Piezoelectric temperature acoustic sensor of LiNbO3 crystal fibers operating at radio frequencies

Abstract

This study focuses on the growth and characterization of crystalline LiNbO₃ (LN) piezoelectric fibers pulled by the Laser Heated Pedestal Growth (LHPG) technique. The electrical properties of the fibers were investigated using an impedance analyzer, which yielded values for resonance frequency, anti-resonance frequency, and phase angle. Subsequently, elastic constants and coupling factor were determined through calculations based on thickness resonance modes. The accuracy of the resonance method was validated through numerical simulations utilizing COMSOL software, demonstrating a close agreement between experimental and simulated results. Additionally, a temperature sensing was conducted, subjecting the fibers to a wide temperature range from 30 °C to 236 °C to assess their sensitivity to temperature variations. The coupling factors of K = 0.37 for LN-1 and K = 0.35 for LN-2 demonstrated efficient performance of the crystalline fibers. Furthermore, the numerical simulations exhibited strong correlation between simulated and experimental data. The sensitivity analysis revealed the potential of LN fibers for temperature sensor applications, exhibiting a sensitivity of −87 Hz.°C⁻¹. These findings underscore the promise of LN piezoelectric fibers in advanced sensing technologies.