Design and experimental studies of Gallium Arsenide bulk acoustic wave transducer under lateral field excitation

We have decided to develop high sensitive piezoelectric sensors in Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) for biological detection in liquid environment. The lateral field excitation is used to generate bulk acoustic waves through GaAs(001) membranes. This crystallographic plane is used to obtain the highest coupling coefficient. Gallium Arsenide presents interesting alternative to quartz crystal concerning resonant biosensors thanks to its piezoelectric, acoustic properties, and its common micro-fabrication processes. This study opens up new opportunities to fabricate high sensitive sensors using low cost microfabrication processes.