Aluminum Nitride Contour-Mode Vibrating RF MEMS

This paper reports on a new class of piezoelectric aluminun nitride contour-mode vibrating RF MEMS that have demonstrated low motional resistance, high quality factors and multiple frequencies of operation on the same silicon substrate. These resonators have been arranged in electrically or mechanically coupled arrays to form low-loss band pass filters particularly fit for IF bands used in commercial wireless handsets. In addition, very low phase noise oscillator has been demonstrated using a contour-mode micromechanical resonator in a standard Pierce design. This novel technology could revolutionize wireless communication systems by allowing the co-fabrication of multiple frequency filters (IF and RF) and frequency reference elements on the same chip, therefore reducing form factors and manufacturing costs