Propagation characteristics of SH wave in an mm2 piezoelectric layer on an elastic substrate

We investigate the propagation characteristics of shear horizontal (SH) waves in a structure consisting of an elastic substrate and an mm2 piezoelectric layer with different cut orientations. The dispersion equations are derived for electrically open and shorted conditions on the free surface of the piezoelectric layer. The phase velocity and electromechanical coupling coefficient are calculated for a layered structure with a KNbO3 layer perfectly bonded to a diamond substrate. The dispersion curves for the electrically shorted boundary condition indicate that for a given cut orientation, the phase velocity of the first mode approaches the B-G wave velocity of the KNbO3 layer, while the phase velocities of the higher modes tend towards the limit velocity of the KNbO3 layer. For the electrically open boundary condition, the asymptotic phase velocities of all modes are the limit velocity of the KNbO3 layer. In addition, it is found that the electromechanical coupling coefficient strongly depends on the cut orientation of the KNbO3 crystal. The obtained results are useful in device applications.