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This work explores the infrared (IR) detection capabilities of 750 nm thick Z-cut lithium niobate (LN) thin film resonator at asymmetric modes of various orders: the first, third, fifth, and seventh order asymmetric (A1, A3, A5, and A7), with resonant frequencies of 2.35, 6.68, 11.09, and 15.49 GHz. Under the infrared radiation of 0.575 mW, the responses about admittance minima and frequency drift corresponding to these modes have been experimentally validated. Notably, the A1 mode exhibits the most significant admittance dip response with 2.62 dB, while the A7 mode demonstrates a maximum frequency drift response of 670 kHz. The optimal parameter for noise equivalent power reaches 15.41 pW/Hz1/2, and the optimal detectivity achieves 7.40 × 106 m Hz1/2/W. These findings indicate the immense potential of LN thin-film resonators for infrared sensing applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lamb wave resonators (LWRs) exhibiting high-quality factors and clean spectra demonstrate promising applications in RF communication and sensing. This paper discusses the relationship between the spurious mode, the quality factor, and the effective electromechanical coupling factor of resonators. When the resonant frequency of the spurious mode is slightly below the parallel resonant frequency (fp), the quality factor at fp (Qp) decreases dramatically. To enhance Qp and suppress the spurious mode, the LWRs with busbars including only the top electrode (non-overlap busbars) and the LWRs with busbars incorporating both top and bottom electrodes (overlap busbars) are designed and fabricated. The LWR with 12 μm-wide overlap busbars exhibits a notable enhancement in Qp, elevating it from 553.76 to 1488.17 and suppresses the spurious mode simultaneously. This research introduces a promising approach to suppress the spurious mode and enhance the quality factor of Lamb wave resonators, thereby holding great potential for applications in sensors and mobile communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acoustoelasticity, a characteristic of material anharmonicity, gives rise to a link between wave propagation velocity and the stress state in materials. Ultrasonic techniques to monitor this coupling, particularly with high sensitivity and in a noncontact manner, can have widespread application both in the quantification of applied and residual stress and in the characterization of nonlinear material behavior through measurement of higher order elastic constants. Here, we use a laser ultrasonic technique to excite and detect zero group velocity (ZGV) Lamb wave resonances in aluminum plates under uniaxial loading. A laser line source is used to excite these resonances at different orientations with respect to the applied load, and the signals are detected using an interferometer. The effects of stress and source orientation on ZGV resonance frequencies are validated using the theory of acoustoelastic Lamb wave propagation. In addition, a model-based inversion technique is used to extract Murnaghan's third-order elastic constants from measurements of the stress dependence of the first two ZGV modes generated parallel and perpendicular to the applied load. Laser generation and detection of ZGV resonances is shown to be an effective and powerful approach for the noncontact and nondestructive acoustoelastic characterization of elastic waveguides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maxwell's fish-eye is a paradigm for an absolute optical instrument with a refractive index deduced from the stereographic projection of a sphere on a plane. We investigate experimentally the dynamics of flexural waves in a thin plate with a thickness varying according to the Maxwell fish-eye index profile and a clamped boundary. We demonstrate subwavelength focusing and temporal pulse compression at the image point. This is achieved by introducing a sink emitting a cancelling signal optimally shaped using a time-reversal procedure. Perfect absorption and outward going wave cancellation at the focus point are demonstrated. The time evolution of the kinetic energy stored inside the cavity reveals that the sink absorbs energy out of the plate ten times faster than the natural decay rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this Letter, we provide an experimental demonstration of amplitude-dependent dispersion tuning of surface acoustic waves interacting with nonlinear resonators. Leveraging the similarity between the dispersion properties of plate edge waves and surface waves propagating in a semi-infinite medium, we use a setup consisting of a plate with a periodic arrangement of bead-magnet resonators along one of its edges. Nonlinear contact between the ferromagnetic beads and magnets is exploited to realize nonlinear local resonance effects. First, we experimentally demonstrate the nonlinear softening nature and amplitude-dependent dynamics of a single bead-magnet resonator on both rigid and compliant substrates. Next, the dispersion properties of the system in the linear regime are investigated. Finally, we demonstrate how the interplay of nonlinear local resonances with plate edge waves gives rise to amplitude-dependent dispersion properties. The findings will inform the design of more versatile surface acoustic wave devices that can passively adapt to loading conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anomalies in reflection from periodic structures, well known in optics, result from either the transition from specular reflection to diffraction of light (Rayleigh's anomaly) or by coupling to the leaky surface mode supported by the structure (Wood's anomaly). Experimental observation and detailed analysis of both kinds of anomalies are presented here in the case of antisymmetric Lamb wave (A0) incidence at the 1D periodic structure located along the edge of the elastic plate. A structure with a strong phononic effect has been chosen, which enables the separation of both effects in terms of frequency. Another distinct feature of elastic waves in the periodic structure considered in this work is the existence of several