Piezoelectric, especially bulk acoustic wave (BAW) and surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices can be turned into novel sensor and identification elements for measuring physical, chemical, and biological quantities such as temperature, pressure, torque, acceleration, flow, humidity etc. The advantages of such sensor elements are that, in most cases, they do not need a power supply and may be read out wirelessly. Major driving forces behind the development of acoustic sensor applications are the

more »

... rior temperature operability, e.g., when compared to CMOS-based solutions, and the option to operate such devices passively. BAW sensors are already in use for a variety of applications, while up to now SAW sensors are less commonly found. This Special Issue, stimulated by the "Workshop on Piezoelectric Resonators for Sensor Applications" which will be held in Villach, Austria in September 2003 (www.ctr.at), will report on the latest developments and trends in the field of acoustic sensor devices and their sensing applications.