Isomorphic surface acoustic waves on multilayer structures

There has been growing interest in recent years over the investigation of bulk acoustic waves (BAWs) which propagate along certain directions in anisotropic crystals with a minimum of diffraction. One application of these BAWs is for multichannel acousto-optic devices. The fact that the beams propagate with the minimum diffraction implies that the channels in such a device can be closely packed. Since surface acoustic waves (SAWs) are constrained to be within roughly one acoustic wavelength from the surface, the possibility exists to deposit thin films of isotropic or anisotropic material on the substrate and embue the aggregate multilayer structure with properties not present in the beginning substrate material. The characteristic investigated in this article is the velocity anisotropy which, as is known, predominates SAW diffraction. Specifically, we present a method whereby self-collimating SAWs can be generated on surfaces even though the substrate material itself does not exhibit this behavior. We discuss the particular case of a ZnO layer on (001)-cut < 110 > -propagating GaAs for which a fair amount of slowness surface data exists. Finally, using angular spectrum of plane waves diffraction theory, we present data which substantiate the claim that self-collimating can more accurately be viewed as isomorphic because the SAW beam profile can propagate without changing its shape. (C) 2001 American Institute of Physics.