Research Spotlight: Howard Yawit Presents Advanced Acoustic Device Study at MRS

At the recent Materials Research Society Fall Meeting & Exhibit held in Boston, Howard Yawit showcased his latest work on next-generation acoustic technologies in a poster titled “Laser-Patterned Phononic Lattices on Lithium Niobate for Surface Acoustic Wave Devices.”

The project demonstrates the design and fabrication of surface acoustic wave (SAW) delay-line chips built on 128° Y-cut lithium niobate, combined with on-wafer RF characterization and picosecond-laser direct writing to form periodic phononic trenches with tunable stopbands. By integrating simulation tools with vector network analyzer measurements, the team established a feedback-driven optimization process that enables rapid, maskless prototyping of reconfigurable SAW platforms.

These advances open pathways toward high-performance topological acoustic devices and next-generation RF front-end systems, highlighting how precision fabrication and modeling can accelerate innovation in functional acoustic materials.

The work was conducted in collaboration with a multidisciplinary team contributing expertise in device engineering, simulation, and experimental validation, underscoring the collaborative nature of cutting-edge materials science research.