Acoustic Propagation at Microwave Frequencies

Techniques for the generation, propagation, and detection of sound at microwave frequencies have been investigated. Transmission and reflection experiments with quartz crystals are discussed with the design of a microwave delay line as the final product. Various limitations for the system were discovered, and methods of overcoming them were studied. Experiments with zinc oxide transducers were performed in an attempt to overcome the high insertion losses in quartz crystals. Propagation effects in various crystals geometries were also studied.