Abstract: A configuration of surface acoustic wave beam deflector performed with a distributed array of IDTs is investigated. This configuration corresponds to the flash grating in optics. The relations of the deflection angle and of the relative intensity for the main deflection order (first order in the spatial frequency spectrum of the IDT array with the parameters of the array are discussed. It is demonstrated by analyses and experiments that in the frequency range of one octave, the relative intensity of the main deflection beam is more than 65%, and the ripple in this frequency range is less than 3dB. The essential results obtained in this letter are applicable to the SAW beam deflection configuration with a stepped IDT array.