Behavior and Current Performances of SAW and BAW Oscillators

Presented are the theory of operation and experimental operating results for two new types of acoustic-wave oscillators, one incorporating a surface acoustic-wave (SAW) delay line and the other a bulk acoustic-wave (BAW) delay line. SAW oscillators have been made that operate at up to 500 MHz, whereas the BAW types can operate at up to several GHz. Both kinds can deliver up to 20 dBm of output power and feature short-term frequency stability of a few times 10^-9 and temperature-change stability on the order of 10^-6 over the usual ambient-temperature range. Extreme compactness is another desirable characteristic of these oscillators, especially the SAW types, which are of planar construction.