Patent ID: 8436511

Claim:
A spherical surface acoustic wave apparatus comprising: a surface acoustic wave propagation substrate which includes, on an outer surface thereof, a surface acoustic wave circulation path configured to be annular and continuous using at least a part of a spherical shape, the circulation path being able to be excited to generate a surface acoustic wave therein and to allow the excited surface acoustic wave propagate and circulate therein in an annular and continuous direction thereof; a substrate support which is configured to support a region on the outer surface of the surface acoustic wave propagation substrate, the region excluding the surface acoustic wave circulation path; a surface acoustic wave excitation/detection unit which is configured to excite the surface acoustic wave in the surface acoustic wave circulation path of the surface acoustic wave propagation substrate, to make the excited surface acoustic wave propagate and circulate in the annular and continuous direction, to detect the surface acoustic wave circulated in the surface acoustic wave circulation path, and to emit a reception signal corresponding to the detected surface acoustic wave; and a support for an excitation/detection unit, which supports an elastic deformation member supporting the surface acoustic wave excitation/detection unit, which makes the surface acoustic wave excitation/detection unit being in contact with the surface acoustic wave circulation path of the outer surface of the surface acoustic wave propagation substrate through the elastic deformation member, and which elastically deforms the elastic deformation member.