localized modes, which leads to the multiple Wood's anomalies. Here, we report the experimental observation of double Wood's anomaly in addition to the Rayleigh's type of anomaly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We numerically and experimentally demonstrate super-resolution focusing of the lowest anti-symmetric (A0) mode Lamb waves in a thin aluminum plate. The subwavelength focusing/imaging is achieved by exploiting the anisotropy in phononic crystal (PC) lattices and amplification of evanescent waves. To this end, we embedded a PC flat lens in the aluminum plate, consisting of holes arranged in a square lattice formation. We revealed that the bound slab phonon modes amplify evanescent waves, as previously observed for electromagnetic and acoustic waves. Hence, the slab mode helps propagate subwavelength information through the PC lens to reach the near-field image formed due to negative refraction and result in the high resolution image. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 400 MHz magnetoelectric (ME) Lamb wave antenna design to function in the medical implant communication service band is proposed. The antenna employs a heterostructure of piezoelectric and magnetostrictive membranes to acoustically excite standing shear bulk wave and radiate as a magnetic dipole. Multiphysics finite element analysis simulations are performed for transmission and reception modes. In these simulations, three aspects are investigated: piezoelectricity, micromagnetic precession, and magnetic dipole radiation. An experimental demonstration of the antenna is also conducted and shows mechanical resonance with a Q-factor of 500 and ME coupling. These results indicate that the design can be operated in zero-order antisymmetric (A0) mode as a tunable oscillator or sensor. This ME approach provides a solution to the miniaturization problem of traditional current-based implantable antennas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Guided wave-based nondestructive testing and structural health monitoring methods have been developed to exhibit attractive potentials and best prospects for rapid and sensitive detection of defects or damage in engineering structures. Different modes of guided waves can provide different sensitivities of damage detection. However, the multimode and mode conversion nature of guided waves poses significant challenges to mode purification of received signals. This study aims to design a metamaterial-based smart transducer for mode purification of Lamb waves in a plate, which can filter out an undesired mode of the Lamb wave to enhance sensing and actuating signals of a dominated mode. The smart transducer consists of a periodic array of shunted piezoelectric unimorphs with staggered polarization directions and is bonded on the surface of a host plate. Numerical and experimental results show that a local resonance bandgap for an anti-symmetric Lamb wave, rather than a symmetric Lamb wave, can be obtained and tuned through the shunting inductance circuit. Within such mode bandgap, the wave control for propagating a specific mode of the Lamb wave can be further realized, i.e., the mode of the Lamb wave is purified. The design presented herein offers enhanced capabilities in controlling guided wave propagation for engineering applications and nondestructive testing techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Klein tunneling is an intriguing phenomenon in quantum mechanics, which refers to the unity transmission of particles through a higher energy barrier without hindrance in the case of normal incidence. The introduction of phononic crystals enables the direct observation of this phenomenon from a different point, giving rise to a broader application prospect. In this paper, we aim at realizing the Klein tunneling for elastic plate waves. To this end, we combine two kinds of Y-shaped phononic crystals with different Dirac point energies to structure a sandwich-like plate, which supports the propagation of Lamb waves while artificially introducing a potential barrier. Under such a configuration, perfect wave transmission regardless of the barrier in a wide frequency range can be realized, which also enables the numerical prediction and experimental observation of the Klein tunneling phenomenon in Lamb waves. The results of this work provide a direction and reference for the design and applications of phononic crystal devices, such as the chip-scale elastic waveguides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phononic crystals (PCs) can modulate an incident acoustic wave to provide subwavelength microparticles with stable and flexible manipulation. However, fixed artificial structures of the PCs usually result in a steady acoustic field profile, thus limiting the dynamic manipulation of microparticles. This study proposes the construction of a phononic crystal plate (PCP) using a pair of periodic oppositely arranged gratings on a plate. Under the PCP's resonance frequency, a pair of nonleaky A0 mode traveling Lamb waves that intrinsically exist in a thin plate were excited and propagated. The pair of waves formed a highly localized standing Lamb wave field between the pair of periodic gratings. By adjusting the phase of the incident acoustic wave, the positions of pressure nodes of the PCP-induced standing Lamb wave were changed in a quantitatively tunable manner. Thus, polystyrene microparticles trapped and aligned at the pressure nodes via the acoustic radiation force could be moved to achieve the translation motion with a resolution of 2.2 μm, approximately 1/160 wavelength in water. The proposed methodology will lead to the fabrication of a disposable and easily operated tool for dynamically manipulating microparticles in subwavelength regions by engineering acoustic fields using acoustic metamaterials in microfluidic devices for cell sorting and drug delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For systems that require complete metallic enclosures (e.g., containment buildings for nuclear reactors), it is impossible to access interior sensors and equipment using standard electromagnetic techniques. A