TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE OF THE ATTENUATION OF MICROWAVE FREQUENCY ELASTIC SURFACE WAVES IN QUARTZ

Abstract

The attenuation of elastic surface waves propagating in vacuum along the x axis of Y-cut quartz has been measured from 4.2 to 300 K over the frequency range 0.57–1.54 GHz. The temperature-dependent propagation loss was 2.2 dB/μsec at 1.0 GHz. At temperatures below 23 K, the attenuation was ωT4, while above 70 K it was temperature-independent and in good agreement with the predictions of the viscosity model.