Magnetic Field Sensor Based on Magnetic Torque Effect and Surface Acoustic Wave With Enhanced Sensitivity

A magnetic field sensor consisting of a surface acoustic wave (SAW) generator and a cantilever beam with NdFeB permanent magnets are developed. The working principle of this magnetic sensor relies on the center frequency shift of the SAW device under the magnetic field as a consequence of the torque-effect-induced deformation of the cantilever, which changes the stress on the piezoelectric LiNbO
₃
and the spacing between the interdigital transducers (IDTs). Compared with other magnetic sensors based on acoustic resonance, the performance of our proposed sensor is greatly enhanced due to the structural design by incorporating the magnetic torque effect. High sensitivity of 1277.69 kHz/Oe and a large percentage change in frequency of 5.177% are achieved in this magnetic sensor near a resonant frequency of 848 MHz. The proposed magnetic sensor based on SAW and torque effect exhibits great potential for applications in magnetic field detection.