Surface-Wave Coupling to Single Phononic Subwavelength Resonators

We propose to achieve manipulation of mechanical vibrations at the micron scale by exploiting the interaction of individual, isolated mechanical resonators with surface acoustic waves. We experimentally investigate a sample consisting of cylindrical pillars individually grown by focused-ion-beam-induced deposition on a piezoelectric substrate, exhibiting different geometrical parameters and excited by a long-wavelength surface elastic wave. The mechanical displacement is strongly confined in the resonators, as shown by field maps obtained by laser scanning interferometry. A tenfold displacement field enhancement compared to the vibration at the surface is obtained, revealing that the energy is efficiently coupled. The spatial distribution of the elastic energy at the surface is governed by the geometrical characteristics of the resonators and can therefore be controlled by frequency tuning the elastic wave source. The results show the potential of the proposed approach to achieve dynamic control of surface phonons at the microscale or nanoscale.