Photolithography and Selective Etching of an Array of Surface Mount Device 32.768 kHz Quartz Tuning Fork Resonators: Definition of Side-Wall Electrodes and Interconnections Using Stencil Mask

Abstract

In the present research, both negative (additive) and positive (subtractive) photolithographies were employed to fabricate quartz tuning forks with a resonance frequency (fR) close to 31.964 kHz and a crystal impedance (C.I.) value of 48 kΩ. The side-wall electrodes and interconnections of quartz tuning forks were subsequently defined by oblique evaporation of a nickel–chromium alloy/gold coating using a stencil mask. The assembled tuning forks were evaluated to measure resonance frequency and crystal impedance values with vacuum levels of the work chamber. The effect of an oblique evaporation angle on electrical characteristics of the tuning forks was studied.