Wireless passive radiation sensor
| DWPI Title: Wireless passive radiation sensor for remotely detecting radiation using wireless transceiver, has radiation-sensitive film electrically connected to reflection interdigital transducer that changes impedance when exposed to radiation |
| Abstract: A novel measurement technique is employed using surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices, passive RF, and radiation-sensitive films to provide a wireless passive radiation sensor that requires no batteries, outside wiring, or regular maintenance. The sensor is small (<1 cm2), physically robust, and will operate unattended for decades. In addition, the sensor can be insensitive to measurement position and read distance due to a novel self-referencing technique eliminating the need to measure absolute responses that are dependent on RF transmitter location and power. |
| Use: Wireless passive radiation sensor for remotely detecting radiation using a wireless transceiver. |
| Advantage: The sensor can remotely detect radiation using a portable and inexpensive transceiver in an effective manner, and is small in size, and has simple design and physically robust, and can be insensitive to measurement position and read distance due to a self-referencing technique eliminating the need to measure absolute responses that are dependent on RF transmitter location and power, and do not require batteries that add unacceptable mass and maintenance to a structure or wires to retrieve data, thus enabling remote sensing. The resonance frequency and delay time of the sensor is different, and can be pre-positioned for radiation detection, where variation of a surface acoustic wave (SAW) characteristic delay and center frequency allow manufacturing of the sensor to be inexpensive, and robust. The interdigital transducer is connected to vias formed in the substrate through to a bottom part of the sensor to make electrical connection to the radiation film, where a passivation layer can be placed between the radiation film and the substrate to prevent contamination of the radiation film by materials of the substrate, and the sensor can be placed in the radiation environment and periodically queried to determine radiation dose by an external reader. |
| Novelty: The sensor (10) has a launch interdigital transducer (11) for launching surface acoustic wave (15) at resonance frequency in a piezoelectric substrate (13) when radio frequency (RF) electric field is applied across the transducer. A sensor interdigital transducer (12) partially reflects the launched wave back to the launch interdigital transducer. A radiation-sensitive film (17) is electrically connected to the reflection interdigital transducer that changes impedance when exposed to radiation, where amplitude of reflected wave (16) is sensitive to impedance change of the film. |
| Filed: 7/2/2012 |
| Application Number: US13540465A |
| Tech ID: SD 11151.1 |
| This invention was made with Government support under Contract No. DE-NA0003525 awarded by the United States Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration. The Government has certain rights in the invention. |
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