Smartphones have been rapidly shrinking in size, but a revolutionary discovery promises to push the boundaries even further.
Researchers at the University of Arizona Wyant College of Optical Sciences and Sandia National Laboratories have made a breakthrough with phononics that might allow smartphones to become as compact as a credit card.
This exciting development revolves around synthetic materials capable of manipulating phonons.
Phonons, similar to photons, transmit mechanical vibrations through materials at extremely high frequencies, acting like sound but imperceptible to the human ear.
Manipulating these vibrations paves the way for smaller, yet more powerful and energy-efficient wireless devices.
Currently, smartphones are constrained by materials mismatches that necessitate around 30 filters per device.
These filters convert radio waves to sound waves and back, which adds bulk and results in signal loss.
Matt Eichenfield, the study’s senior author, points out that this situation contributes to bulky phone designs.
The breakthrough comes from combining two unique materials: lithium niobate and indium gallium arsenide.
Lithium niobate is effective at converting electrical signals into sound waves, while indium gallium arsenide introduces giant nonlinearities in phonons.
By creating a specific environment with these materials, researchers managed to control phonons precisely in unprecedented ways.
This allows signal conversion on a single chip, reducing size and eliminating the need for the many bulky filters currently in use.
This phononic breakthrough also boasts increased energy efficiency, potentially extending the battery life of compact devices.
Additionally, the team has demonstrated the ability to manipulate phonons in ways that were once only possible with transistors.
This expands the possibilities for applications beyond smartphones, such as smaller medical sensors and ultra-efficient wireless networks for self-driving cars.
According to research team lead Lisa Hackett, the new nonlinearity regime achieved by this material combination means there is now a clear path forward to developing advanced tech for transmitting and receiving radio waves with unprecedented compactness.
Hackett emphasized the groundbreaking potential of these findings.
The future of wireless devices looks brighter and smaller as researchers continue to explore the applications of phononics.
With the ability to significantly shrink and enhance the efficiency of electronic devices, this technology promises a future where seamless integration of powerful wireless communication into everyday objects becomes a reality.