Effect of structural defect on phonon transmission quantization in low-dimensional superlattices

Using the scattering-matrix cascading method, we investigate the effect of structural defect on the acoustic phonon transmission quantization in a low-dimensional superlattice quantum waveguide. In the present system, the phonon transmission exhibits rather complex resonant behaviors. It is found that a lateral defect in an otherwise periodic structure modifies the transversal phonon transmission spectra nontrivially and completely washes away the transmission quantization due to the strong additional scattering by defect. However, the appreciable quantization survives in the presence of a longitudinal defect. Our results also show that by adjusting the geometric parameters of the structural defect, one can control the phonon transport of the structure to match practical requirements in devices.