SAW COM-parameter extraction in AlN/diamond layered structures

Highly c-axis oriented aluminum nitride (AlN) thin piezoelectric films have been grown on polycrystalline diamond substrates by pulsed direct current (DC) magnetron reactive sputter-deposition. The films were deposited at a substrate temperature below 50/spl deg/C (room temperature) and had a typical full width half maximum (FWHM) value of the rocking curve of the AlN-002-peak of 2.1 degrees. A variety of one-port surface acoustic wave (SAW) resonators have been designed and fabricated on top of the AlN films. The measurements indicate that various SAW modes are excited. The SAW phase velocities of up to 11.800 m/s have been measured. These results are in agreement with calculated dispersion curves of the AlN/diamond structure. Finally, the coupling of modes parameters have been extracted from S/sub 11/ measurements using curve fitting for the first SAW mode, which indicate an effective coupling K/sup 2/ of 0.91% and a Q factor of about 600 at a frequency of 1050 MHz.     

Synthesis of C-axis-oriented AlN thin films on high-conducting layers: Al, Mo, Ti, TiN, and Ni

Thin piezoelectric polycrystalline films such as AlN, ZnO, etc., are of great interest for the fabrication of thin film bulk/surface acoustic resonators (TFBARs or TFSARs). It is well-known that the degree of c-axis orientation of the thin films correlates directly with the electromechanical coupling. However, the degree of c-axis orientation of the piezoelectric film is, in turn, influenced by other parameters such as the structure of the substrate material, the matter of whether the c-axis is up or down (polarity), and the growth parameters used. The correlation of these three aspects with the electromechanical coupling of the AlN-thin films, is studied here. Thin AlN films, prepared in a magnetron sputtering system, have been deposited onto thin Al, Mo, Ni, Ti, and TiN films. Such thin high-conducting layers are used to form the bottom electrode of TFBAR devices as well as to define a short-circuiting plane in TFSAR devices. In both cases, they serve as a substrate for the growth of the piezoelectric film. It has been found that the degree of orientation and the surface roughness of the bottom metal layer significantly affects the texture of the AlN films, and hence its electroacoustic properties. For this reason, the surface morphology and texture of the metal layers and their influence on the growth of AlN on them has been systematically studied. Finally, FBARs with both Al and Ti electrodes have been fabricated and evaluated electroacoustically.     

Removing the Active‐Site Flap in Lipase A from Candida antarctica Produces a Functional Enzyme without Interfacial Activation

A mobile region is proposed to be a flap that covers the active site of Candida antarctica lipase A. Removal of the mobile region retains the functional properties of the enzyme. Interestingly interfacial activation, required for the wild‐type enzyme, was not observed for the truncated variant, although stability, activity, and stereoselectivity were very similar for the wild‐type and variant enzymes. The variant followed classical Michaelis–Menten kinetics, unlike the wild type. Both gave the same relative specificity in the transacylation of a primary and a secondary alcohol in organic solvent. Furthermore, both showed the same enantioselectivity in transacylation of alcohols and the hydrolysis of alcohol esters, as well as in the hydrolysis of esters chiral at the acid part.     

Electrical characterization of AlN MIS and MIM structures

Aluminum nitride (AlN) thin films have been deposited on p-Si[100] and Mo-Si[100] substrates. The sputter deposited Mo was polycrystalline, predominantly showing a [110] orientation. Thin AlN films were grown under different process conditions in a physical vapor deposition (PVD) system to attain highly textured polycrystalline films as well as close to amorphous films. MIS and MIM structures were fabricated and electrical properties such as the dielectric constant, leakage current, and high-frequency behavior were investigated. It is found that the dielectric constant is 10 and does not change with the crystallinity of the films. High-frequency measurements up to 10 GHz show no frequency dispersion of the capacitance. The leakage current stays relatively constant between films and is believed to be Poole-Frenkel controlled. Capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurements for MIS structures revealed the presence of charges in the interface layer between the substrate and the dielectric film. The temperature dependence of the capacitance has also been studied.