Topological Phononic Chip Platform. A, Illustration of integrated devices that use topologically protected sound waves, including a phonon pump, an edge-waveguide, and an intensity modulator. B, Top: Cross-section of the gan-on-sapphire waveguide, showing its width (w) and thickness (h). Bottom: Simulated vibration pattern of the main guided sound wave. C, Electron Microscope Image of the aluminum transducer used to generate 1.5 ghz phonons. D, photo of the fabricated topological phononic chip. E, Diagram of the Experimental Setup, Combining a Custom Optical Vibrometer with a Motorized Stage to Map How Sound Waves Travel in the Chip. Credit: xu et al.
Phononic circuits are emerging devices that can manipulate sound waves (Ie, phonons) in ways that reesmble How Electronic Circuits Control the Flow of Electrons. Instead of Relying on Wires, transistors and other common electronic components, these circuits are based on waveguides, topological edge structures and other components that can guide phansons.
Phononic Circuits are Opening New Possibilities for the Development of High-Speed Communication Systems, Quantum Information Systems and Various Other Technologies.
To be compatible with existing infrastructure, Including Current Microwave Communication Systems, And to Be Used To Develops Highly Performing Quantum Technologies, these Circutions ShOLDELLYY Operate at Gigahertz (GHz) Frequencies. This essentially means that the sound waves they generate and manipulate oscillate billions of time per second.
Researchers at University of Science and Technology of China, Penn State University and other institutes recently developed new compact phononic circuits that can reliably guide sound waves.
These new circuits, introduced in a paper published in Nature ElectronicsCould be used to create both quantum and classical devices that would advance communications, sensing and information processing.
“We We WEDEPIRED by the success of integrated photos and wanted to show that similar concepts count be applied to sound waves,” Mourad Oudich, Co-friend Outhor of the Paper, TOLD TECH XPLORORE.
“Our goal was to build tiny, chip-scale phononic circuits operating at ghz frequencies that are compact, Reconfigurable, and Robust enough for real-waiting applications.”
The circuits Introduced by these researchers are designed to confine acouses at ghz frequencies, guiding them through tiny waveguides on a chip. Notably, these wavelends sit directly on a Substrate, which would facilitate the circuits’ large-scale fabrication.
Illustration of the topological phononic waveguides. Credit: Prof. Changling zou.
“Our Phononic Circuits are made of Microscopic ‘Highways’ that guide sound instead of light,” explained OUDICH.
“By arranging these waveguides in special patterns, we create topological pathways where sound travels smoothly even ear around corners or defects. Than Traditional Acoustic Devices. “
To evaluate their phononic circuits, the resultars monitored the propagation of phonons inside them using a high -resolution scanning optical vibrometer. This is a device that can measure subtle vibrations on a surface, such as it is produced by the movement of phonons through the waveguides.
Oudich and his colleagues injected phonons into their circuits’ Edge Channels and Showed that they successfully traveled through the system with scattering. They also performed a so-called Mach-Zehnder Interferometer Test, which confirmed the reconfigurability of their phononic devices (Ie, their ability to rapidly alter alterly alter alter
“We Demonstrated, For the First Time, Topological Sound Transport and a Phononic Mach -Zehnder Interferometer Director Directly on a Chip at Gigahertz frequency,” Said Oldich.
“These advances could lead to new Acoustic Filters for Communications and even Help in Developing Phonon-Based Components for Future Quantum Technologies.”
The reconserfigurable devices developed by this team of Researchers BEN SOON BE Used to Fabricate a Wide Rage of Technologies, Including Quantum Processors, HIGH-PRANSION SENSSRES and New HybRitation Systems. Oudich and his colleagues are currently planning further research aimed at combining their circuits with existing electronics and components.
“We now aim to integrate the phononic circuits with electronic and photonic systems, Making them Useful for Hybrid Technologies,” Added Oudich.
“In the long run, we want to build a full ‘Phononic Toolbox’ for Advanced Information Processing and Sensing.”
Written for you by author Ingrid fadelliEdited by Sadie harleyAnd Fact-CHACKED and Reviewed by Robert egan—This article is the result of careful human work. We relay on readers like you to keep independent science counalism alive. If this reporting matters to you, please consider a donation (especially monthly). You’ll Get an ad-free Account as a Thank-You.
More information:
Xin-biao xu et al, gigahertz topological phononic circuits based on micrometre-scale unsuspended waveguide arrays, Nature Electronics (2025). Doi: 10.1038/s41928-025-01437-8,
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Citation: Compact Phononic Circuits Guide Sound at Gigahertz Frequencies for Chip-Scale Devices (2025, September 19) Retrieved 19 September 2025 from https://techxplore.com/news/2025-09-comact-sonic-circuits-giertz- frequencies.html
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