SAW Technology

• Surface acoustic waves (SAWs), also known as Rayleigh waves, are sound waves that travel parallel to the surface of an elastic material, with the displacement amplitude that decays exponentially with depth into the material.
• Described as nanoscale “earthquakes” on a chip, the mechanical waves are confined to a solid interface.
• To generate a SAW, metal is put on the surface of a piezoelectric substrate and a voltage is applied. The waves that flow exist at a small-length scales and can be used for a wide range of signal processing and sensing applications due to their small size and low cost.

• SAW is a very versatile technology and can be applied in a myriad of applications, including wireless network systems, touch sensors for mobile phones, radar and navigational systems, photonics for telecommunications, and quantum for electrons. SAW Oscillators generate radio signals in cell phones.
• SAWs are commonly used in electronic circuit devices. Such SAW devices come in the form of filters, oscillators, and transformers. These devices are based on the transduction of acoustic waves.

SAW Oscillators

Surface Acoustic Wave Oscillators are specialty microcircuits that process analog signals that occur in radar, communications, electronic warfare, and other defense/space situations. SAW Oscillators are different from other oscillator types in that they use acoustic waves on a material's surface for signal processing. A SAW Oscillator contains an input transducer that converts electric signals into acoustic waves and an output transducer that reconverts these waves into electrical signals. Surface Acoustic Waves travel through a piezoelectric substrate between the input and output transducers, which lends SAW Oscillators great flexibility to achieve wide ranges of signal processing functions.

SAW Filters

SAW filters offer reduced size, weight and cost compared to other filter technologies. One can use SAW filter solutions for narrowband, GPS band applications, standard IF and, standard RF bands. SAW Filters come in semi-standard and custom designs to suit different end-users' needs.

SAW Delay Lines

A SAW Delay Line is the basic element of a SAW sensor. Various kinds of piezoelectric substrates such as quartz, lithium tantalate, and lithium niobate are used to make the lines. SAW Delay Lines come in different packaging options such as ceramic leadless chip carriers, which provide small size and weight, and platform packages, which are suited for harsh applications.