Acoustic device makes piezoelectrics sing to a different tune

In today's 'internet of things,' devices connect primarily over short ranges at high speeds, an environment in which surface acoustic wave devices have shown promise for years. To obtain faster speeds, however, SAW devices need to operate at higher frequencies, limiting output power and overall performance. Researchers have demonstrated a new device that can achieve frequencies six times higher than most current devices. Their results are published this week in Applied Physics Letters.