Surface acoustic wave modes in two-dimensional shallow void inclusion phononic crystals on GaAs

Abstract

Surface acoustic waves in two-dimensional phononic crystals consisting of a square array of shallow, two to three micron deep cylindrical void inclusions are studied computationally via the finite element method. For the [110] propagation direction on a (001) GaAs half-space, the conventional Rayleigh wave modes, the layered substrate-associated Sezawa and Lamb modes, the high frequency longitudinal surface waves and bulk waves exhibit hybridization and modal interaction. The longitudinal, vertical shear and horizontal shear bulk wave dispersions are observed to be significant thresholds for surface acoustic waves on a shallow phononic crystal. This results in dramatic changes in the attenuation and surface boundedness properties that enable supersonic modes with diminished attenuation in otherwise largely bulk wave-radiative dispersion branch continua of modes.