Surface Acoustic Wave Devices for Communications

Abstract

Many surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices are now sufficiently well-developed that they can have a significant impact on systems design. This paper reviews the properties and limitations of SAW devices which seem particularly well suited to communications. The simple bandpass filter is considered in detail as it will undoubtedly see the widest usage of all SAW devices. The application of SAW analog matched filters in phase-shift-keyed synchronization and data demodulation is also discussed. Finally, SAW resonators and oscillators are briefly considered. A number of examples are included which show how system performance can be improved through use of SAW technology.