Surface acoustic wave (saw) based temperature sensing for electrical conductor

A method of sensing a temperature of an electrical conductor enclosed in at least a (semi)conductive layer, the method comprising:

• providing a surface acoustic wave (SAW) temperature sensor, the SAW temperature sensor including a substrate having a major surface, a transducer disposed on the major surface of the substrate, and one or more antennas electrically connected to the transducer, the one or more antennas being configured to receive or send an electromagnetic signal, and the transducer being configured to conduct conversion between the electromagnetic signal and a SAW signal that propagates on the major surface of the substrate;
• disposing at least a portion of the substrate to be in thermal contact with the electrical conductor, the SAW signal being variable with the temperature of the electrical conductor;
• providing a transceiver unit configured to be in electromagnetic communication with the one or more antennas of the SAW temperature sensor;
• detecting, via the electromagnetic communication between the transceiver unit and the one or more antennas, the SAW signal that is variable with the temperature of the electrical conductor;
• and
• determining the temperature of the electrical transmission line based on the detected SAW signal.