Credit card-sized smartphones are new future

Even though the world is already in awe of how little cellphones are becoming, a new finding could further upend the wireless communication market as it will aid in the development of cellphones, smaller than credit cards.

The finding pertains to a novel category of artificial materials with phonon manipulation capabilities. In this scenario, sound-like high-frequency vibrations can be transmitted by particles called phonons, according to Interesting Engineering.

The Wyant College of Optical Sciences at the University of Arizona and Sandia National Laboratories share the credit for this discovery.

The researchers believe that this advancement in phononics will lead to the development of smaller, more powerful, and energy-efficient wireless devices.

The researchers combined two unique materials — lithium niobate and a thin layer of semiconductor indium gallium arsenide—to achieve this.

Common materials like lithium niobate are already found in smartphone filters. It is proficient at translating electrical impulses into acoustic waves and vice versa. But in terms of controlling them, it is ineffective.

Meanwhile, the formation of "giant phononic nonlinearities" is greatly aided by the indium gallium arsenide semiconductor.