viable way to communicate and supply power through metallic barriers is the use of elastic waves and ultrasonic transducers, introducing several design challenges that must be addressed. Specifically, the use of multiple communication channels on the same enclosure introduces an additional mechanism for signal crosstalk between channels: guided waves propagating in the barrier between channels. This work numerically and experimentally investigates a machined phononic crystal to block MHz Lamb wave propagation between ultrasonic communication channels, greatly reducing wave propagation and the resulting crosstalk voltage. Blind grooves are machined into one or both sides of a metallic barrier to introduce a periodic unit cell, greatly altering the guided wave dispersion in the barrier. Numerical simulations are used to determine a set of groove geometries for testing, and experiments were performed to characterize the wave-blocking performance of each design. The best-performing design was tested using piezoelectric transducers bonded to the barrier, showing a 14.4 dB reduction in crosstalk voltage. The proposed periodic grooving method is a promising technique for completely isolating ultrasonic power/data transfer systems operating in a narrow frequency range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents the laterally vibrating Lamb wave resonators (LVRs) based on a 30% aluminum scandium nitride (Al0.7Sc0.3N) thin film with three interdigited transducer pairs operating in the S0 mode. In order to reduce the anchor loss, perfect matched layer-based finite element analysis simulations are utilized to design and optimize the device. Thanks to the high quality AlScN using magnetron sputtering with a single alloy target, vertical etching profile, and designed device structure, 1-μm-thick Al0.7Sc0.3N-based LVRs with high performance are fabricated. The resonator equivalent electric parameters are extracted utilizing the modified Butterworth–Van Dyke model. The best Al0.7Sc0.3N LVR achieves an electromechanical coupling coefficient (kt2) of 9.7% and a loaded quality factor (Qr) of 1141.5 operating at approximately 305 MHz. The same resonator shows a motional quality factor (Qm) of 1507.2, resulting in a high figure-of-merit (FoM = kt2 · Qm) of 146.2. A 1.8 MHz tuning range is measured for an Al0.7Sc0.3N LVR by applying DC voltage in the range of −40 to 40 V due to the ferroelectric property of high Sc doping in Al0.7Sc0.3N. With the high FoM, Qr, Qm, and low motional resistance (Rm), the Al0.7Sc0.3N-based LVRs show strong potential in applications of radio frequency communications and piezoelectric transducers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metamaterials, together with transformation optics, have been exploited to study the effects of curved spacetime predicted by Einstein's general theory of relativity in the laboratory. However, the stringent requirements in metamaterial fabrications and the narrow operating frequency make their realistic implementations challenging. In this work, we propose and demonstrate experimentally a paradigm to mimic the gravitational lensing effect using flexural waves in an elastic plate without using metamaterials. The needed refractive index field is fulfilled just by slightly varying the local thickness of plates. The generated focusing effect has a broad band from 5 to 100 kHz and shows robustness against changes on structural shapes and thicknesses of the lens. This work provides insight to study nontrivial gravitational phenomena analogically using conventional solid structures and may suggest a possible route to regulate elastic waves arbitrarily. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contactless manipulation of microparticles and cells by using acoustic forces is important in many applications. However, multi-band acoustophoresis has been rarely investigated in the literature. In this Letter, we propose a microscale acoustofluidic system that has multiple orders of available Lamb modes for the acoustic trapping of microparticles at various frequencies. In our device, standing Lamb waves (SLWs) of specific orders can be selectively excited in a 300-μm-thick piezoelectric lithium-niobate (LiNbO3) crystal plate by a pair of interdigitated transducers (IDTs) at the corresponding frequency. We demonstrate the acoustophoretic trapping and patterning of 7-μm particles in a single acoustofluidic device with multiple available actuating frequencies. The approach to the proposed design and the working mechanisms are explained by using thin plate and a full-wave models that solve the dispersion relations and coupling fields of the piezoelectric SLW acoustofluidic system, respectively. Furthermore, we experimentally show that the stable and tight trapping of particles in the chamber can be achieved independently along two mutually orthogonal directions. This provides the essential ground for planar manipulations of microparticles and cells based on the proposed device. The results here can trigger more innovative designs and applications of acoustofluidic devices for microparticle manipulation and microfluidic mixing, with multi-frequency channels and a wide span of different actuating frequencies in one system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this Letter, we explore a non-degenerate phase independent parametric quality factor (Q)-enhancement technique for aluminum nitride (AlN) Lamb wave resonators. Unlike other active Q-enhancement techniques which require precise phase control of the electronic feedback loop, this technique is implemented by parametrically pumping AlN material stiffness to realize a negative resistance seen at the signal path. The negative resistance is dependent on the nonlinear material modulation and multi-resonance coupling in the device. A nonlinear circuit model is developed to simulate the parametric coupling of each resonance and extract the nonlinearity of AlN from experimental data. With proper pump frequency and pump power, the device quality factor is boosted in both simulation and experiment. The demonstrated Q-enhancement method is simple to implement and can be applied