New applications of surface acoustic wave wireless sensors

The latest research work on surface acoustic wave wireless sensors is presented. The main advantage of surface acoustic wave sensors is their outstanding thermal stability specially compared to semiconductors. The sensors utilize a piezo-effect that creates so-called surface acoustic waves by means of a transducer structure on the surface of the sensor. Depending on temperature or mechanical strain the surface acoustic waves are affected. These changes on the surface acoustic waves are used for the sensor effect. The sensors can be clearly distinguished when further surface acoustic wave reflectors are introduced. This leads to the application as a high temperature RFID system (radio frequency identification). Industrial applications of the technology are manifold. Examples from steel industry, mechanical engineering and energy supply are briefly discussed.