To achieve full control over acoustic phonons at ultrahigh frequencies, it is essential to characterize the phonon transport properties. Recent works have shown that surface acoustic waves at gigahertz frequencies can propagate over micrometer distances in different nanostructures such as nanowires, nanogratings, and nanoantennas. Here, we aim at investigating acoustic phonon transport by designing a GaAs/AlAs optophononic waveguide. Along the vertical direction of the waveguide, a Fabry-Perot cavity ensures an efficient confinement of acoustic phonons that has been demonstrated in planar and micropillar structures. In the lateral direction, the interface of air and semiconductor serves as an acoustic mirror to reflect phonons in the waveguide. We perform pump-probe experiments to generate coherent acoustic phonons at one position and detect them remotely on the waveguide. We analyze the signals originated by phonons generated in the pump position reaching the remote probe location, revealing a clear indication of phonon transport at room temperature. Our findings have potential applications in quantum technologies and data processing.
GaAs/AlAs heterostructures constitute a unique platform for the conception, engineering, and implementation of opto-phononic systems. In addition to all the accumulated know-how inherited from the optoelectronics industry, a unique coincidence in the contrasts of the optical and acoustic impedances, and the speeds of light and sound, enable a perfect colocalization of the optical electric and acoustic displacement fields. We present the design principles for GaAs/AlAs opto-phononic heterostructures supporting topological interface modes and further analyse the performance of these structures in the optical and the acoustic domain.
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