Piezoelectric materials are either dielectrics or semiconductors. An acoustic wave propagating in a piezoelectric crystal is usually accompanied by an electric field. When the crystal is also semiconducting, these fields produce currents and space charge resulting in dispersion and acoustic loss. The interaction between a traveling acoustic wave and mobile charges in piezoelectric semiconductors is called the acoustoelectric effect. It has also been found that an acoustic wave traveling in a piezoelectric semiconductor can be amplified by application of a dc electric field. The acoustoelectric effect and acoustoelectric amplification of acoustic waves have led to acoustoelectric transducers and other devices. We study amplification of acoustic waves in piezoelectric semiconducting plate structures. Two-dimensional equations for thin plates of piezoelectric semiconductors are derived and are used to model acoustic wave amplifiers made from piezoelectric semiconductor plates.
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