Technical trends and future evolution of surface acoustic wave devices

The pulse compression system for military use adopted a surface acoustic wave device as a dispersive delay line. The devices have been confirmed as essential electrical components after great success in TV-IF filters. Many applications, such as various filters and resonators for CB radios, FM radios, mobile radios, satellite broadcasting equipment in consumer electronics and telecommunications, have been widely developed for practical use. Multimedia, supported globally by fusion of computers, consumer electronics and telecommunication technology, is just beginning at present. The importance of surface acoustic wave devices is increasing as the components meet the needs of high-frequency, high-performance, more functional and down-sized equipment. This paper describes the progress schedule and the details of the FPLMTS (Future Public Land Mobile Telecommunication Systems) in Japan, and reviews the technical trends of the low-loss and the high-frequency surface acoustic wave devices, and then clarifies the demands in the systems for the devices.