Acousto-Optic Diffraction by Shear Horizontal Surface Acoustic Waves in 36° Rotated Y-Cut X-Propagation Lithium Tantalate
R. Rimeika a, D. Čiplys a and M. Shur b
aDepartment of Radiophysics, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
bECSE, and PAPA, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, USA
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We have investigated the acousto-optic diffraction by shear horizontal surface acoustic waves in 36° rotated Y-cut X-propagation lithium tantalate (LiTaO3) crystals. The measurements were performed at the optical wavelength 633 nm of He-Ne laser and acoustic wavelengths of 50-60 μ m. The anisotropic diffraction with the light polarization rotation in the transmission mode was observed. The measured and calculated values of the light incidence angle corresponding to the strongest diffraction differed significantly. A narrow strip of a thin metal film deposited on the crystal surface drastically affected the light diffraction. We attribute these effects to the conversion: processes between the shear horizontal leaky surface acoustic wave and shear horizontal surface skimming bulk wave.

DOI: 10.12693/APhysPolA.127.52
PACS numbers: 77.65.Dq, 43.35.Sx, 78.20.hb