In this study, we report the surface phonon polariton (SPP) characteristics of wurtzite structure aluminium indium nitride (Al(x)In(1-x)N) ternary alloys over the whole Al composition range. An anisotropic model is used to simulate the surface polariton (SP) dispersion curves of the Al(x)In(1-x)N ternary alloys. The characteristics of these dispersion curves are discussed in detail and the effects of the composition dependence of the Al(x)In(1-x)N on the SPs are illustrated and explained. Moreover, the relevant experimental information from the attenuated total reflection (AIR) method is also presented, namely, the corresponding ATR spectra are simulated based on the standard matrix formulation. Through this study, it has been found that the SPP mode of the wurtzite Al(x)In(1-x)N exhibits mixed-mode behaviour. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.