Hybrid delay line sensors

Thick film sensors have been shown to offer many advantages in terms of their low-cost and robust nature. In the past, the sensors have been made from commercially available inks. Special-purpose sensing pastes, such as those based on piezoceramics, are even more promising. One application of a piezoelectric paste is described here. It is based on an acoustic wave delay line sensor. Owing to the lack of published work in the area of thick-film acoustic wave sensors, a fundamental investigation of the performance was necessary. This paper presents some of the findings.