Our Keynote Speaker

Surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices are key components in communication systems and are widely used as filters, delay lines or resonators, making them relevant for the development of 5G compatible technologies or beyond. As SAW devices are highly sensitive to external physical parameters and to any disturbance that may affect the velocity, the traveling distance or even the wave propagation mode, they also offer very promising solutions as sensors in a wide range of applications including industrial processes, automotive, aeronautic, or energy domains. SAW sensors have the advantage of being robust, small, passive (battery-less), wireless and even packageless in specific configurations. In the reflective delay line (R-DL) configuration, they can integrate the identification code and operate as an RFID which allows simultaneous interrogation of several sensors. The technology also allows to operate in extreme conditions such as those with high levels of radiation, high temperatures up to 1 000 °C, corrosive gas, or electromagnetic interference. This is obviously conditioned by the fact that the constitutive materials can withstand these harsh conditions. In this lecture, an overview of general principle of the SAW sensors in wired and wireless configurations and developments needed to implement this technology will be given. A review of recent works related to SAW devices combining RFID and sensing functionalities including from our group will be presented by positioning them with respect to the state of the art. Finally, examples of potential applications (existing or new ones) will be proposed and analyzed together with a future outlook of what the SAW technology can bring in severe environments.