Lateral field excitation (LFE) of a thin film bulk acoustic resonator (FBAR) is an ideal platform for biomedical sensors. A thickness shear mode (TSM) acoustic wave in a piezoelectric thin film is desirable for probing liquid samples because of the poor coupling of shear waves into the liquid. The resonator becomes an effective sensor by coating the surface with a bio- or chemi-specific layer. Perturbations of the surface can be detected by monitoring the resonance condition. Furthermore, FBARs can be easily fabricated to operate at higher frequencies, yielding greater sensitivity. An array of sensors offers the possibility of redundancy, allowing for statistical decision making as well as immediate corroboration of results. Array structures also offer the possibility of signature detection, by monitoring multiple targets in a sample simultaneously. This technology has immediate application to cancer and infectious disease diagnostics and also could serve as a tool for general proteomic research.