AFM observation of surface acoustic waves emitted from single symmetric SAW transducers

We report the first experimental observation of surface acoustic waves (SAWs) launched from a single symmetric SAW transducer, employing scanning acoustic force microscopy (SAFM). SAFM is a simple technique for the imaging of complex interdigital transducer (IDT) radiation patterns with nanometer lateral resolution. We demonstrate submicron lateral resolution and high sensitivity by investigating a single excitation element on a weakly coupling substrate (GaAs), visualizing the launched wave and second-order effects.