The invention relates to a SAW resonator (100) comprising at least: a substrate (102); a layer (108) of piezoelectric material arranged on the substrate; a first attenuation layer (112) arranged between the substrate and the layer of piezoelectric material, and/or, when the substrate comprises at least two different layers (104, 106), a second attenuation layer (114) arranged between the two layers of the substrate; and in which the at least one attenuation layer is/are heterogeneous.

An acoustic wave element which can be reduced in size and produced relatively easily, practically used without using harmful substances, and can suppress a surface acoustic wave propagation loss, which has an excellent temperature coefficient of frequency and a velocity dispersion characteristic, and with which an increase in the reflection coefficient of interdigital transducers can be suppressed, and a method for manufacturing the acoustic wave element are provided. The acoustic wave element includes a pair of electrodes provided on both surfaces of a piezoelectric substrate, and a dielectric film provided on a first surface of the piezoelectric substrate so as to cover the electrode. The acoustic wave element alternatively includes interdigital transducers provided on a first surface of the piezoelectric substrate, and a dielectric film provided on the interdigital transducers, a gap between the interdigital transducers, and/or a second surface of the piezoelectric substrate.

A surface acoustic wave (SAW) device comprises an interdigitated transducer structure and at least one acoustic wave reflective structure provided on or in an acoustic wave propagating substrate. The interdigitated transducer structure comprises a first material and the at least one acoustic wave reflective structure comprises a second material different from the first material and/or the acoustic wave reflective structure and the interdigitated transducer structure have different geometrical parameters. A sensor comprises a SAW device as described herein, and a method is used for manufacturing a SAW device comprising at least one acoustic wave reflective structure.

An apparatus and method for real-time sensing of properties in industrial manufacturing equipment are described. The sensing system includes first plural sensors mounted within a processing environment of a semiconductor device manufacturing system, wherein each sensor is assigned to a different region to monitor a physical or chemical property of the assigned region of the manufacturing system, and a reader system having componentry configured to simultaneously and wirelessly interrogate the plural sensors. The reader system uses a single high frequency interrogation sequence that includes (1) transmitting a first request pulse signal to the first plural sensors, the first request pulse signal being associated with a first frequency band, and (2) receiving uniquely identifiable response signals from the first plural sensors that provide real-time monitoring of variations in the physical or chemical property at each assigned region of the system.

An apparatus and method for real-time sensing of properties in industrial manufacturing equipment are described. The sensing system includes first plural sensors mounted within a processing environment of a semiconductor device manufacturing system, wherein each sensor is assigned to a different region to monitor a physical or chemical property of the assigned region of the manufacturing system, and a reader system having componentry configured to simultaneously and wirelessly interrogate the plural sensors. The reader system uses a single high frequency interrogation sequence that includes (1) transmitting a first request pulse signal to the first plural sensors, the first request pulse signal being associated with a first frequency band, and (2) receiving uniquely identifiable response signals from the first plural sensors that provide real-time monitoring of variations in the physical or chemical property at each assigned region of the system.

A surface elastic wave resonator comprises a piezoelectric material to propagate the surface elastic waves and a transducer inserted between a pair of reflectors comprising combs of interdigitated electrodes and having a number Nc of electrodes connected to a hot spot and an acoustic aperture W wherein the relative permittivity of the piezoelectric material is greater than about 15, a product of Nc.Math.W/fa for the transducer being greater than 100 m.Math.MHz.sup.1, where fa is the antiresonance frequency of the resonator. A circuit comprises a load impedance and a resonator according to the invention and having an electrical response manifesting as a peak in the coefficient of reflection S.sub.11 at a frequency of a minimum value of the parameter S.sub.11 that is lower than 10 dB, the antiresonance peak of the resonator being matched to the impedance of the load.

The invention relates to a SAW resonator (100) comprising at least: a substrate (102); a layer (108) of piezoelectric material arranged on the substrate; a first attenuation layer (112) arranged between the substrate and the layer of piezoelectric material, and/or, when the substrate comprises at least two different layers (104, 106), a second attenuation layer (114) arranged between the two layers of the substrate; and in which the at least one attenuation layer is/are heterogeneous.

An acoustic wave element which can be reduced in size and produced relatively easily, practically used without using harmful substances, and can suppress a surface acoustic wave propagation loss, which has an excellent temperature coefficient of frequency and a velocity dispersion characteristic, and with which an increase in the reflection coefficient of interdigital transducers can be suppressed, and a method for manufacturing the acoustic wave element are provided. The acoustic wave element includes a pair of electrodes provided on both surfaces of a piezoelectric substrate, and a dielectric film provided on a first surface of the piezoelectric substrate so as to cover the electrode. The acoustic wave element alternatively includes interdigital transducers provided on a first surface of the piezoelectric substrate, and a dielectric film provided on the interdigital transducers, a gap between the interdigital transducers, and/or a second surface of the piezoelectric substrate.

A surface elastic wave device comprises a stack including: a thin film made of a piezoelectric first material; a substrate made from a second material; and exciting means for generating at least one surface acoustic wave propagation mode in the piezoelectric film; wherein: the first material is a single-crystal material and the second material is a crystalline material, the thickness of the thin film of piezoelectric first material being smaller than or equal to 20 m, and the first material and the second material having viscoelastic coefficients lower than or equal to those of quartz for the propagation mode induced by the exciting means.

An apparatus and method for real-time sensing of properties in industrial manufacturing equipment are described. The sensing system includes first plural sensors mounted within a processing environment of a semiconductor device manufacturing system, wherein each sensor is assigned to a different region to monitor a physical or chemical property of the assigned region of the manufacturing system, and a reader system having componentry configured to simultaneously and wirelessly interrogate the plural sensors. The reader system uses a single high frequency interrogation sequence that includes (1) transmitting a first request pulse signal to the first plural sensors, the first request pulse signal being associated with a first frequency band, and (2) receiving uniquely identifiable response signals from the first plural sensors that provide real-time monitoring of variations in the physical or chemical property at each assigned region of the system.