Microwave frequency surface wave delay lines and amplifiers wave propagation and materials study

This report details the research done on a four-year project involving the study of surface wave propagation and the growth and characterization of thin film materials as applied to microwave frequency surface acoustic wave delay lines and amplifiers. The report covers the two phases of the work separately in the form of a brief review of each topic referring to details contained in appendices. The report presents the complete details of the layered and leaky wave study along with the FORTRAN object listings of the major computer programs used in the study. The report presents the materials work in the form of reprints of published papers covering the topics of the growth and characterization of AlN/Al2O3 and Si/AlN/Al2O3. A brief discussion is given of other material combinations that were examined briefly and then abandoned in favor of more promising approaches. The report does not discuss devices such as delay line filters or amplifiers except as used to evaluate materials through coupling coefficient measurements or verification of acoustoelectric interactions.