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Self-Heating and Quality Factor: Thermal Challenges in Aluminum Scandium Nitride Bulk Acoustic Wave Resonators

  • Yue Zheng
  • , Mingyo Park
  • , Azadeh Ansari
  • , Chao Yuan
  • , Samuel Graham

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

Understanding the thermal properties of piezoelectric thin films is essential in studying the performance and ultimate dissipation limits of bulk acoustic wave resonators. Here, we present the experimental and modeled results of thermal conductivity of the in-demand piezoelectric material aluminum scandium nitride (Al1-xScxN), with x = Sc/(Sc+Al) ratio. We construct the three-dimensional (3D) finite-element modeling (FEM) of a back-side etched thin-film bulk acoustic wave resonator (FBAR) with aluminum nitride (AlN) and Al0.7Sc0.3N thin films. Comparison reveals a 26% more temperature rise in Al0.7Sc0.3N FBAR with equal input surface heat density of 2 W/mm2. The trend is consistent with the drastic decrease of thermal conductivity with increasing x in Al1-xScxN. Consequently, as we study the upper limit of the frequency (f), quality factor (Q) product (f. Q) under phonon interactions, Al1-xScxN exhibits a greater amount of degradation due to self-heating. This work reports the first comparison of thermal properties of AlN and Al1-xScxN resonators, critical in material selection for resonator operation under high power levels.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publication21st International Conference on Solid-State Sensors, Actuators and Microsystems, TRANSDUCERS 2021
PublisherInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
Pages321-324
Number of pages4
ISBN (Electronic)9781665412674
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 20 2021
Event21st International Conference on Solid-State Sensors, Actuators and Microsystems, TRANSDUCERS 2021 - Virtual, Online, United States
Duration: Jun 20 2021Jun 25 2021

Publication series

Name21st International Conference on Solid-State Sensors, Actuators and Microsystems, TRANSDUCERS 2021

Conference

Conference21st International Conference on Solid-State Sensors, Actuators and Microsystems, TRANSDUCERS 2021
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityVirtual, Online
Period6/20/216/25/21

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Control and Optimization
  • Instrumentation

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