Cryogenic angle-resolved Brillouin–Mandelstam spectroscopy of surface and bulk acoustic phonons in diamond

J Jordan Teeter (Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California 1 , Los Angeles, California 90095,) D Dylan Wright (Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California 1 , Los Angeles, California 90095,) N Nidhish Thiruthukkal Puthenveettil (Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California 1 , Los Angeles, California 90095,) F Fariborz Kargar (Materials Research and Education Center, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Auburn University 3 , Auburn, Alabama 36849,) A Alexander A. Balandin

Abstract

We used angle-resolved Brillouin–Mandelstam light-scattering spectroscopy to monitor surface and bulk acoustic phonons in diamond along the ⟨100⟩ and ⟨110⟩ crystallographic directions across a temperature range from 10 to 300 K. The frequencies and phase velocities were measured for three types of surface acoustic phonons: Rayleigh waves, shear horizontal waves, and high-frequency pseudo-longitudinal waves. All surface acoustic phonons exhibit weak temperature dependence, with the largest observed coefficient of variation of 2.44% across the examined temperature range. The frequencies of all three types of surface acoustic phonons agree with the theoretical values within the experimental uncertainty. Cryogenic surface-acoustic-phonon data are important for diamond-based quantum sensors, surface acoustic wave devices, and other electronic technologies. Knowledge of surface acoustic phonons can also be used for developing accurate models for thermal transport between interfaces.

Article Details

Volume / Issue Vol. 128, Issue 24
Published June 15, 2026
ISSN 0003-6951
Publisher American Institute of Physics

Journal Info

Applied Physics Letters

American Institute of Physics

ISSN: 0003-6951 Physical Sciences

Authors (5)

J

Jordan Teeter

Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California 1 , Los Angeles, California 90095,

D

Dylan Wright

Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California 1 , Los Angeles, California 90095,

N

Nidhish Thiruthukkal Puthenveettil

Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California 1 , Los Angeles, California 90095,

F

Fariborz Kargar

Materials Research and Education Center, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Auburn University 3 , Auburn, Alabama 36849,

A

Alexander A. Balandin