Tiny ‘earthquake-on-a-chip’ phonon laser aims to shrink smartphone wireless hardware
Researchers in Boulder have demonstrated an electrically driven “phonon laser” on a chip, generating surface acoustic waves at 1 GHz with 0.25 milliwatts output. The device, made from silicon, lithium niobate, and indium gallium arsenide, could shrink radio components in smartphones. Scaling to higher frequencies and mass production remain unresolved.