Abstract
The addition of active, nonlinear, and nonreciprocal functionalities to passive piezoelectric acoustic wave technologies could enable all-acoustic and therefore ultra-compact radiofrequency signal processors. Toward this goal, we present a heterogeneously integrated acoustoelectric material platform consisting of a 50 nm indium gallium arsenide epitaxial semiconductor film in direct contact with a 41° YX lithium niobate piezoelectric substrate. We then demonstrate three of the main components of an all-acoustic radiofrequency signal processor: passive delay line filters, amplifiers, and circulators. Heterogeneous integration allows for simultaneous, independent optimization of the piezoelectric-acoustic and electronic properties, leading to the highest performing surface acoustic wave amplifiers ever developed in terms of gain per unit length and DC power dissipation, as well as the first-ever demonstrated acoustoelectric circulator with an isolation of 46 dB with a pulsed DC bias. Finally, we describe how the remaining components of an all-acoustic radiofrequency signal processor are an extension of this work.
Highlights
The addition of active, nonlinear, and nonreciprocal functionalities to passive piezoelectric acoustic wave technologies could enable all-acoustic and ultra-compact radiofrequency signal processors
The acoustoelectric effect arises in our platform due to charge bunching mediated by the interaction between charge carriers in the semiconductor and the evanescent electric field that accompanies the piezoelectric SAW26
While our acoustoelectric circulator provides a significantly improved device footprint and a better path forward for on-chip integration compared to commercial circulators that require ferrite-based magnetic materials, further improvements are required to reduce insertion losses, reduce DC power dissipation, enable continuous operation, and improve RF power handling and device linearity
Summary
The addition of active, nonlinear, and nonreciprocal functionalities to passive piezoelectric acoustic wave technologies could enable all-acoustic and ultra-compact radiofrequency signal processors. In addition to passive delay lines on 41° YX LiNbO3, we demonstrate a 276 MHz acoustic wave amplifier with a terminal gain of 13.5 dB in a Air
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