Continuous and rapid sound regulation via a compact linear electroacoustic field effect transistor

We report a simple realization of a compact linear electroacoustic field effect transistor (EA-FET) constructed by coupling a membrane-type acoustic metamaterial with a piezoelectric shunt circuit. As analogous to the electroelectronic field effect transistor, the proposed EA-FET is a four-terminal device in which the sound flux is regulated by the external electric field. The core function of the EA-FET relies on the electrical-elasticity-control mechanism stemming from the inside mechanical and electrical interactions. The effectiveness of the EA-FET concept is proved by investigating the intrinsic output and transfer properties and the sound transmission characteristics. The continuous and rapid regulation of sound flux, as well as the acoustic binary encoding via an EA-FET sample, were demonstrated experimentally. As an essential analog acoustic functional device, the EA-FET could play a significant role in engineering the integration of analog acoustic circuits, and it may be adapted to build distributed information processing systems.