to other types of resonators that have nonlinear behavior and support multi-resonance operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aluminum scandium nitride (Al1−xScxN/AlScN) (x = 0.32) Lamb wave resonators (LWR) have been fabricated and tested to demonstrate electromechanical coupling coefficients (kt2) in excess of 10%. The resonators exhibited an average kt2 and unloaded quality factor (Qu) of 10.28% and 711, respectively, when calculated from the measured data. Applying the Butterworth Van-Dyke (BVD) model to the measured data enabled the extraction of the resonator's lumped element parameters to calculate the motional quality factor (Qm), which neglects the contributions of the electrical traces. For the best measured resonator response, results from the BVD model showed a Qm of 1184 and a resulting figure-of-merit (FOM = K2 · Qm) of 100. Comparing the response of similar AlScN and AlN resonators shows that the AlScN LWR has a significantly lower motional resistance (Rm), suggesting that AlScN has a strong potential for use in piezoelectric microelectromechanical oscillators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flexible acoustic wave devices (FAWDs) have been explored in various applications where bending is inevitable. However, theoretical investigations of bending behavior of FAWDs hitherto are mostly done in the linear deformation regime. Herein, we develop a multi-sublayer model based on a stiffness matrix method for analysis of frequency shifts of surface acoustic waves and Lamb waves under elasto-plastic deformations. Using this model, we calculate the frequency shifts for the cases of both an elastic bending and an elasto-plastic bending. Experimental frequency shifts of ZnO/Al flexible devices show good agreement with the theoretical results in the elastic bending tests (with a relative error of strain sensitivity < 3%) and also show relatively good agreement with the qualitative theoretical predictions in the nonlinearly elasto-plastic bending. For three successive bending and recovery processes, the experimentally obtained frequency shifts show good repeatability in the elastic and elasto-plastic bending, demonstrating maximum relative errors of strain sensitivities less than 6.1% and 18.2%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A surface acoustic wave (SAW)-driven acoustofluidic chip of high energy efficiency is proposed through model analysis. The chip supports propagation of Lamb waves in the lid above a fluid-filled channel. Eigenmode resonance in the on-chip channel is then achieved by coupling both the SAWs and the Lamb waves into the fluid. Specifically, the phase velocity of the Lamb mode equals the SAW speed along the substrate, and the leaky angles of both match that required by the expected channel mode. Compared to resonant SAW acoustofluidics (RSA), Lamb wave coupled RSA can make the energy tripled or higher. Meanwhile, the obtained resonance frequency deviates very slightly from the designed value, limiting the error to 0.5, while RSA chips exhibit errors as high as 5.7. The proposed design protocol can help to promote the energy efficiencies and contain the in-channel temperature rise and resonance frequency deviations in SAW acoustofluidics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Manipulating the conversion phenomena among different wave modes is of great interest within the physics and engineering communities. In this Letter, a resonant elastic metamaterial is elaborately designed to achieve complete conversion from Lamb modes (A0 and S0) into the fundamental shear horizontal (SH0) mode. The key to achieving this interesting behavior resides in the design of a pillared perforated metamaterial, providing the strong coupling between the stub modes in shear resonant motion and the plate modes in the substrate medium. Both numerical modeling and experimental verification are conducted to validate the achievement of the mode conversion phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A laser ultrasonic method is proposed for the nondestructive evaluation (NDE) of structural adhesive bonding. Zero-group-velocity (ZGV) resonances were generated and detected in five trilayer assemblies composed of two asymmetric aluminum alloy plates bonded with an epoxy adhesive. Cohesive and adhesive defects were introduced to degrade the practical adhesion. The attenuation of the temporal signal of ZGV resonances was found to provide sufficient information to discriminate between strong and weak bonding. Two metrics characterizing the attenuation were identified, which allow us to quantitatively evaluate the differences between the manufactured samples. A 2D scan of a trilayer assembly with different bond defects demonstrates the imaging capability of this all-optical NDE method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The measurement and evaluation of nonlinear elastic properties represents a great interest in materials science and engineering. These measurements can be conducted using the internal resonance of higher harmonics generated with ultrasonic bulk, Rayleigh, and Lamb waves. However, these waves are spatially dispersive, making the evaluation very difficult. In this paper, we present the outcomes of an experimental study on the generation of higher harmonics with the fundamental mode of edge waves. This wave mode—an analog of the Rayleigh wave—propagates along the apex of an elastic plate, where the lateral plate surfaces naturally avoid spatial dispersion. In addition, this mode is weakly dispersive in the frequency domain enabling approximate internal resonance, which is required for the measurement of material nonlinearities. The current experimental results indicate that the second harmonic of the fundamental edge wave mode grows linearly with the propagation distance. The linear rate of accumulation of this harmonic can then be related to the nonlinear elastic properties as procured by previous theoretical studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A concept for the development of spectrum-clean S1 Lamb wave resonator (LWR) utilizing an aluminum nitride (AlN) plate with