Summary: | In this work, we generate and probe the shortest wavelength surface acoustic waves to date, at 45 nm, by diffracting coherent extreme ultraviolet beams from a suboptical phononic crystal. The short acoustic wavelengths correspond to penetration depths of approximately 10 nm. We also measure the acoustic dispersion in two-dimensional nanostructured phononic crystals down to this wavelength for the first time, showing that it is strongly influenced by the ultrashort acoustic penetration depth, and that advanced finite-element analysis is required to model the dispersion. Finally, we use pulse sequences to control surface acoustic wave generation in one-dimensional nanostructured gratings, to preferentially enhance higher-order surface waves, while suppressing lower frequency waves. This allows us to reduce the generated surface acoustic wavelength by a factor of two for a defined nanostructure period.
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