Investigation on recent quartz-like materials for SAW applications

Recent progress in growing and characterizing quartz-like materials of the trigonal system class 32 has been reported by several groups. The promising perspective for bulk acoustic wave frequency control applications indicates the potentiality of employing these materials for SAW applications as well. This paper reports results of investigations focused on SAW orientations of langasite (LGS), gallium phosphate (GaPO(4)), and langanite (LGN), both singly and doubly rotated cuts. Among the characteristics explored, major attention is paid to the temperature coefficient of delay (TCD), the electromechanical coupling coefficient (K(2)), and the power flow angle (PFA). Contour graphs are plotted based on our calculated results and show the regions in space in which low TCD and high K(2 ) can be obtained; they also exhibit the associated PFA and phase velocity characteristics. The influence of different sets of material constants is addressed. The spatial investigation performed shows that there are promising orientation regions in these materials at which zero or reduced TCD (<10 ppm/ degrees C) and PFA are obtained. Additional attractive characteristics for SAW applications have been observed: values of K(2) a few times higher than the K(2) of quartz ST-X, thus finding applications in larger bandwidth devices; variation of the TCD with respect to temperature, which is comparable to the variation found for quartz ST-X and less than that for zero TCD Li (2)B(4)O(7) cuts like 45 degrees X-Z and (0 degrees 78 degrees 90 degrees ); and phase velocity values circa 13 to 26% smaller than the phase velocity of quartz ST-X thus allowing a reduction in size for intermediate frequency device applications.     

Langasite, langanite, and langatate bulk-wave Y-cut resonators

Materials in the langasite family are of current interest for both bulk wave and surface wave devices. Piano-convex Y-cut bulk wave resonators have been built and tested on overtones 1 through 9 using LGS (langasite; La(3)Ga(5)SiO(14)), LGN (langanite; La(3)Ga(5.5)Nb(0.5)O(14)), and LGT (langatate; La(3)Ga(5.5)Ta(5.5)O(14)). Frequencies and motional inductances are compared with calculated values, with good agreement except for the motional inductance of LGT. For all three materials, frequency variation is an essentially parabolic function of temperature. For LGN and LGT, reported values of the Q-frequency product are significantly above the classical limit for AT-cut quartz. A maximum 4 f value of 25.6x10(6), where frequency is in megahertz;, was observed for an LGT resonator; for an unplated resonator, 29.2x10(6) was measured. Still higher values are believed possible.     

Temperature-stable double SAW resonators

The temperature stability of SAW resonators on quartz can be enhanced by means of double resonators. The turnover temperatures of the double resonators' components, called single resonators, are positioned above and below room temperature. As a consequence, the temperature coefficients of frequency of the 1st order (TCF1) have opposite signs at room temperature, leading to the vanishing TCF1 of the double resonators. Frequently, different turnover temperatures are adjusted by different propagation directions on an ST cut of quartz. An overview of known and new methods for compensating the temperature coefficient of frequency of the 2nd order (TCF2) of two-port and one-port SAW double resonators is given. A concept by means of which temperature-stable circuits of single resonators are found is described. Two types of temperature-stable double resonators found by applying that concept are treated in detail: 1) a two-port resonator composed of two cascaded two-port resonators and a coupling inductance, and 2) a one-port resonator comprising a series connection of one-port resonators with an inductance in parallel with each single resonator. The substrates are 35.5 degrees rotY cuts of quartz. In both cases, the shift of resonance frequency within the temperature range from -30 degrees C to 70 degrees C is smaller than 20 ppm.     

Stress-sensitivity mapping for surface acoustic waves on quartz

A model is presented, relating the velocity shifts of surface acoustic waves (SAW) to the six tensor components of quasistatic stresses. Stress sensitivity is then defined through six independent coefficients, whatever the origin of the stress (direct external forces, thermoelastic stresses) might be. These coefficients, depending on crystal anisotropy, are computed for different cut angles and propagation directions of quartz crystal, and represented as a contour-line mapping. The determination of SAW quartz cuts compensated for both planar isotropic stresses and first-order temperature effects make it possible to define a family of quartz cuts with potentially low stress and temperature sensitivities for oscillator applications.     