damped edge reflectors is demonstrated. Numerical analysis is performed on the dispersive characteristics of the Lamb modes propagating in AlN plates, and the design parameters to enable zero group velocity (vg) for the S1 mode are identified. The simulation results based on finite element analysis verify that the use of the damped edge reflectors, instead of the conventional edge reflectors, can efficiently de-couple most of the Lamb waves such as the S0 mode by mode conversion upon edges, but not the S1 mode characterizing zero vg. Specifically, the measured frequency response of a 1.38-GHz AlN S1 LWR with damped edge reflectors yields a clean spectrum up to 6 GHz and excellent resonance passband performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we have presented the dispersion curve of Lamb waves in an aluminum plate with a periodic rectangular corrugation experimentally. A mode selection method was applied to generate Lamb waves in the region of the corrugated periodic structure using a moving continuous wave laser, and the signal can be detected at any point in the excitation region. The relationship between the phase velocity and the frequency is observed. It is found that the intensity distribution of the dispersion curves in the experimental results is related to the slope of the dispersion curves as well as the selection of the detection point. Vibrations at a series of locations were detected, reflecting the change in energy that Lamb waves undergo in the process of propagation through the periodic structure, which is different from the existing method of single-point excitation and detection. The spatial distribution of the mode amplitude at the resonances points, in particular induced by the Bragg reflection, has been studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The generation of ultrasonic surface waves with a photoacoustic-laser-source has become useful for the noncontact nondestructive testing and evaluation (NDT&E) of materials and structures. In this work, a hybrid ultrasound based NDT&E method is proposed based on the photoacoustic-laser-source as a noncontact Lamb wave generator by incorporating a line-arrayed patterned candle soot nanoparticle-polydimethylsiloxane (CSNPs-PDMS) patch as the signal amplifier and with a narrow bandwidth. The CSNP-PDMS composite has been investigated as the functional patch for its laser energy absorption efficiency, fast thermal diffusion, and large thermoelastic expansion capabilities. The signal amplitude (in mW) from the CSNP-PDMS patch exhibits 2.3 times higher amplitude than the no patch condition and a narrower bandwidth than other conditions. Furthermore, improvement in the sensitivity is also achieved through the selection of the aluminum nitride sensing system. The overall combination of the Lamb wave generation and receiver-sensing system in this study is found to be very promising for a broad range of noncontact NDT&E applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a 429 MHz flexible Lamb wave resonator based on lithium niobate thin films with a high figure of merit (FoM) of 205, which is about 10 times higher than the FoM of the flexible resonator presented in our previous work. The measured corresponding quality factor (Q) and electromechanical coupling coefficient (Kt2) are 1268 and 16.2%, respectively. The resonant frequency, Q, and Kt2 of the flexible resonator show maximum changes of only 0.11%, 0.37%, and 0.31%, respectively, under a repeated mechanical bending condition up to 10 000 times at a bending radius of 3 mm. We also found that FlexMEMS technology we proposed not only endows Lamb wave resonators with mechanical flexibility but also improves FoM by ∼180% compared to their counterpart, conventional Lamb wave resonators on rigid silicon substrates. The flexible resonators with much improved FoM will find applications as low-power radio frequency key components in emerging applications, especially Internet of Things. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lamb wave microresonators with wavelengths λ of 5–8 μm, vibrating in the S0 mode, and having 75 electrode pairs were fabricated and characterized. The results were compared to theoretical predictions obtained by finite element simulation. The active material was a 1 μm-thick Al0.85Sc0.15N thin film. Two types of acoustic isolation solutions were implemented: the first one with freestanding plates fixed by two bridges to a device frame [freestanding Lamb wave resonator (FS-LWR)] and the second one containing an acoustic W/SiO2 5-layer reflector [solidly mounted Lamb wave resonator (SM-LWR)]. All devices showed excellent agreement with FEM predictions, regarding resonance frequency and piezoelectric coupling. The quality factors of the SM-LWR devices were 5–6 times larger than the ones of the freestanding structures fabricated by the same Al0.85Sc0.15N deposition process: we achieved a figure of merit of 12–18 (Qp = 771, Qs = 507, k2 = 2.29%) at an operation frequency of 1430 MHz, which is so far the best performance realized with a MEMS Lamb wave resonator having a large number of electrode fingers. This performance opens up perspectives for filter applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this letter, we demonstrate an uncooled, sensitivity-enhanced infrared (IR) detector based on a Lamb wave sensor coated with polydopamine (PDA). The real-time resonant frequency responses of the sensors with and without PDA coating were measured as functions of IR intensity. Compared to the traditional Lamb wave sensor, the PDA-coated Lamb sensor exhibits a highly linear relationship between resonance frequency and IR intensity, and the slope representing the sensitivity of IR detection is nearly one order of magnitude higher. The enhanced sensitivity is mainly attributed to the optical-thermal transition of PDA nanoparticles rather than the modulation of the thermal-acoustic effect. This mechanism for achieving highly sensitive uncooled IR detectors holds great promise for application in photo-thermal therapy along with other military and civilian fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nonlinear interaction