Contour-mode Piezoelectric Resonators
- Technology Benefits
- Permits the fabrication of microresonators arrays with different frequencies on a single chip.Can operate in air without significant performance losses thereby reducing packaging costs.Enables a single chip to provide low motional resistance and high quality factor while spanning a MHz to GHz frequency range.Potentially allows fine and coarse tuning of center frequencies directly on-chip without the need of any extra post-processing step.
- Technology Application
- Micromechanical resonators for use as building blocks in wireless communications components such as filters and oscillators.
- Detailed Technology Description
- None
- Supplementary Information
- Patent Number: US7492241B2
Application Number: US2005145552A
Inventor: Piazza, Gianluca | Stephanou, Philip J. | Pisano, Albert P.
Priority Date: 2 Jun 2005
Priority Number: US7492241B2
Application Date: 2 Jun 2005
Publication Date: 17 Feb 2009
IPC Current: H03H000900 | H01L004108 | H03H000954 | H01L0041053
US Class: 333189 | 310321 | 333187
Assignee Applicant: The Regents of the University of California
Title: Contour-mode piezoelectric micromechanical resonators
Usefulness: Contour-mode piezoelectric micromechanical resonators
Summary: Used for a wireless communication component e.g. filter and oscillator.
Novelty: Micromechanical piezoelectric resonator for e.g. filter, has alternating electric field applying unit applying alternating electric field, where electric field causes resonator to have contour mode in-plane lateral displacement
- Industry
- Electronics
- Sub Category
- Semiconductor
- Application No.
- 7492241
- Others
-
Tech ID/UC Case
17451/2005-014-0
Related Cases
2005-014-0
- *Abstract
-
There is a growing demand in wireless communications for miniaturized, low-power, low-cost on-chip, high-Q resonators for use in front-end RF filters or as frequency references. This market need has spurred research into new vibrating micromechanical structures that can replace existing off-chip, bulky resonator technologies.
In pursuing this market need, researchers at UC Berkeley have developed a new-class of contour-mode, piezoelectric resonators. These micro-resonators exhibit high quality factors and small impedance values, and they can be fabricated using a post-CMOS compatible surface micro-machining process thereby offering an innovative solution for the development of RF communication systems.
In contrast to FBAR technology (that uses a thickness-mode), these contour-mode resonators permit the fabrication of arrays of micro-resonators with different frequencies on a single chip, and they can operate in air without significant performance degradation thereby reducing packaging costs. These resonators also enable a single chip to provide low motional resistance and high quality factor while spanning a MHz to GHz frequency range. Furthermore, these new devices have the potential capability to fine and coarse tune their center frequencies directly on-chip without the need of any extra post-processing step.
The Berkeley team fabricated these new resonators at low temperatures, and therefore they can potentially be integrated with state-of-the-art microelectronic components. These prototypes exhibited a frequency range of 20 MHz to 1.15 GHz and can potentially be extended up to 4 GHz. Certain designs exhibited quality factors of around 5,000 at 23 MHz with motional resistance of 100 ohms, and other designs exhibited quality factors as high as 2,900 at 473 MHz with motional resistance of 80 ohms.
- *IP Issue Date
- Feb 17, 2009
- *Principal Investigator
-
Name: Gianluca Piazza
Department:
Name: Albert Pisano
Department:
Name: Philip Stephanou
Department:
- Country/Region
- USA
