Reflection characteristics of obliquely incident surface acoustic waves from groove and aluminum gratings on {100}-cut gallium arsenide

In this article we present an experimental study of the surface acoustic wave behavior of a slanted reflector array on {100}-cut, [110]-propagating GaAs. The thorough examination of both Al stripes and grooves on GaAs unveiled previously unknown information about the behavior of slanted gratings on (100)-cut GaAs. We discovered that etched grooves provide a strong reflection coefficient (C = 0.29) while Al stripes do not (C = 0.014). These data were obtained from measurements of the reflection characteristics for slanted gratings on GaAs. Potential device applications include an ultralow power acoustic charge transport device which does not require an interdigital transducer. (C) 1998 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-8979(98)08516-8].