In this paper, we review the utilization of surface acoustic waves in biosensing applications. A brief background on the theoretical aspects and on the modeling principles for acoustic wave propagation in a liquid medium is provided first. Subsequently, different types of surface acoustic waves (SAWs) generated on piezoelectric substrates are discussed, with the basics of wave formation, operation principles, and material considerations. Several advancements in SAW biosensor design that have been developed to achieve enhanced sensor functionality are also presented. We have overviewed different sensing capabilities of SAW devices in different biosensing applications, such as the detection and manipulation of cells, and the quantification on proteins, vapor molecules and DNA hybridizations. The challenge of biofouling, which can affect the sensitivity and specificity of bioassays, is addressed in detail. Several techniques used to reduce biofouling are discussed including one based on acoustic streaming using Rayleigh SAWs. With their ability to mitigate sensor signal interference due to biofouling, and reduce incubation times using acoustic streaming, and combined with their high sensitivity, SAWs can be used as cost-effective platforms for various point of need (PON) based biosensing applications.

在本文中，我们回顾了表面声波在生物传感应用中的利用。首先简要介绍了声波在液体介质中传播的理论方面和建模原理。随后，讨论了在压电基板上产生的不同类型的表面声波（SAW），其中包括波形形成的基本原理，工作原理和材料方面的考虑。还介绍了声表面波生物传感器设计中已取得的一些进步，以实现增强的传感器功能。我们已经概述了SAW设备在不同生物传感应用中的不同传感功能，例如细胞的检测和操纵以及蛋白质，蒸气分子和DNA杂交的定量。生物污染的挑战，会影响生物测定的敏感性和特异性的详细信息。讨论了用于减少生物结垢的几种技术，其中包括一种基于使用瑞利声表面波的声流技术。由于具有减轻生物污染引起的传感器信号干扰的能力，并利用声流减少了孵育时间，并且结合了其高灵敏度，SAW可以用作基于各种需求点（PON）的生物传感应用的经济高效平台。