Surface and pseudo surface acoustic waves in langatate: predictions and measurements

Langatate (LGT, La/sub 3/Ga/sub 5.5/Ta/sub 0.5/O/sub 14/) is a recent addition to materials of the trigonal crystal class 32. In this paper SAW contour plots of the phase velocity (v/sub p/), the electromechanical coupling coefficient (K/sup 2/), the temperature coefficient of delay (TCD), and the power flow angle (PFA), are given showing the orientations in space in which high coupling is obtained, with the corresponding TCD, PFA, and vp characteristics for these orientations. This work reports experimental results on the SAW temperature fractional frequency variation (/spl Delta/f/fo) and the TCD for several LGT orientations on the plane with Euler angles: (0/spl deg/, 132/spl deg/, /spl psi/). The temperature behavior has been measured directly on SAW wafers from 10 to 200/spl deg/C, and the results are compared with numerical predictions using our recently measured temperature coefficients for LGT material constants. This research also has uncovered temperature compensated orientations, which we have experimentally verified with parabolic behavior, turnover temperatures in the 130 to 160/spl deg/C range, and /spl Delta/f/fo within 1000 ppm variation from 10 to 260/spl deg/C, appropriate for higher temperature device applications. Regarding the pseudo surface acoustic waves (PSAWs), results of calculations are presented for both the PSAW and the high velocity PSAW (HVPSAW) for some selected, rotated cuts. This study shows that propagation losses for the PSAWs of about 0.01 dB/wavelength, and phase velocities approximately 20% higher than that of the SAW, exist along specific orientations for the PSAW, thus showing the potential for somewhat higher frequency SAW device applications on this material, if required.     

Influence of metal thickness on phase velocity and thermal sensitivity of SAW devices

Most surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices exhibit a very small sensitivity to thermal effects. However, even on intrinsically compensated crystal cuts, the deposition of metal strips at the surface (transducers or reflectors) induces important changes in the thermoelastic properties of the device. A theoretical approach based on the Sinha-Tiersten perturbation method is proposed to model the influence of metallization on SAW properties on (ST, X) quartz, namely the temperature stability of the phase velocity of Rayleigh waves. Because this perturbation method only gives access to the first-order temperature coefficient of frequency (TCF), it is combined with a conventional calculation of the second-order TCF to predict the evolution of the turnover temperature. The proposed calculation also requires temperature derivatives of the elastic constants of the metal, which can be calculated for different materials. Finally, theoretical results are compared with experimental data measured on SAW devices on (ST, X) quartz, using aluminum gratings     

Optimal cuts of langasite, La3Ga5SiO14 for SAW devices

The results of a theoretical and experimental investigation of the SAW propagation characteristics in an optimal region of langasite defined by the Euler angles φ from -15° to +10°, &thetas; from 120° to 165°, and ψ from 20° to 45° are presented. Based on temperature coefficients of the elastic constants derived from experimental data, some optimal orientations of langasite characterized by high electromechanical coupling factor (k²), zero power flow angle (PFA) and low or zero temperature coefficient of frequency (TCF) were found. The SAW velocity in the region of interest is highly anisotropic; this results in a significant amount of diffraction, which must be taken into account in the search for orientations useful for SAW devices. An orientation having simultaneously zero PFA, zero TCF, negligible diffraction, and relatively high piezoelectric coupling has been found and verified experimentally. The experimental results are in excellent agreement with the calculated SAW characteristics. The frequency response of a SAW device fabricated on the optimal cut of langasite is presented and demonstrates that high performance SAW filters can be realized on this optimal cut of langasite     

Whispering-gallery mode technique applied to the measurement of the dielectric properties of Langasite between 4 K and 300 K

We report new measurements of dielectric properties of Lanthanum gallium silicate (Langasite or LGS) conducted with the whispering-gallery mode technique at microwave frequencies and between 4.2 K and 300 K. The real part of the permittivity tensor of LGS presents two components having temperature coefficients of opposite sign. This unique property enables the design of a temperature compensated resonator that may be useful in building stable microwave oscillators or filters. We report also the first measurements of the two independent components of the imaginary part of the permittivity tensor. It appears LGS is a relatively high-loss dielectric material compared with sapphire or quartz.     

Temperature Characteristics of Surface Acoustic Waves Propagating on La3Ga5SiO4 Substrates

Langasite (LGS) is a novel piezoelectric crystal. The authors numerically analyses the temperature stability of surface acoustic waves (SAW) and the relation of SAW propagation with temperature on certain optimal cuts on LGS in this paper. The results show that LGS has better temperature stability than traditional piezo crystals. The results also demonstrate that the velocity of SAW decrease with temperature, the electro-mechanical coupling constant (k2) and temperature coefficient of frequency increases parabolically and the power flow angle increases linearly on certain optimal cuts of LGS. The calculation result compared with the experimental and show good agreement.     

