ABSTRACT OF THESIS OF MASTER OF SCIENCE

SURFACE ELASTIC WAVES ON (001) SURFACE OF NULL STRESS OF

CUBIC CRYSTAL
The elastic surface in solids can be studied by continuum mechanics in which the wavelength of
acoustic wave is quite large than inter atomic spacing. There is only one frequency of an acoustic
mode in given direction of wave vector. The energy of surface wave is confined up to few
wavelengths below the surface. The amplitude of surface wave decays exponentially below the
surface. The existence of elastic wave confined to surface of elastic solid was first discovered for
isotropic material. In isotropic material , there are two elastic constant: Youngs Modulus and
Poissons ratio. Youngs modulus is a positive elastic constant for materials but Poissons ratio can
have value from -1 to 0.5. In isotropic material there exits three solution for wave velocity for
surface wave by using boundary condition at surface. Materials with Poissons ratio in range for
most material 0.26 to 0.50, there is one real wave velocity (called Rayleigh wave) less than
transverse bulk wave and other two solution of wave velocity are complex. Since the phase velocity
of a Rayleigh wave is lower than the slowest transversal bulk wave, it cant be phase match with
any bulk wave. Complex solution of surface wave velocity gives rise to wave that decay in direction
of propagation and are called leaky wave.
In cubic crystal there are three elastic constants. In infinite bulk space of cubic material general
propagation direction there are three component of displacement vector and in general there are
three possible mode: longitudinal, shear horizontal, shear vertical. The bulk wave in symmetric
direction [100] , [110] and [111] can be degenerated to have same velocity. The bulk waves in
general propagation direction can be said to be quasi transverse and quasi longitudinal, in the sense
that, their net displacement vector make a small angle with longitudinal displacement direction or
perpendicular displacement direction. The bulk wave equation in general propagation direction will
be coupled and three equation for component of displacement will have nontrivial solution only for
a velocity for which dynamic equilibrium is satisfied by acceleration of particle and stress derived
from displacement field and will give in three velocity for general direction of propagation . On
(001) surface, shear horizontal wave velocity remain decoupled and moves with velocity that
depend on only on shear modulus and density. The in plane displacement remains coupled and
wave velocity of quasi longitudinal and quasi transverse wave depend on angle of propagation
direction. The energy of bulk wave is not confined to surface since it radiates energy to the bulk.

There can be no elastic strain energy at surface if the displacement amplitude decays from surface
to very low value with in few wavelength depth, This is possible with a surface wave whose
amplitude decay exponently with depth . The surface wave in general propagation direction will
have three partial wave. The combination of partial wave should satisfy the null stress at the
surface. The decay constants can be complex number depending upon anisotropy ratio. Positive real
part of decay constant decays amplitude with depth while the imaginary decay constant gives
propagation component in z direction. The in-plane quasi transverse bulk wave velocity on surface
of (001) Silicon decreases as direction of propagation is increased from 0 to 45 degree. In wave
propagation direction [100] and [110] direction one can obtain explicit secular equation for surface
wave velocity . In other direction to obtain explicit equation is tedious task algebraically. In [100]
direction on (001) surface wave is confined in a sagittal plane (plane containing wave vector and
normal vector to surface). Using symbolic toolbox of MATLAB we have calculated the three
component of amplitude for each partial wave till the surface wave velocity becomes equal to bulk
transverse wave as direction of propagation of wave vector is rotated from [100] direction to [110]
direction . As approaches <110> direction on (001) plane, Velocity of surface wave differs less
and less from slowest bulk wave on (001) in that particular direction. The penetration of surface
wave into solid increases and transverse component of particle motion at surface becomes more and
more dominant. At , surface wave degenerates into transverse bulk wave , that alone
satisfy null stress boundary condition at surface. In <110> direction there is also second and higher
velocity which also satisfy null stress at surface in which particle motion is in sagittal plane , the
particle motion is elliptical with plane of ellipse in sagittal plane. This wave is end point of pseudo
branch.

At around 30 degree from [100] direction, surface wave velocity becomes equal to quasi transverse
wave . The pseudo surface wave also appears near this angle with small imaginary part , this
wave also satisfy traction free boundary condition . Due to imaginary component of wave
decay also in direction of propagation . These wave have complex velocity and wave can be
coupled with one or more bulk wave or in other sense these wave have complex wave propagation
vector in direction of propagation and velocity higher than slowest bulk wave in that direction on
surface .

Rayleigh surface wave is dispersion free on null stress surface of infinite medium , it preserve its
shape during propagation , which means that an arbitrary surface pulse will propagated without any
shape change along surface because phase velocity does not depend on frequency .Velocities of
elastic waves are in range of 3000 m/sec, which is typical for transversal bulk waves in solids. As a
consequence, elastic wave propagate about 10
5
times slower than electromagnetic waves and hence
posses an accordingly smaller wave length at comparable frequency. Surface acoustic wave based
delay lines, filters or resonators are about 10
5
times smaller in size than corresponding
electromagnetic device working at same frequency. Inter digital Transducer allow the efficient
conversion of an electrical signal into elastic surface wave and then, in reverse process, the
transformation of acoustic energy back to an electric signal. The transducer consists of a system of
periodic metal electrode fingers deposited on a highly polished substrate surface of piezoelectric
materials as quartz, LiNbO
3
or LiTaO
3
. The periodic elastic deformation is produced by the
electrical field distribution arising in the substrate when a radio frequency voltage is supplied to
transducer. With fields localized at free surface, the coupling can be made quite strong . The
transducer possesses a maximum efficiency at the excitation frequency for which the surface wave
propagates exactly one transducer period in one radio frequency voltage period (synchronous
frequency). The crystal is oriented such that the charge on adjacent IDTs induce alternating
compressive and tensile strains in piezoelectric material. The resulting periodic mechanical
displacements launch a propagating surface acoustic wave. Standard lithographic technique can be
used to manufacture inter digitized patterns suitable for SAW generation in 10 MHz to 1 GHz
frequency range ( about ~1 micron periodicity ) . Wave trains of hundreds of wavelength long can
be generated and detected on crystal surface a few millimeter long, providing SAW with well
defined frequency . As wave propagate along the surface, they can be modulated , manipulated ,
sampled between two IDT used as sender and receiver. Both the velocity and the attenuation of
SAW are sensitive to the acoustic properties of materials placed on top of propagation surface
(acoustic wave sensors) and to the material properties of substrate to a depth of approximately an
inverse acoustic wave number. Therefore, it is possible to deposit a piezoelectric film of sufficient
thickness on a non piezoelectric substrate in such a device. As soon as wireless
telecommunication application go beyond 1GHz, the interest in multilayer system with a
piezoelectric layer of ZnO or LiNbO
3
on a diamond layer and silicon substrate will grow. Since
diamond has the highest known acoustic velocity , feature sizes of approximately 1 micron are
sufficient to reach 2-3 GHz , whereas the electrode spacing of IDT in Lithium niobate or Quartz
would be prohibitively small for current lithographic techniques ( 0.3 micron )

Kamal Kumar Gupta