{"data":{"id":16,"lang":"en","title":"Phonon Laser Breakthrough Could Shrink Smartphones and Revolutionize Wireless Tech","summary":"CU Boulder engineers create phonon laser generating microscopic earthquakes on a chip, enabling single-chip radio components at unprecedented frequencies.","category":"science","category_label":"Science","published_at":"2026-01-22T00:32:26Z","updated_at":"2026-01-22T00:32:26Z","url":"https://techtools.cz/tools/news/article/16-phonon-laser-breakthrough-could-shrink-smartphones-and-revolutionize-wireless","api_url":"https://techtools.cz/news-api/v1/articles/16?lang=en","markdown_url":"https://techtools.cz/news-api/v1/articles/16.md?lang=en","image_url":"https://cms.interestingengineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/IE-7.jpg","word_count":168,"reading_time_minutes":1,"sources":[{"url":"https://www.colorado.edu/today/2026/01/14/earthquake-chip-new-tech-generates-tiny-waves-could-make-smartphones-smaller-faster","domain":"colorado.edu"},{"url":"https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/us-microchip-earthquake-like-vibrations","domain":"interestingengineering.com"},{"url":"https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/01/260116035319.htm","domain":"sciencedaily.com"}],"translation":null,"content":"Engineers at the University of Colorado Boulder have created \"microscopic earthquakes\" on a chip, developing a phonon laser that could dramatically reduce the size of wireless components in smartphones and other devices. The research, published in Nature on January 14, demonstrates surface acoustic wave technology operating at frequencies far exceeding current limits.\n\nThe device uses a multi-layered chip design—silicon base, lithium niobate piezoelectric layer, and indium gallium arsenide—to generate surface acoustic waves at 1 gigahertz, with potential to reach hundreds of gigahertz. Current SAW technology tops out around 4 gigahertz. Unlike existing solutions requiring two chips and external power, this single-chip approach works with just a battery.\n\n\"This phonon laser was the last domino standing,\" said Matt Eichenfield, incoming CU Boulder faculty member. \"Now we can literally make every component that you need for a radio on one chip using the same kind of technology.\" Mass production may take 2-3 years, but the technology promises thinner, faster, more energy-efficient devices across wearables, networking, and wireless systems."}}