Small and low-loss IF SAW filters using zinc oxide film on quartz substrate

It was previously reported that a Rayleigh wave propagating on a zinc oxide film (ZnO)/ST-cut 35 degrees X propagation quartz substrate structure has the characteristics of an excellent temperature coefficient of frequency (TCF) and a large electromechanical coupling factor k(s). This substrate was applied to various intermediate-frequency (IF) stage filters. During the filter development, it was clarified that a spurious response due to the Love wave was generated. In this study, a new quartz substrate has been developed with a specific cut and propagation angle, that has the same values of the TCF and the coupling factor as the above-mentioned ones. In addition, it does not have the spurious response due to the Love wave. The combination of this specific-cut-angle quartz and ZnO film has been applied to IF filters for wideband code division multiple access (W-CDMA) and narrow-band CDMA (N-CDMA) systems. The insertion losses of their IF filters were 3-5 dB better and their TCF was superior (deltaf/f = 0.37 ppm/degrees C: one-third) compared with the conventional surface acoustic wave (SAW) filters.     

Investigation on SAW properties of LGS and optimal cuts for high-temperature applications

A promising perspective for surface acoustic wave (SAW) device applications at high temperature has been opened by langasite (LGS). The SAW properties of LGS in singly and doubly rotated cuts at 250 degrees C are investigated. Three noticeable regions for SAW-cut orientations and propagation directions at high temperature are put forward and are defined by Euler angles [0 degrees, 20 degrees --> 50 degrees, 35 degrees --> 45 degrees], [0 degrees, 85 degrees --> 110 degrees, 0 degrees --> 5 degrees], and [0 degrees, 138 degrees --> 145 degrees, 20 degrees --> 23 degrees], respectively. The first region includes zero or comparatively reduced temperature coefficient of delay (TCD) (<2 ppm) and smaller electromechanical coupling factor (K2) (0.2%-0.35%); the second one exhibits higher K2 (0.35%-0.45%) and moderate TCD (<5 ppm); and the highest K2 (>0.45%) and larger TCD (25-30 ppm) characterize the last region. For some typical orientations within the above-mentioned three regions, the temperature dependency of SAW characteristics (up to 1000 degrees C) is discussed. The second region [0 degrees, 85 degrees --> 110 degrees, 0 degrees --> 5 degrees], especially the orientation [0 degrees, 90 degrees, 0 degrees], has better comprehensive characteristics of SAW and is more suitable for high-temperature applications. Therefore, we should give a top priority to the orientation [0 degrees, 90 degrees, 0 degrees] in the design of SAW devices operating at high temperature. Comparison between published experimental results and numerical predictions based on LGS constants and their temperature coefficients available in the literature reveals that the theoretical results of TCD under 250 degrees C are in agreement with the experimental ones (the relative error of TCD is within 10%).     

新型压电晶体锗酸镓锶与硅酸镓镧声表面波传播特性的研究

新型压电晶体Sr₃Ga₂Ge₄O₁₄(SGG)在声表面波传感器方面有潜在的应用前景. 根据最新的关于锗酸镓锶的特性报道, 理论计算了SGG在X切、Y切和Z切上的声表面波(SAW)传播特性(相速度、机电耦合系数、能流角). 与类质同构体LGS相比较, SGG晶体表现出了更优异的机电特性.     

Elastic and piezoelectric properties of La3Ga5SiO14 and La3Ga5.5Ta0.5O14: an application of resonant ultrasound spectroscopy

The electromechanical properties of La/sub 3/Ga/sub 5/SiO/sub 14/ (LGS) and La/sub 3/Ga/sub 5.5/Ta/sub 0.5/O/sub 14/ (LGT) have been studied at room temperature on 25 samples using resonant ultrasound spectroscopy (RUS). The RUS method facilitates simultaneous determination of all independent elastic and piezoelectric constants of a sample within the same frequency range and yields sample parameters with high internal consistency. Consequently, the spread of the experimental results presented here is significantly lower than the scatter of literature data obtained by different experimental techniques.     

A new triply rotated quartz cut for the fabrication of low loss IF SAW filters

Analysis of the quartz properties shows the existence of unexplored angular domains for which Rayleigh waves can be efficiently excited, exhibiting physical characteristics better than the ones of the (ST,X) cut. This paper presents a family of quartz cuts allowing significant improvements of surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices on quartz. A first set of experiments has been performed, confirming the theoretical predictions of the basic properties of SAW on these cuts. A second set of measurements then was achieved to refine the identification of coefficients needed to perform industrial SAW design. A demonstration of the improvements accessible using this new cut is presented. A low loss SAW filter working at 71 MHz has been fabricated using smaller aluminum thickness than that for standard quartz cuts, and exhibiting all the properties required for its industrial implementation.     

