A normal mode theory for the Rayleigh wave amplifier

A Rayleigh acoustic wave traveling on the surface of a semi-infinite piezoelectric medium may be amplified by interaction with drifting carriers in an adjacent semiconductor. The gain and frequency response of this interaction is determined here by using a normal mode expansion of the Rayleigh wave piezoelectric fields. The configuration which uses a thin semiconductor film supported by a semi-infinite dielectric and separated from the piezoelectric by a small air gap is described in detail and the results are expressed in a form that clearly shows the effect of piezoelectric, air gap, and semiconductor parameters. Comparisons with experimental data for the lithium niobate-silicon film configuration show that acoustic gains on the order of 100 dB/cm can be obtained in the frequency range above 0.1 GHz.