Influence of electrical boundary conditions on profiles of acoustic field and electric potential of shear-horizontal acoustic waves in potassium niobate plates.

The profiles of an acoustic field and electric potential of the forward and backward shear-horizontal (SH) acoustic waves of a higher order propagating in X-Y potassium niobate plate have been theoretically investigated. It has been shown that by changing electrical boundary conditions on a surface of piezoelectric plates, it is possible to change the distributions of an acoustic field and electric potential of the forward and backward acoustic waves. The dependencies of the distribution of a mechanical displacement and electrical potential over the plate thickness for electrically open and electrically shorted plates have been plotted. The influence of a layer with arbitrary conductivity placed on a one or on the both plate surfaces on the profiles under study, phase and group velocities of the forward and backward acoustic waves in X-Y potassium niobate has been also investigated. The obtained results can be useful for development of the method for control of a particle or electrical charge movement inside the piezoelectric plates, as well a sensor for definition of the thin film conductivity.

Gasoline sensor based on piezoelectric lateral electric field excited resonator.

It has been shown that by using piezoelectric lateral electric field excited resonators based on X - cut LiNbO3, one can determine the octane number of gasoline. The measured dependence of gasoline permittivity on its octane number has shown that there is an ambiguous connection between pointed parameters. We have demonstrated both theoretically and experimentally that the value of the real part of the electrical impedance on the frequency of parallel resonance uniquely associates with the octane number of gasoline contacting the free side of the resonator. At that the frequency of parallel resonance does not depend on permittivity/octane number of gasoline. An example of determination of the octane number of a mixture of two different samples of gasoline is given.

Unusual energy properties of leaky backward Lamb waves in a submerged plate.

It is found that leaky backward Lamb waves, i.e. waves with negative energy-flux velocity, propagating in a plate submerged in a liquid possess extraordinary energy properties distinguishing them from any other type of waves in isotropic media. Namely, the total time-averaged energy flux along the waveguide axis is equal to zero for these waves due to opposite directions of the longitudinal energy fluxes in the adjacent media. This property gives rise to the fundamental question of how to define and calculate correctly the energy velocity in such an unusual case. The procedure of calculation based on incomplete integration of the energy flux density over the plate thickness alone is applied. The derivative of the angular frequency with respect to the wave vector, usually referred to as the group velocity, happens to be close to the energy velocity defined by this mean in that part of the frequency range where the backward mode exists in the free plate. The existence region of the backward mode is formally increased for the submerged plate in comparison to the free plate as a result of the liquid-induced hybridization of propagating and nonpropagating (evanescent) Lamb modes. It is shown that the Rayleigh's principle (i.e. equipartition of total time-averaged kinetic and potential energies for time-harmonic acoustic fields) is violated due to the leakage of Lamb waves, in spite of considering nondissipative media.

Composite lateral electric field excited piezoelectric resonator.

The novel method of suppression of parasitic oscillations in lateral electric field excited piezoelectric resonator is suggested. Traditionally such resonator represents the piezoelectric plate with two electrodes on one side of the plate. The crystallographic orientation of the plate is selected so that the tangential components of electric field excite bulk acoustic wave with given polarization travelling along the normal to the plate sides. However at that the normal components of field excite the parasitic Lamb waves and bulk waves of other polarization which deteriorate the resonant properties of the resonator. In this work we suggest to separate the source of the HF electric field and resounded piezoelectric plate by air gap. In this case the tangential components of the field in piezoelectric plate do not practically weaken but normal components significantly decrease. This method is realized on the composite resonator having the structure "glass plate with rectangular electrodes - air gap - plate of 128 Y-X lithium niobate." It has been shown that there exist the optimal value of the width gap which ensure the good quality of series and parallel resonances in frequency range 3-4MHz with record values of Q-factor of ∼15,000 in both cases.

[Determination of a Spectrum of Lytic Activity of Bacteriophages by the Method of Acoustic Analysis].

The changes in the electro-acoustic parameters of cell suspension due to the interaction of cells with bacteriophages both in a pure. culture and in the presence of extraneous microflora were investigated. It has been found that the specific changes in the electroacoustic parameters of cell suspension under the action of bacteriophage occur only in microbial cells which are sensitive to the bacteriophage studied. It has been established that a sensor unit allows of distinguishing a situation when the bacterial cells are infected with specific bacteriophages of the control experiments and a situation with no introduction of infection. An approximate criterion of the presence of specific interactions of bacteriophages and cells in suspension was developed. In accordance with this criterion the change in electrical impedance of the sensor unit must not be less than - 1%. In control experiments a standard microbiological technique, plating the cells infected with bacteriophages on solid nutrient medium, was used. For the first time the possibility of using the method of electroacoustic analysis for determination of a spectrum of lytic activity of bacteriophages was shown. The results obtained may be used for development of a new express method for determining the sensitivity to bacteriophages of the microbial cells.

Array of piezoelectric lateral electric field excited resonators.

