We present an experimental method for the high-resolution imaging of the excitation and propagation of surface acoustic waves (SAWs) on anisotropic piezoelectric substrates. By employing a scanning acoustic force microscope (SAFM), we are able to image acoustic waves that are excitable by a single circular electrode pair source through the mixing with well-defined reference plane waves. We show amplitude and phase images of the point-source wave field, containing the angular dependence of the phase velocity of these modes, as well as their electromechanical coupling strength. The SAFM allows easy access to acoustic material properties, which are important for the design of commercial SAW devices.
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