High density surface acoustic waveguide channelizer

Claim 1

A surface acoustic wave (SAW) channelizer for producing a band limited output signal on each channel comprising: an active substrate and metallization elements on the substrate including a wide band, multichannel, frequency stepped, input interdigital transducer having a plurality of input channel transducers, each having a different center frequency and having a relatively wide output aperture for producing a corresponding relatively wide aperture beam frequency stepped acoustic wave signal of reduced bandwidth on each corresponding channel; a beam width compressor for each channel responsively coupled proximate to the input transducer for reducing the acoustic wave signal to a beam width of relatively narrower aperture; a waveguide for each channel having an input responsively coupled proximate to the beam width compressor for such channel, said waveguide for isolating and carrying the acoustic wave signal therealong to its output end, the input and output ends of each waveguide being remote from and laterally displaced with respect to each other and separated from the other waveguide outputs by an amount sufficient to reduce cross talk between channels; a beam width expander for each channel responsively coupled proximate to the output of the corresponding waveguide output for expanding the acoustic wave signal to a beam of relatively larger aperture; a frequency selective, interdigital output transducer for each channel responsively coupled proximate to the waveguide output for producing an RF electrical signal of further reduced bandwidth centered at the frequency of the corresponding frequency stepped channel input transducer.