Saw and fbar resonators for ghz applications based on micromachining and nanoprocessing of wide bandgap semiconductors

The 4G mobile communication systems are expected to work within the 3-6 GHz range. The development, in the last years, of wide band gap (WGB) semiconductor technologies has opened the perspective of manufacturing SAW (surface acoustic wave) and FBAR (film bulk acoustic resonator) devices for application in the GHz frequency range. SAW type structures with a resonance frequency of about 2.8 GHz and 3.2 GHz have been successfully developed on a thin AlN layer sputtered on high resistivity silicon. Nanolithography was used to manufacture the interdigitated transducer. FBAR resonators have been manufactured using micromachining techniques of GaN/Si and AlN/Si wafers. FBAR structures based on self sustainable AlN and GaN membranes with a thickness lower then 0.5 ¿m have been obtained. Resonance frequencies of about 4.8 GHz have been obtained for GaN based FBAR structures and about 10 GHz for AlN based FBAR structures.