies. Key parameters, such as the phase changes and the duration of each phase modulation step, were determined to maximize the lateral motion while minimizing undesired vertical motion of the particle. Our dual-sided SSAW configuration, combined with novel dynamic phase modulation strategy, leads to rapid and precise aggregation of microparticles towards a single focal point. This study sheds new light on the design of acoustofluidic devices for efficient spatiotemporal particle concentration. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface and Bulk Acoustic Wave Devices, 2nd Edition)
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Review

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36 pages, 38341 KB  
Review
Surface Acoustic Wave Devices: New Mechanisms, Enabling Techniques, and Application Frontiers
by Hongsheng Xu, Xiangyu Liu, Weihao Ye, Xiangyu Zeng, Akeel Qadir and Jinkai Chen
Micromachines 2026, 17(4), 494; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi17040494 - 17 Apr 2026
Viewed by 528
Abstract
Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) technology, long central to analog signal processing and RF filtering, is undergoing a major renewal. Driven by advances that decouple SAWs from traditional piezoelectric materials and fixed-function devices, the field is gaining unprecedented control over acoustic, optical, and electronic [...] Read more.
Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) technology, long central to analog signal processing and RF filtering, is undergoing a major renewal. Driven by advances that decouple SAWs from traditional piezoelectric materials and fixed-function devices, the field is gaining unprecedented control over acoustic, optical, and electronic interactions at the micro and nanoscale. This review synthesizes these developments across four fronts: new physical mechanisms for SAW manipulation, emerging material platforms, ranging from thin films to 2D systems, along with reconfigurable device architectures and circuits, and the expanding landscape of applications they enable. Optical methods are reshaping how SAWs are generated and controlled, bypassing the limits of conventional electromechanical coupling. Coherent optical excitation of high-Q SAW cavities via Brillouin-like optomechanical interactions now grants access to modes in non-piezoelectric substrates such as diamond and silicon, while on-chip SAW excitation in photonic waveguides through backward stimulated Brillouin scattering opens new integrated sensing routes. In parallel, magneto-acoustic experiments have revealed nonreciprocal SAW diffraction from resonant scattering in magnetoelastic gratings. On the device side, ZnO thin-film transistors integrated on LiNbO3 exploit acoustoelectric coupling to realize voltage-tunable phase shifters; UHF Z-shaped delay lines achieve high sensitivity in a compact footprint; and parametric synthesis of wideband, multi-stage lattice filters targets 5G-class performance. Atomistic simulations show that SAW propagation in 2D MXene films can be engineered via surface terminations, while aerosol jet printing and SAW-assisted particle patterning provide agile, cleanroom-light fabrication of microfluidic and magnetic components. These advances enable applications ranging from hybrid quantum systems and quantum links to lab-on-a-chip particle control, SBS-based and UHF sensing, reconfigurable RF front-ends, and soft robotic actuators based on patterned magnetic composites. At the same time, optical techniques offer non-contact probes of dissipation, and MXenes and other emerging materials open new regimes of acoustic control. Conclusively, they are transforming SAW technology into a versatile, programmable platform for mediating complex interactions in next-generation electronic, photonic, and quantum systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface and Bulk Acoustic Wave Devices, 2nd Edition)
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