Patent · US Expired

Surface acoustic wave systems and methods

US4620167A · kind A · utility

5Cited by
4References
11Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMay 9, 1985
Grant dateOct 28, 1986
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 9, 2005

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01R23/17
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

Dynamic variation of the functional properties of a surface acoustic wave (SAW) device is achieved by using photoconductive material on a wave propagating substrate and illuminating the material with changing light patterns. Photoconductive materials, such as lead sulfide or cadmium sulfide, are used that are essentially dielectrics and have substantially no effect on SAW propagation when not illuminated, but under suitable levels of illumination become resistive and interact with the electric fields of the waves to dissipate energy as heat. Scanning control of the areas of illumination may be used to attenuate sidelobes and scattering in a wideband system, while intensity variations may be used to amplitude modulate the waves.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.