This paper explores the possibility of using AlN/sapphire piezoelectric bilayer structures for high-temperature SAW applications. To determine the temperature stability of AlN, homemade AlN/sapphire samples are annealed in air atmosphere for 2 to 20 h at temperatures from 700 to 1000°C. Ex situ X-ray diffraction measurements reveal that the microstructure of the thin film is not affected by temperatures below 1000°C. Ellipsometry and secondary ion mass spectroscopy investigations attest that AlN/sapphire is reliable up to 700°C. Beyond this temperature, both methods indicate ongoing surface oxidation of AlN. Additionally, Pt/Ta and Al interdigital transducers are patterned on the surface of the AlN film. The resulting SAW devices are characterized up to 500°C and 300°C, respectively, showing reliable frequency response and a large, quasi-constant temperature sensitivity, with a first-order temperature coefficient of frequency around -75 ppm/°C. Between room temperature and 300°C, both electromechanical coupling coefficient K(2) and propagation losses increase, so the evolution of delay lines' insertion losses with temperature strongly depends on the length of the propagation path.

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International audienceAlN/sapphire layered structure has been investigated as a potential substrate for surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices operating at high temperatures up to 950 °C under air atmosphere. Frequency characterizations of the SAW delay lines based on this structure indicate a slight increase of 2 dB in the insertion losses after annealing for 30 min at 900 °C. Scanning electron and atomic force microscopy as well as x-ray diffraction measurements suggest that theses losses are due to the deterioration of the Pt/Ta electrodes and to a slight oxidation of the AlN film