A surface acoustic wave device includes a piezoelectric single crystal substrate and an electrode. The piezoelectric single crystal substrate is made of LiTaO.sub.3 or LiNbO.sub.3. The electrode includes a titanium film formed on the piezoelectric single crystal substrate and an aluminum film or a film containing aluminum as a main component. The aluminum film or the film is formed on the titanium film. The aluminum film or the film containing aluminum as the main component is a twin crystal film or a single crystal film, the aluminum film or the film has a (111) plane that is non-parallel to a surface of the piezoelectric single crystal substrate with an angle θ, and the aluminum film or the film has a [−1, 1, 0] direction parallel to an X-direction of a crystallographic axis of the piezoelectric single crystal substrate.

An acoustic wave device includes a support substrate, first and second piezoelectric layers, and an IDT electrode. The first and second piezoelectric layers are on the support substrate. The IDT electrode is on the first piezoelectric layer and includes electrode fingers. The second piezoelectric layer is between the first piezoelectric layer and the support substrate. The first and second piezoelectric layers are made of lithium tantalate or lithium niobate. Euler angles of the second piezoelectric layer are different from Euler angles of the first piezoelectric layer.

An acoustic wave device includes a support substrate, a multilayer body, and an IDT electrode. The multilayer body includes a lithium tantalate piezoelectric layer and a lithium niobate piezoelectric layer that are laminated, and is on the support substrate. The IDT electrode is on the multilayer body, and includes electrode fingers. When a wavelength of an acoustic wave determined by a pitch of the electrode fingers is denoted as λ, a thickness of the multilayer body is about 0.66λ or less.

An elastic wave device includes a substrate, an IDT electrode, a spacer layer, a cover, and a protective layer. The spacer layer is provided on the substrate and surrounds the IDT electrode. The cover is provided on the spacer layer, is spaced apart from the IDT electrode, and includes a first main surface adjacent to the spacer layer and a second main surface facing the first main surface. The protective layer includes a third main surface contacting the second main surface, a fourth main surface facing the third main surface, and a side surface connected to the fourth main surface. In at least portion of the side surface of the protective layer, a portion including an intersection line between the side surface and the fourth main surface is located farther inward than an outer edge of the substrate in plan view in the thickness direction of the substrate.

An elastic wave device includes a piezoelectric film, a high acoustic velocity member, a low acoustic velocity film located between the piezoelectric film and the high acoustic velocity member and through which an elastic wave propagates at a lower acoustic velocity than an elastic wave that propagates through the piezoelectric film, and an interdigital transducer electrode including electrode fingers separated from each other and disposed side by side in a first direction. At least one of the electrode fingers includes a first metal layer including first and second main body portions. A recessed portion is located in a central region in the first direction of the electrode finger and is recessed in the thickness direction of the piezoelectric film. A protrusion portion protrudes from at least a portion of the first main body portion in the first direction.

A surface acoustic wave device has a piezoelectric substrate having a cut angle (e.g., the piezoelectric angle is cut so as to have a crystal orientation) that allows the surface acoustic wave device to operate as a longitudinally leaky surface acoustic wave device that confines the acoustic wave energy within the piezoelectric substrate and that has less propagation attenuation and a higher electromechanical coupling coefficient k.sup.2.

A composite substrate according to includes: a support substrate; and a piezoelectric layer arranged on one side of the support substrate, wherein an amplitude of a waviness having a spatial frequency of more than 0.045 cyc/mm according to a shape of the support substrate is 10 nm or less.

An elastic wave device includes a piezoelectric substrate, elastic wave resonators on or in the piezoelectric substrate, and a dielectric film disposed on the piezoelectric substrate and covering the elastic wave resonators. The elastic wave resonators includes respective IDT electrodes on the piezoelectric substrate. When a wavelength specified by an electrode finger pitch of the IDT electrode is denoted as λ, at least two of the elastic wave resonators have the different wavelengths. In two of the elastic wave resonators having different wavelengths, a film thickness of the IDT electrode in the elastic wave resonator having the longer wavelength is not greater than that of the IDT electrode in the elastic wave resonator having the shorter wavelength. Film thicknesses of the IDT electrodes in at least two of the elastic wave resonators are different from each other. The elastic wave device utilizes a Rayleigh wave.

A surface acoustic wave device (5) is provided using a layered substrate system with a special material and a special cut of a piezoelectric thin film (4) selected for utilizing Rayleigh mode. The proper choice of the material and the cut of the piezoelectric thin film leads to a low velocity of the excited wave mode, which allows the usage of smaller devices without deteriorating other performance parameters according to specifications.

Provided is an acoustic wave device that uses a plate wave. The acoustic wave device includes a piezoelectric film and a first resonator and a second resonator each including an IDT electrode located on an upper surface of the piezoelectric film. The thickness of the piezoelectric film is smaller than twice the period of the electrode fingers of the IDT electrodes. The duty of the electrode fingers of the first resonator and the duty of the electrode fingers of the second resonator are different from each other.