of Lamb waves has attracted considerable attention because of its potential for localizing micro-damage in plate-like structures. Most recent studies have focused on the nonlinear mixing of Lamb waves propagating in the same direction, but this makes it difficult to determine the exact position of micro-damage because of the relatively large mixing zone. To overcome these shortcomings, we consider the nonlinear interaction of counter-propagating Lamb waves in this letter. An obvious resonance phenomenon is first observed in both experiments and simulations, which agrees well with our previous theoretical analysis [Li et al., J. Appl. Phys. 124, 044901 (2018)]. Also, analyzing the time-domain signal shows that the precision of damage localization is a function of the frequencies, the number of cycles, and the phase and group velocities of the primary waves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three-dimensional laser Doppler vibrometry is used to quantify the modal composition of the guided plate waves generated by relaxor ferroelectric disk actuators of a ⟨011⟩ poled Mn-Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O-lead zirconate titanate (PZT) single crystal and ⟨100⟩ poled piezoelectric PZT, bonded to an isotropic plate. Disk actuators are excited using a 5.5 cycle Hann-windowed voltage tone-burst at centre frequencies of 100, 200, and 300 kHz. Measured wave fields are processed using a two-dimensional fast Fourier transform to determine the radiation pattern of each contributing mode. For the same applied electric field strength, the single crystal actuators are shown to produce significantly larger wave amplitudes and one additional wave mode, the shear horizontal, as compared with PZT actuators. The wave-mode radiation patterns are shown to be anisotropic, suggesting that the classical theory describing guided-wave modal excitability may need to be revised for these materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this letter, we demonstrate a high-temperature dual-resonator Lamb wave tensile strain sensor which can achieve temperature compensation in a wide temperature range and has high strain sensitivities. This sensor consists of two identical AlN-on-SOI Lamb wave resonators (LWRs) adhered on a uniaxial tensile plate, with the wave propagating directions in the two LWRs parallel and perpendicular to the tensile axis, respectively. The most obvious higher-order Lamb wave modes, i.e., the A4, S4, and S5 modes, in the “parallel” LWR present high strain sensitivities of 0.229 ppm/με (196 Hz/με), 0.480 ppm/με (431 Hz/με), and 0.222 ppm/με (205 Hz/με) all with minus signs, whereas in the “perpendicular” LWR, they demonstrate smaller strain sensitivities all with plus signs. The S4 modes in the two LWRs have almost the same temperature coefficients. Based on the experimental results, a generally applicable beat frequency method with these two LWRs is proposed to realize temperature compensation as well as the high-sensitivity strain measurement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here, we demonstrate an uncooled, miniaturized, and high resolution infrared (IR) detector based on an aluminum nitride (AlN) film bulk acoustic resonator with dual resonant modes. Due to temperature dependence of the resonance frequency of the resonator and charge carrier generation effect of the AlN piezoelectric material, both the resonant frequency and valley value in reflection coefficient S11 are found responsive to IR irradiation at each resonant mode, thus realizing four IR sensing signal concurrence in a single device. The four sensing signals achieved IR responsivities of 3.32 Hz/nW, 561.21 μdB/nW, 43.17 Hz/nW, and 53.70 μdB/nW, respectively. The second sensing signal even realized a noise equivalent power down to 108 pW/Hz1/2, which is the lowest value among resonant infrared detectors reported in literature studies till now. More importantly, these four sensing signals lie in two separate frequency bands up to GHz, thus enabling the detector to operate normally by the frequency-hopping sensing method when one of the frequency bands suffers from strong electromagnetic interference. The presented device shows a great potential for ultra-sensitive and anti-interference infrared detection in civilian and military fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This letter reports designs of adaptive metasurfaces capable of modulating incoming wave fronts of elastic waves through electromechanical-tuning of their cells. The proposed elastic metasurfaces are composed of arrayed piezoelectric units with individually connected negative capacitance elements that are online tunable. By adjusting the negative capacitances properly, accurately formed, discontinuous phase profiles along the elastic metasurfaces can be achieved. Subsequently, anomalous refraction with various angles can be realized on the transmitted lowest asymmetric mode Lamb wave. Moreover, designs to facilitate planar focal lenses and source illusion devices can also be accomplished. The proposed flexible and versatile strategy to manipulate elastic waves has potential applications ranging from structural fault detection to vibration/noise control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the propagation of Lamb waves in a one-dimensional tunable phononic metastrip composed of a periodic sequence of hollow pillars that can be selectively filled with water. Band structures and transmission properties are computed numerically for metastrips with different fluid fillings by using the finite element method. Good agreement is observed with experimental results obtained with an aluminum metastrip. In particular, it is found that the frequency range of bandgaps and passbands can be controlled through fluid filling. Our results imply that Lamb waves in the solid metastrip can be harnessed through changing the properties of the pillars via fluid-solid interaction. The work in this paper is relevant to practical design of tunable acoustic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this letter, the efficient generation of tunable optical band gaps with the help of