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. 2023 Jan 23;13(3):465.
doi: 10.3390/nano13030465.

Finite Element Analysis Model of Electronic Skin Based on Surface Acoustic Wave Sensor

Chunxiao Jiao  1 , Chengkai Wang  1 , Meng Wang  1 , Jinghong Pan  1 , Chao Gao  2 , Qi Wang  1
Affiliations

Finite Element Analysis Model of Electronic Skin Based on Surface Acoustic Wave Sensor

Chunxiao Jiao et al. Nanomaterials (Basel). .

Abstract

In recent years, with the rapid development of flexible electronic devices, researchers have a great interest in the research of electronic skin (e-skin). Traditional e-skin, which is made of rigid integrated circuit chips, not only limits the overall flexibility, but also consumes a lot of power and poses certain security risks to the human body. In this paper, a wireless passive e-skin is designed based on the surface acoustic wave sensor (SAWS) of lithium niobate piezoelectric film. The e-skin has the advantages of small size, high precision, low power consumption, and good flexibility. With the multi-sensing function of stress, temperature, and sweat ion concentration, etc., the newly designed e-skin is a sensor platform for a wide range of external stimuli, and the measurement results can be directly presented in frequency. In order to explore the characteristic parameters and various application scenarios of the SAWS, finite element analysis is carried out using the simulation software; the relationship between the SAWS and various influencing factors is explored, and the related performance curve is obtained. These simulation results provide important reference and experimental guidance for the design and preparation of SAW e-skin.

Keywords: electronic skin; finite element simulation; surface acoustic wave sensor.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic diagram of the SAWS.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Simulation modeling process for SAWS. (a) Selection of periodic element for the two-dimensional model of SAWS; (b) two-dimensional finite element model construction and related parameters; (c) two-dimensional model of SAWS in finite element simulation; (d) potential distribution of SAW in simulation modeling.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Parameter characteristics of the SAWS. (a) The admittance curve of the SAWS under the initial condition (the figure shows the deformed shape of the SAW when it is excited); (b) the S11 parameter of the SAWS is expressed in decibels; (c) variation curve of electromechanical coupling coefficient with electrode thickness when gold, copper, and aluminum are used as electrodes; (d) Qm parameter curve of SAWS.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Noise immunity analysis of the SAWS. (a) The relation curve between the input voltage of electrode 1 and the resonant frequency of SAW; (b) the relation curve between the input voltage of electrode 2 and the resonant frequency of SAW.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Finite element stress simulation analysis of SAW. (a) Schematic diagram of stress applied on the model surface; (b) schematic diagram of finite element simulation stress; (c) comparison of admittance curves before and after stress application; (d) the relationship between stress and the resonant frequency of SAW.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Finite element temperature simulation analysis of SAW. (a) Stress diagram of finite element simulation model affected by temperature; (b) comparison of admittance curves before and after temperature change; (c) the relation curve between temperature and resonant frequency of SAW.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Sweat ion concentration measurement using SAWS. (a) Schematic diagram of extracting metal ions from sweat using microfluidic techniques and ion-selective membranes; (b) finite element simulation model for measuring sweat ion concentration using SAW; (c) the relationship between the resonant frequency of SAW and the thickness of ion accumulation.
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