HIGH Kt2∙Q LAMB-WAVE SCALN-ON-SILICON UHF AND SHF RESONATORS

This work presents a comprehensive comparison of switchable electromechanical transducers in an AlN/GaN heterostructure toward the goal of reconfigurable RF building blocks in next-generation ad hoc radios. The transducers’ inherent switching was achieved by depleting a 2D electron gas (2DEG) channel, allowing an RF signal launched by interdigital transducers (IDTs) to effectively excite the symmetric (So) Lamb mode of vibration in the piezoelectric membrane. Different configurations for applying DC bias to the channel for electromechanical actuation in the piezoelectric are discussed. Complete suppression of the mechanical mode was achieved with the transducers in the OFF state. Equivalent circuit models were developed to extract parameters from measurements by fitting in both ON and OFF states. This is the first time that an extensive comparative study of the performance of different switchable transducers in their ON/OFF state is presented along with frequency scaling of the resonant mode. The switchable transducer with Ohmic IDTs and a Schottky control gate showed superior performance among the designs under consideration.

show abstract

Effect of Substrate-RF on Sub-200 nm Al0.7Sc0.3N Thin Films

Pirro

Zhao

Herrera

et al. 2022

Micromachines

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Sc-doped aluminum nitride is emerging as a new piezoelectric material which can substitute undoped aluminum nitride (AlN) in radio-frequency MEMS applications, thanks to its demonstrated enhancement of the piezoelectric coefficients. Furthermore, the recent demonstration of the ferroelectric-switching capability of the material gives AlScN the possibility to integrate memory functionalities in RF components. However, its high-coercive field and high-leakage currents are limiting its applicability. Residual stress, growth on different substrates, and testing-temperature have already been demonstrated as possible knobs to flatten the energy barrier needed for switching, but no investigation has been reported yet on the whole impact on the dielectric and ferroelectric dynamic behavior of a single process parameter. In this context, we analyze the complete spectrum of variations induced by the applied substrate-RF, from deposition characteristics to dielectric and ferroelectric properties, proving its effect on all of the material attributes. In particular, we demonstrate the possibility of engineering the AlScN lattice cell to properly modify leakage, breakdown, and coercive fields, as well as polarization charge, without altering the crystallinity level, making substrate-RF an effective and efficient fabrication knob to ease the limitations the material is facing.

show abstract

HIGH Kt2∙Q LAMB-WAVE SCALN-ON-SILICON UHF AND SHF RESONATORS

Cited by 5 publications

References 8 publications

Advanced AlN ceramic materials for energy-efficient communication devices

Advanced AlN ceramic materials for energy-efficient communication devices

Switchable Transducers in GaN MEMS Resonators: Performance Comparison and Analysis

Effect of Substrate-RF on Sub-200 nm Al0.7Sc0.3N Thin Films

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About