Abstract:
Acoustic charge transport (ACT) devices are essentially charge coupled devices for which the potential propagating with a surface acoustic wave (SAW) in a piezoelectric semiconductor traps and transports charge. In this paper a physical description of device operation for which both acoustic and electronic attributes play a key role is given. Next, the various acoustic and electronic modeling tools that have been developed to aid in the design of ACT devices will be discussed. There have been several architectures which have been reported to date and the virtues of these approaches will be compared. There will be a discussion of some of the problems that have kept the technology from gaining widespread acceptance and some predictions of the areas of research which will be the most promising.