An array containing two resonators placed on X-cut lithium niobate plate has been experimentally investigated. The resonator's lateral electric field was directed along the Y-crystallographic axis. It has been shown that stable resonance exists for a longitudinal acoustic wave propagating along the X-axis in the area between the electrodes. A layer of special damping coating was deposited around the resonators and on the part of electrodes to suppress parasitic oscillations induced mainly by Lamb waves. Frequency dependences of the real and imaginary parts of electric impedance/admittance were measured for every resonator to find resonant frequency and Q-factor with series and parallel resonances. The optimal values of width of electrode coating for every resonator were revealed which provide good resonance quality. The measurements of parameter S12, which characterizes a degree of acoustical coupling between the resonators, have shown its value to be higher than 50dB in the absolute value in all the cases considered. This means that the resonators under study are entirely acoustically decoupled. Thus it has been demonstrated that the damping layer not only provides a sufficiently good quality of every resonator's resonance, but it also assures their entire acoustical decoupling.

[Obtaining the phage mini-antibodies and their use for detection of microbial cells by using an electro-acoustic sensor].

The phage mini-antibodies to bacterial cells of strain Azospirillum brasilense Sp245 were obtained and the possibility of using them for detection of microbial cells by means of a lateral field excited piezoelectric resonator was studied. It has been found that the frequency dependencies of the real and imaginary parts of the electrical impedance of the resonator loaded by the cell suspension A. brasilense Sp245 with the mini-antibodies, significantly differ from those of the resonator with the control cell suspension without mini-antibodies. The concentration limit of possible determination of the microbial cells in their interaction with the mini-antibodies is equal to 10(3) cells/ml. It has been ascertained that detection of A. brasilense Sp245 cells using the mini-antibodies is possible even in the presence of other cultures, for example, E. coli BL-Ril and A. brasilense Sp7 cells. Therefore, it has been shown for the first time that detection of microbial cells by an electro-acoustic sensor is feasible.

[The influence of acetyltransferase activity phenotype on the frequency of in-stent restenosis in patient with CHD].

Coronary artery stenting is a priority treatment of different forms of coronary heart disease. Hence, the importance of intrastent restenosis. This study demonstrates the relationship between acetylation rate and frequency of restenosis following coronary stenting with special reference to patients with chronic coronary heart disease. This knowledge may be helpful for the improvement of endovascular treatment using drug-coated stents.

High frequency shear horizontal plate acoustic wave devices.

It has been shown recently that shear horizontal acoustic waves propagating in piezoelectric plates whose thickness h is much less than the acoustic wavelength lambda possess a number of attractive properties for use in sensor and signal processing applications. In order to exploit the potential benefits of these waves, however, one needs to fabricate devices on very thin plates. We have developed a suitable fabrication method which can be used to realize devices on such thin plates. In this method, the device is first fabricated on a plate of normal thickness (approximately 500 microm) and the substrate is then lapped from the back side to reduce the thickness. The technique has been utilized to realize devices on plates of thickness less than 70 microm. A shear horizontal plate acoustic wave (SH-PAW) delay line of fundamental resonant frequency greater than 25 MHz and insertion loss less than 7 dB has been realized on a 60 microm thick Y--cut, X--propagation lithium niobate substrate. The device also shows strong response near the third harmonic frequency of 75 MHz.

The peculiarities of propagation of the backward acoustic waves in piezoelectric plates.

The characteristics of backward acoustic waves in piezoelectric plates under different electrical boundary conditions were investigated. It has been shown that electrical shorting of the plate leads to increasing and decreasing the phase velocity for backward and forward branches, respectively. The peculiarities of the hybridization effect of backward waves were studied.

Acoustic waves in structure "piezoelectric plate-polymeric nanocomposite film".

Paper is devoted to the investigation of SH(0) acoustic waves propagating in structure "piezoelectric plate-polymeric nanocomposite film". The analysis was carried out by the example of the polymeric nanocomposite film based on high-pressure polyethylene with various contents of CdS nanoparticles and lithium tantalate and lithium niobate plate. The resonant attenuation of investigated waves for the certain ratios of plate and film thicknesses was found. The obtained results open the prospects of the development of structures for SH(0) waves consisting of nanocomposite polymeric substrates and thin piezoelectric plates. Such structures may be useful for development of various thermostable chemical and biological sensors and signal processing devices.

Characteristics of fundamental acoustic wave modes in thin piezoelectric plates.

The characteristics of the three lowest order plate waves (A(0), S(0), and SH(0)) propagating in piezoelectric plates whose thickness h is much less than the acoustic wavelength lambda are theoretically analyzed. It is found that these waves can provide much higher values of electromechanical coupling coefficient K(2) and lower values of temperature coefficient of delay (TCD) than is possible with surface acoustic waves (SAWs). For example, in 30Y-X lithium niobate, the SH(0) mode has K(2)=0.46 and TCD=55 ppm/degrees C. The corresponding values for SAW in the widely used, strong coupling material of 128Y-X lithium niobate are K(2)=0.053 and TCD=75 ppm/degrees C. Another important advantage of plate waves is that, unlike the case of SAWs, they can operate satisfactorily in contact with a liquid medium, thus making possible their use in liquid phase sensors.

