Surface acoustic wave device properties of (B, Al)N films on 128° Y–X LiNbO3 substrate

A c-axis orientated aluminium nitride (AlN) film on a 128° Y–X lithium niobate (LiNbO3) surface acoustic wave (SAW) device which exhibit a large electromechanical coupling coefficient (k2) and a high SAW velocity property, is needed for future communication applications. In this study, a c-axis orientated (B, Al)N film (with 2.6 at.% boron) was deposited on a 128° Y–X LiNbO3 substrate by a co-sputtering system to further boost SAW device properties. The XRD and TEM results show that the (B, Al)N films show highly aligned columns with the c-axis perpendicular to the substrate. The hardness and Youngʹs modulus of (B, Al)N film on 128° Y–X LiNbO3 substrates are at least 17% and 7% larger than AlN films, respectively. From the SAW device measurement, the operation frequency characteristic of (B, Al)N film on 128° Y–X LiNbO3 is higher than pure AlN on it. The SAW velocity also increases as (B, Al)N film thickness increases (at fixed IDT wavelength). Furthermore, the k2 of (B, Al)N on the IDT/128° Y–X LiNbO3 SAW device shows a higher value than AlN on it.