Surface and interface shear horizontal acoustic waves in piezoelectric superlattices

The propagation of acoustic waves of shear horizontal polarization in infinite and semi-infinite superlattices made of two piezoelectric media is studied within a Green’s function method. Localized modes induced by a free surface of the superlattice or a superlattice/substrate interface are investigated theoretically. These modes appear as well-defined peaks of the total density of states inside the minigaps of the superlattice. The spatial localization of the different modes is studied by means of the local density of states. The surface of the superlattice and the superlattice/substrate interface are considered to be either metallized or nonmetallized. We show the possibility of the existence of interface modes, which are without analogue in the case of the interface between two homogeneous media (the so-called Maerfeld–Tournois modes). We also generalize to piezoelectric superlattices a rule about the existence and number of surface states, namely when one considers two semi-infinite superlattices together obtained by the cleavage of an infinite superlattice, one always has as many localized surface modes as minigaps, for any value of the wave vector k_|| (parallel to the interfaces). Specific applications of these results are given for CdS–ZnO superlattices with a free surface or in contact with a BeO substrate. © 2000 American Institute of Physics.