Investigation of acoustic waves of higher order propagating in plates of lithium niobate.

This paper presents theoretical investigation of higher order acoustic plate waves propagating in single crystals of lithium niobate. The dependencies of wave velocity and electromechanical coupling coefficient of antisymmetric, symmetric, and shear horizontal modes on the parameter hf (h=plate thickness, f=operating frequency) are calculated as a function of propagation direction on X-, Y-, and Z-cut lithium niobate plates. It is found that several modes can provide values of K2 that are much greater than can be obtained with surface acoustic waves (SAWs). For example, K2 as high as 0.26 and 0.38 can be obtained from SH1 and A2 modes, respectively. This compares with a maximum value of K2=0.055 for SAWs. It is further shown that there are several crystal cut and propagation directions that can allow efficient excitation and detection of a single mode with minimal interference due to other modes.

Liquid level sensor using ultrasonic Lamb waves.

This paper describes a novel, noninvasive method for measurement of liquid level in closed metal tanks that are under high pressure. It is based on the use of ultrasonic Lamb waves propagating along the tank wall. Contact with liquid substantially changes the characteristics of these waves and this can be used as an indicator of liquid presence. Theoretical analysis shows that the symmetric and antisymmetric Lamb wave modes, both fundamental and higher order, are sensitive to presence of the liquid. The optimal wave frequency depends on the thickness of the tank wall and wall material. A prototype level sensor based on this principle has been developed. It uses two pairs of wedge transducers to generate and detect Lamb waves propagating along the circumference of the gas tank. An operating frequency of 100 kHz is found to be optimal for use with tanks having a wall thickness of 30-50 mm. Prototype sensors developed under this program have been used successfully in oil fields in the far northern region of Russia.

Improved equivalent circuits for acoustic plate wave devices.

This paper presents improved equivalent circuits for the analysis and design of acoustic plate wave devices. The method uses a mixed equivalent circuit for the interdigital transducer consisting of both active and passive sections placed on the surface of a piezoelectric plate. The values of the various circuit elements are obtained by carrying out a best fit between theoretical and experimental frequency dependence of the real and imaginary parts of transducer input impedance. Knowledge of the equivalent circuit parameters allows one to optimize design of the devices. The method has been successfully employed for the design of one-port shear-horizontal wave resonators on Y-X lithium niobate plates. The proposed method can also be utilized for determining acoustic wave velocity with high accuracy.

Influence of conducting layer and conducting electrode on acoustic waves propagating in potassium niobate plates.

The influence of a thin conducting layer and a conducting electrode on the characteristics of acoustic waves propagating in thin plates of potassium niobate is investigated theoretically. The variations in velocity and attenuation as high as 50% and 30 dB per wavelength, respectively, can be achieved for a change in conductance of the thin film layer from 10(-7) to 10(-5) S.

Shear-horizontal acoustic waves in piezoelectric plates bordered with conductive liquid.

The influence of a conductive liquid on the characteristics of shear-horizontal acoustic waves of zeroth order (SH0 mode) propagating in thin piezoelectric plates of lithium tantalate, lithium niobate, and potassium niobate was investigated. Experimental results obtained for SH0 mode devices fabricated on lithium niobate plates are found to be in good agreement with theory. The data presented in this paper is useful for a proper design of various acoustic wave sensors operating in contact with conductive liquids.

Investigation of acoustic waves in thin plates of lithium niobate and lithium tantalate.

The general properties of fundamental antisymmetric A0, symmetric S0, and shear horizontal SH0 acoustic waves propagating in thin piezoelectric plates have been theoretically investigated on samples of lithium niobate (LiNbO3) and lithium tantalate (LiTaO3). The results obtained will be useful for a proper development of various physical, chemical, and biological sensors and devices for signal processing based on plate acoustic waves.

Propagation of QSH (quasi shear horizontal) acoustic waves in piezoelectric plates.

The characteristics of QSH (quasi shear horizontal) acoustic waves propagating in thin plates of Y-cut, X-propagation lithium niobate are investigated theoretically and experimentally. The fractional velocity change (Deltanu/nu) produced by electrical shorting of the surface is calculated as a function of the normalized plate thickness h/lambda (h=plate thickness, lambda=acoustic wavelength). It was found that values of Deltanu/nu as high as 0.18 could be obtained. Experimental measurements show good agreement with theory. The properties of QSH waves propagating in the presence of a perfectly conducting electrode separated from the piezoelectric plate by a small air gap have been studied theoretically and experimentally. It was found that by varying the height of the gap, the phase shift through a 3.2-MHz QSH wave delay line can be varied by more than 230 degrees . We have also theoretically investigated the influence of a thin layer of arbitrary conductivity on the velocity and attenuation of the QSH wave. Calculations show that the variations in these parameters can be as high as 18% and 5 dB per wavelength for a change in layer surface conductance from 10(-7) to 10(-5) S. Results obtained in this paper confirm the attractive properties of QSH waves for a variety of sensing and signal processing applications.