Gigahertz coherent guided acoustic phonons in AlN/GaN nanowire superlattices

The generation of guided acoustic phonons in the GHz range in GaN/AlN superlattices grown atop a GaN nanowire is presented. Combined with a femtosecond laser, ultrafast pump-probe spectroscopy allows the generation and detection of guided acoustic phonons at different frequencies in the nanowire superlattices. The capability of the nanowire superlattices to be excellent detectors of acoustic phonons at specific frequencies is then used to observe the strong dispersion, as a result of nanoconfinement, of guided acoustic phonons after their propagation in the nanowire. The generation of high frequency coherent guided acoustic phonons could be useful not only to realize an acoustic transducer with a nanolateral size but also as a source to understand the thermal behavior of nanowires.