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Composite superlattice radio-frequency surface-acoustic-wave devices

Farrukh Najmi1,2,*, Howard Yawit1,2, Wataru Takeda1,2, Abhirup Basu1,2, Samarjith Biswas1,2, Zafer Mutlu1,2,3,4, Pierre Lucas1,2, Krishna Muralidharan1,2, Andrea Alù2,5,6 et al.

Keith Runge1,2 and Pierre A. Deymier1,2

  • *Contact author: farrukhnajmi@arizona.edu
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Phys. Rev. Applied 25, 054035 – Published 13 May, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/p8q7-r6ck

Abstract

This paper is a contribution to the Physical Review Applied collection titled Phononics and Metamaterials.

Consumer demand for next-generation telecommunication devices with increasing performance and miniaturization imposes strong constraints on radio-frequency (RF) surface-acoustic-wave (SAW) devices, such as low cost, low insertion loss, and a small footprint. We use comsol multiphysics to investigate the properties of realistic RF SAW devices with a thin film located along the delay line between the source and detector interdigitated transducers on a 128° Y-cut lithium niobate (LN) substrate. In these simulations, a chalcogenide phase-change material, germanium antimony telluride, is chosen for the thin film material that could be converted to desired superlattices (SLs) constituted of crystalline and amorphous segments. Two types of SL configuration, with crystalline to amorphous segment ratios of 1:1 and 1:2, are investigated, and corresponding frequency responses are discussed. The primary outcome of this work is the demonstration of a SL RF duplexer and a topological acoustic narrow-band resonator in a SAW device that otherwise acts as a broadband filter. This work shows that a SL with thickness amounting to one tenth of the wavelength of the SAW can drastically affect the transmission of the composite device through mode hybridization between Bloch waves in the SL and the SAW in the LN substrate.

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This article appears in the following collection:

Phononics and Metamaterials

Physical Review Applied is pleased to present a Collection on Phononics and Metamaterials, in which diverse developments in research on sound waves are gathered to offer a comprehensive view of both the state of the art and the challenges ahead. The Collection is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Sarah Benchabane (1980–2024), honoring her outstanding contributions to phononics and wave physics. Contributions to this Collection will be published beginning in 2025 and continuing into 2026. This Collection is being curated by Guest Editors Muamer Kadic, Daniel Torrent, and Abdelkrim Khelif.

Article Text

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Phys. Rev. Applied 25, 054035– Published 13 May, 2026
  • Received 14 November 2025
  • Revised 24 February 2026
  • Accepted 8 April 2026
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