acousto-optic (AO) interactions in the deep subwavelength regime is proposed. The optical system consists of a thin dielectric slab and a metal surface separated by a nanoscale air gap. This structure allowed for the confinement of hybridized plasmonic-photonic gap modes, which are highly guided within the air gap. The enhanced AO interaction originated from the disturbance of the acoustic Lamb waves of the slab that can strongly boost the AO interface effect and scatter the optical fields. Therefore, wide optical band gaps and forbidden transmissions were observed in hybrid gap modes at telecommunication wavelengths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report wireless actuation of a Lamb wave micromechanical resonator from a distance of over 1 m with an efficiency of over 15%. Wireless actuation of conventional micromechanical resonators can have broad impact in a number of applications from wireless communication and implantable biomedical devices to distributed sensor networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nonlinear ultrasonic Lamb waves are popular to characterize the nonlinearity of materials. However, the widely used nonlinear Lamb mode suffers from two associated complications: inherent dispersive and multimode natures. To overcome these, the symmetric Lamb mode (S0) at low frequency region is explored. At the low frequency region, the S0 mode is little dispersive and easy to generate. However, the secondary mode still exists, and increases linearly for significant distance. Numerical simulations and experiments are used to validate the nonlinear features and therefore demonstrate an easy alternative for nonlinear Lamb wave applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This letter reports a spurious mode free GHz aluminum nitride (AlN) lamb wave resonator (LWR) towards high figure of merit (FOM). One dimensional gourd-shape phononic crystal (PnC) tether with large phononic bandgaps is employed to reduce the acoustic energy dissipation into the substrate. The periodic PnC tethers are based on a 1 μm-thick AlN layer with 0.26 μm-thick Mo layer on top. A clean spectrum over a wide frequency range is obtained from the measurement, which indicates a wide-band suppression of spurious modes. Experimental results demonstrate that the fabricated AlN LWR has an insertion loss of 5.2 dB and a loaded quality factor (Q) of 1893 at 1.02 GHz measured in air. An impressive ratio of the resistance at parallel resonance (Rp) to the resistance at series resonance (Rs) of 49.8 dB is obtained, which is an indication of high FOM for LWR. The high Rp to Rs ratio is one of the most important parameters to design a radio frequency filter with steep roll-off. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence of spurious peaks in the amplitude-frequency response of diamond based piezoelectric layered structure was shown. Excitation of such peaks results in deterioration of an useful acoustical signal. It was shown that such spurious peaks should be associated with Lamb waves in a layered structure. By means of FEM analysis, the propagation of acoustic waves of different types in the piezoelectric layered structure "Al/AlN/Mo/(100) diamond" has been investigated in detail. By analyzing the elastic displacement patterns at frequencies from 0 up to 250 MHz, a set of all the possible acoustic waves, especially Lamb modes, have been studied, and dispersive curves of phase velocity have been plotted. A revised classification of Lamb modes has been introduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Phononic Crystal (PC), constituted of a homogeneous piezoelectric plate covered by a 1D periodic arrangement of thin metallic electrodes on both surfaces, is studied. The application of Electric Boundary Conditions (EBCs) on the electrodes enables the propagation control of the ultrasonic guided waves in the PC. The band structure is investigated for different EBCs: the electrodes are either at a floating potential or they are alternately short-circuited and at a floating potential. In the latter case, a Bragg gap appears for the fundamental S0 guided Lamb mode. These results are verified experimentally and compared to finite element calculations. A physical interpretation is also given, relying on the symmetry of the electric potential fields associated with these guided modes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we explore an elastic metamaterial adjoining the frequency band of negative density and that of negative stiffness. If the band-adjoining occurs, a fully continuous widened stop band covering the entire ranges of the negative density and stiffness can form. The resulting stop band can be useful for various vibration applications such as vibration shielding. We show that the bandadjoining frequency is characterized by a standing wave with peculiar "unbalanced" motions. Experiments with the symmetric Lamb waves were conducted to validate the theoretical prediction and the effects of perturbed adjoining band on wave physics are also investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this letter, we demonstrate a technique to eliminate the spurious modes in aluminum nitride Lamb wave resonators (LWRs). The transverse acoustic wave characteristics are examined, and a resonance modulation theory on the regulation of mechanical boundary conditions is deducted. As examples of embodiments, vertical and lateral protrusion structures are proposed for the suppression. Finite element analysis verifies that the employment of these structures effectively restrains the transverse modes, and the measured electrical performance of the LWR with protrusions demonstrates an 11 dB reduction in the spurious response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrating nanoscale electromechanical transducers and nanophotonic devices potentially can enable acousto-optic devices to reach unprecedented high frequencies and modulation efficiency. Here, we demonstrate acousto-optic modulation of a photonic crystal nanocavity using Lamb waves with frequency up to 19 GHz, reaching the microwave K band. The devices are fabricated in suspended aluminum