Ultrahigh-frequency surface acoustic wave devices were fabricated on a ZnO/SiO₂/Si substrate using step-and-flash nanoimprint lithography combined with hydrogen silsesquioxane (HSQ) planarization. Excellent critical dimension control was demonstrated for interdigital transducers with finger electrode widths from 125 down to 65 nm. Fundamental and higher-order Rayleigh modes up to 16.1 GHz were excited and detected, which is the highest frequency for ZnO-based transducers on silicon reported so far. Surface acoustic modes were confirmed with numerical simulations. Simulation results showed good agreement with the experimental data.

We demonstrate piezo-electrical generation of ultrahigh-frequency surface acoustic waves on silicon substrates, using high-resolution UV-based nanoimprint lithography, hydrogen silsequioxane planarization, and metal lift-off. Interdigital transducers were fabricated on a ZnO layer sandwiched between two SiO2 layers on top of a Si substrate. Excited modes up to 23.5 GHz were observed. Depth profile calculations of the piezoelectric field show this multilayer structure to be suitable for acoustic charge transport in silicon at extremely high frequencies with moderate carrier mobility requirements.

The persistent fear of physics by learners motivated the author to take action to increase all students’ interest in the subject via a new curriculum for introductory college physics that applies Greene’s model of Aesthetic Education to the study of contemporary physics, utilizing symmetry as the mathematical foundation of physics as well as the conceptual link between physics and the arts. The author describes the curriculum and suggests how students’ drawings and written commentaries can provide insights into students’ preferred learning modalities, promote understanding of abstract concepts through visualization, and reveal students’ preexisting attitudes toward science. Outcomes align with the goals of improving students’ attitudes toward physics, indicated by their comments, written work, and results of the Maryland Physics Expectations Survey.

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