Surface Acoustic Wave filters are used in RF signal processing. They work by converting an electrical signal to a sound wave on the surface of a piezoelectric material, then using mechanical resonance effects to filter the signal to a very narrow band before converting it back to an electrical signal.
In this setup, they have figured out how to amplify the sound waves without having to convert them back to electrical signals first. The first prototype got hot, so they could only run it in pulses... the second device worked continuously, and delivered about a modest amount of power.
Eventually this technology will work its way down into all of our communications gear, making it even smaller, and more efficient.
In this setup, they have figured out how to amplify the sound waves without having to convert them back to electrical signals first. The first prototype got hot, so they could only run it in pulses... the second device worked continuously, and delivered about a modest amount of power.
Eventually this technology will work its way down into all of our communications gear, making it even smaller, and more efficient.