Surface acoustic waves in laterally periodic superlattices

The existence of surface acoustic waves (SAWs) is studied in laterally periodic superlattices, modelled as an anisotropic elastic half-space with an arbitrary periodic variation of its material properties along the stratification direction (call it X) parallel to the surface. Unlike a homogeneous half-space, such a structure allows for more than one (dispersive) SAW. Specifically, it is shown that any superlattice with a generic shape of periodicity profile admits at most three SAW dispersion branches $\omega \left(K_x\right)$, i.e., at most three different SAW frequencies at any fixed Bloch wavenumber $K_x$. Moreover, the total number of SAWs at fixed $K_x$ in a pair of superlattices with periodicity profiles obtained from one another by the inversion of the axis X cannot exceed three either. At least one SAW branch must exist in one of these two superlattices unless the bulk-wave threshold is the so-called exceptional (i.e., admits surface skimming wave). The SAW branch is unique in the particular case of a superlattice invariant to the inversion $X\to -X$. The above general results are illustrated by the perturbation theory derivations for the weakly modulated superlattices. Explicit leading-order formulas are obtained for the quasi-Rayleigh wave branch evolving from the Rayleigh wave in each of the mutually ”inverse” superlattices and for the quasibulk wave branch evolving from the exceptional bulk-wave threshold in one of the superlattices.