nitride membrane. Excitation of acoustic waves is achieved with interdigital transducers with period as small as 300 nm. Confining both acoustic wave and optical wave within the thickness of the membrane leads to improved acousto-optic modulation efficiency in these devices than that obtained in previous surface acoustic wave devices. Our system demonstrates a scalable optomechanical platform where strong acousto-optic coupling between cavity-confined photons and high frequency traveling phonons can be explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, characterization of megahertz Lamb waves in a silicon phononic crystal based asymmetry filter by laser Doppler vibrometer is demonstrated. The acoustic power from a piezoelectric substrate was transmitted into the silicon superstrate by fluid coupling method, and measured results show that the displacement amplitude of the acoustic wave in the superstrate was approximately one fifth of that in the piezoelectric substrate. Effect of the phononic bandgap on the propagation of Lamb wave in the silicon superstrate is also measured, and the result shows that the phononic crystal structure could reflect part of the acoustic waves back. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We demonstrated the generation of the intense radially polarized mid-infrared optical vortex at a wavelength of 10.6 µm by use of a passive axially symmetric zinc selenide (ZnSe) waveplate with high energy pulse throughput. The phase of the radially polarized optical vortex with the degree of polarization of 0.95 was spirally distributed in regard to the angle. The converted laser beam energy of about 2.6 mJ per pulse was obtained at the input pulse energy of 4.9 mJ, corresponding to the energy conversion efficiency of 56%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the design and characterization of a self-assembled, locally resonant acoustic metamaterial for Lamb waves, composed of a monolayer of 1.02 µm polystyrene microspheres adhered to a 1.27 µm thick free-standing silicon membrane. A laser-induced transient grating technique is used to generate Lamb waves in the metamaterial and to measure its acoustic response. The measurements reveal a microsphere contact resonance and the lowest frequency spheroidal microsphere resonance. The measured dispersion curves show hybridization of flexural Lamb waves with the microsphere contact resonance. We compare the measured dispersion with an analytical model using the contact resonance frequency as a single fitting parameter, and find that it well describes the observed hybridization. This study may lead to an improved understanding of microscale contact mechanics and to the design of new types of acoustic metamaterials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Guided acoustic waves are generated in nanopatterned silicon membranes with aluminum gratings by optical excitation with a femtosecond laser. The spatial modulation of the photoacoustic excitation leads to Lamb waves with wavelengths determined by the grating period. The excited Lamb waves are optically detected for different grating periods and at distances up to several µm between pump and probe spot. The measured frequencies are compared to the theoretical dispersion relation for Lamb waves in thin silicon membranes. Compared to surface acoustic waves in bulk silicon twice higher frequencies for Lamb waves (197 GHz with a 100 nm grating) are generated in a membrane at equal grating periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here, we investigate both numerically and experimentally, the polarization conversion capabilities of a rectangular array of holes with two unequal orthogonal periodicities. We show that it is possible to tune the periodicities in such a way that the transmitted light is circularly polarized for a nominated wavelength, λCPL, when the structure is illuminated with appropriately oriented linearly polarized light at normal incidence. A device was fabricated and experiments confirmed that a degree of circular polarization of 0.89 could be achieved at the resonant wavelength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this letter, we present super-resolution experiments from a single emission channel located in the far-field of an elastic metamaterial for Lamb waves. The experiment is performed in the kHz regime, with centimetric waves that are refocused numerically through cross-correlation computations. The originality of this approach lies in the direct link established between super-resolution results and the wavefield dispersion induced by a metamaterial made of long rods that are attached to a plate, and that behave as sub-wavelength resonators. We believe that such a clear origin of a far-field super-resolution experiment is of major interest for the design of a meta-lens for waves in plates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this letter, a Microelectromechanical system acoustic wave sensor, which has a dual mode (lateral field exited Lamb wave mode and surface acoustic wave (SAW) mode) behavior, is presented for precious pressure change read out. Comb-like interdigital structured electrodes on top of piezoelectric material aluminium nitride (AlN) are used to generate the wave modes. The sensor membrane consists of single crystalline silicon formed by backside-etching of the bulk material of a silicon on insulator wafer having variable device thickness layer (5 μm–50 μm). With this principle, a pressure sensor has been fabricated and mounted on a pressure test package with pressure applied to the backside of the membrane within a range of 0 psi to 300 psi. The temperature coefficient of frequency was experimentally measured in the temperature range of −50 °C to 300 °C. This idea demonstrates a piezoelectric based sensor having two modes SAW/Lamb wave for direct physical parameter—pressure readout and temperature cancellation which can operate in harsh environment such as oil and gas exploration, automobile and aeronautic applications using the dual mode behavior of the sensor and differential readout at the same time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]