Force-frequency effect of Y-cut langanite and Y-cut langatate

Most recently, langasite and its isomorphs (LGX) have been advanced as potential substitutes for quartz, owing to their extremely high-quality (Q) factors. At least twice higher Q value of LGX than that of quartz has been reported. High Q translates into potentially greater stability. In order to make such materials practical, the environmental sensitivities must be addressed. One of such sensitivities is the force-frequency effect, which relates the sensitiveness of a resonator to shock and vibration via the third-order (non-Hookean) elastic constants. In this paper, we report measured force-frequency coefficients of a Y-cut langanite (LGN) resonator and a Y-cut langatate (LGT) resonator as a function of the azimuthal angle, which is the angle between the crystalline X-axis of a resonator plate and the direction of in-plane diametric force applied to the periphery of the resonator. It was found that the LGN and the LGT behave like AT-cut quartz in the polarity of the frequency changes and the existence of zero-coefficient angle. The maximum magnitudes of the coefficients of the LGN and the LGT are five and seven times smaller than that of stress-compensated cut (SC-cut) quartz, respectively (or, 7 and 10 times smaller comparing to AT-cut quartz). The coefficients of planar-stress, which represent the superposition of a continuous distribution of periphery stresses, also were obtained as 0.52/spl times/10/sup -15/ m/spl middot/s/N and 0.38/spl times/10/sup -15/ m/spl middot/s/N for the LGN and the LGT, respectively.     

Modeling for temperature compensation and temperature characterizations of BAW resonators at GHz frequencies

This paper deals with the temperature dependence of electrical and physical features of various kinds of solidly mounted resonators (SMR). The presented bulk acoustic wave (BAW) devices are designed for the 2 GHz application. The temperature coefficient of frequency (TCF) is determined from measurements well above the temperature range defined for wireless telecommunication system specifications. Therefore, evolution of electromechanical coupling factors and quality factors at resonance and antiresonance are also monitored. Results of characterizations show the trend for a subsequent theoretical temperature compensation study by using analytical modeling. To improve accuracy of modeling, an attempt to extract temperature dependence of dielectric permittivity epsilon(33) and piezoelectric coefficient e(33) is made. Finally, a well-known analytical model is modified to take into account the temperature dependence of length, density, stiffness coefficient, dielectric permittivity, and piezoelectric coefficient. Modeling highlights the need to deposit a material with positive temperature coefficient of stiffness on the top electrode. Realistic thickness of such a layer is determined. At the same time, it is necessary to adjust piezoelectric and electrode thin film thicknesses for simultaneously keeping a constant antiresonance frequency, reaching a zero temperature coefficient of frequency for antiresonance, and minimizing the decrease in the coupling factor because of the mass-loading deposition.     

Measurements of LGS,LGN, and LGT thermal coefficients of expansion and density

This paper will report on the measurements of the thermal coefficients of expansion and density of langasite (LGS), langanite (LGN), and langatate (LGT). The data were obtained by fabricating cubes with X, Y, and Z faces with nominal dimensions of 1 cm on a side for each material under test. The techniques used for measurement of density and thermal coefficients of expansion (TCE) of the materials are discussed. The data sets obtained and the extracted coefficients are presented     

Lithium tetraborate transducers

Lithium tetraborate is a tetragonal material of considerable promise for frequency control and signal processing applications. It exhibits piezoelectric coupling values that fall between those of lithium niobate and quartz, but possesses orientations for which the temperature coefficient of frequency and delay time is zero for bulk and surface acoustic waves. The properties of two doubly rotated bulk wave resonator orientations having first- and second-order temperature coefficients equal to zero are discussed. These are suitable for shear and compressional wave transducers in applications where very low temperature sensitivity is required simultaneously with moderately strong piezocoupling coefficients.     

Micromachined resonant temperature sensors: theoretical and experimental results

Describes the study of quartz temperature sensors based on new bulk acoustic wave microresonators operating in thickness modes. First, we compare the thermal sensitivity and the electromechanical coupling coefficients of singly or doubly rotated cuts. These investigations allow us to select some cuts with both a good thermal sensitivity and piezoelectric characteristics. In the second part, emphasis is placed on the micromachining of resonators suspended by four bridges. These two theoretical considerations lead to the choice of three cuts. Experimental measurements are then presented. The temperature-frequency characteristics of the resonators are measured over the range 20 to 100 degrees C. Motional resistances and Q factors are determined at room temperature.