Surface acoustic waves on the (11n) cuts of gallium arsenide

Surface acoustic waves (SAW) propagating on the (111), (112), and (113) cuts of gallium arsenide in the [1 (1) over bar 0] direction are studied both theoretically and experimentally. The possibility of propagation of bath normal and leaky surface acoustic waves (NSAW and LSAW, respectively) is predicted. The acoustoelectrical activity predicted for LSAW is more than 100 times higher than that for NSAW. Three particle displacement components of comparable magnitudes for LSAW propagating on the three cuts are obtained, The lowest attenuation (4.94 X 10(-5) dB per wavelength) is predicted for the LSAW at the (112), [1 (1) over bar 0] orientation of GaAs. Theoretical characteristics for the LSAW on the (112) cut are corroborated experimentally. Experimental values of the phase velocity (3.05 X 10(3) m/s), electromechanical coupling coefficient (8.1 X 10(-4)), attenuation (5.7 X 10(-3) dB per wavelength), and temperature delay coefficient (5.2 X 10(-5) deg(-1)) are presented. Characteristics of experimental delay lines fabricated on the (112) cut and the well-known (001) cut are compared. (C) 1996 American Institute of Physics.