Design of frequency-output resonant piezoelectric sensors

This paper presents some issues governing the design of piezoelectric resonant sensors with frequency output. The first considered topic is the methodology of design of resonant sensors, exemplified by the case study of miniature temperature sensors. The second topic consists in the analysis of the current trends now observed in the race to achieve a very high degree of miniaturization for inertial acoustics sensors. Although currently available sensors of this type mostly rely on low frequency flexural vibrations, strip resonators micromachined in III-V piezoelectric semi conductors multilayer substrates may take over a significant role for such application in the near future since they could bring the precision level characterizing essentially thickness shear resonators into monolithic sensors systems built upon completely integrated piezoelectric oscillators