Spurious Mode Suppression Research Articles

Double Busbar Tilted Structure for Low-Temperature Drift and Spurious Modes Suppression in SAW Resonators Using 64° YX-LN Thin Plate

Double Busbar Tilted Structure for Low-Temperature Drift and Spurious Modes Suppression in SAW Resonators Using 64° YX-LN Thin Plate

Edge treatment for spurious mode suppression in thin-film lithium niobate resonators

Thin-film lithium niobate is an attractive material for RF acoustic devices because of its high electromechanical coupling. However, due to the large coupling and the high anisotropy, thin-film lithium niobate resonators are prone to accidental resonances called spurious modes. These modes compromise the frequency response of the resonators, limiting their use in filter and oscillator applications. In this work, we present a novel method of spurious mode suppression through a special edge treatment etch process. Two thin-film lithium niobate resonators were fabricated, one with smooth sidewalls and one with the edge treatment. It was found that the edge-treated resonators show a weaker spurious mode response. This is potentially a new way to mitigate spurious resonances, a major issue in lithium niobate Lamb wave devices.

Enhancement in performance of SAW resonator on LN/SiC substrate by take slowness asymmetry into account

Abstract Layered structures comprising high-coupling lithium niobate (LiNbO3, LN) piezoelectric thin plates bonded to high-velocity SiC substrates have attracted much attention of high-performance surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices. However, such these layered structures exhibit severe Rayleigh mode spurious responses that degrade the performances of SAW devices. This paper explores the generation mechanism of spurious modes on LN/SiC layered structure, and proposes an optimized layered structure with suppressed Rayleigh spurious modes. The investigation involves deriving the Euler angle range of LN by analysing the slowness surface of both LN and SiC. In addition, it is worth noting that slowness surface overlaps at some Euler angle ranges, which will cause coupling between different modes, thus generating spurious mode. Simulation result shows the frequency characteristics of SAW resonator at resonant and anti-resonant frequencies of 4.3 GHz and 4.88 GHz of SH mode, achieving a K 2 of up to 26.5% and a quality factor Q of 828. It is proved that the optimization structure offering larger K 2, higher velocity and improved Q values and Rayleigh spurious mode suppression, which is favourable for wideband and high frequency SAW devices applications.

A Comprehensive Approach for Total Suppression of In-Band Spurious Modes in UHF Al0.72Sc0.28N Lamb Wave Resonators and Filters

A Comprehensive Approach for Total Suppression of In-Band Spurious Modes in UHF Al_0.72Sc_0.28N Lamb Wave Resonators and Filters

Suppression of spurious modes in lateral-excited bulk acoustic wave resonators using piston mode electrodes

Suppression of spurious modes in lateral-excited bulk acoustic wave resonators using piston mode electrodes

Investigation of spurious mode suppression in 3.8 GHz shear-horizontal mode surface acoustic wave resonators based on LiNbO3/SiO2/Si multilayer structure

LiNbO3(LN)/SiO2/Si multilayer structures have recently attracted much attention due to their superior performance in realizing wideband radio-frequency acoustic filters. However, the spurious modes, which are commonly found in LN-on-insulator (LNOI) resonators, often cause in-band ripples and a deteriorated out-of-band suppression level. Although much research work has been done on the suppression of spurious modes in LNOI resonators operating in the <3 GHz region, little has been reported for >3 GHz devices. This work investigates the spurious mode suppression techniques for a 3.8 GHz shear-horizontal mode 36° YX-LNOI surface acoustic wave (SAW) device based on an LN/SiO2/Si multilayer structure. Specifically, we explore different techniques based on apodized electrodes, dummy electrodes and a double busbar structure. The measured results show that the effect of spurious mode suppression can be improved by combining the benefits of these techniques, which provides a promising solution for designing spurious-free LNOI SAW resonators operating above 3 GHz.

High-Performance SAW Resonator with Spurious Mode Suppression Using Hexagonal Weighted Electrode Structure.

Surface acoustic wave resonators are widely applied in electronics, communication, and other engineering fields. However, the spurious modes generally present in resonators can cause deterioration in device performance. Therefore, this paper proposes a hexagonal weighted structure to suppress them. With the construction of a finite element resonator model, the parameters of the interdigital transducer (IDT) and the area of the dummy finger weighting are determined. The spurious waves are confined within the dummy finger area, whereas the main mode is less affected by this structure. To verify the suppression effect of the simulation, resonators with conventional and hexagonal weighted structures are fabricated using the micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) process. After the S-parameter test of the prepared resonators, the hexagonal weighted resonators achieve a high level of spurious mode suppression. Their properties are superior to those of the conventional structure, with a higher Q value (10,406), a higher minimum return loss (25.7 dB), and a lower ratio of peak sidelobe (19%). This work provides a feasible solution for the design of SAW resonators to suppress spurious modes.

High performance SAW resonator with spurious mode suppression using double-layer electrode transverse modulation

This work aims to solve the problem of tradeoff between various properties and spurious mode suppression in surface acoustic wave (SAW) resonators. A high-angle rotated Y-cut LiNbO3 (LN)/SiO2/Si multilayered structure was proposed to balance the electromechanical coupling coefficient (K 2) and temperature coefficient of frequency (TCF), and the propagation characteristics of Rayleigh mode were simulated by the finite element method. For the widely existing spurious modes, the shear-horizontal wave and longitudinal modes were eliminated by optimizing the cut angle of LN and electrode thickness, and a method of double-layer electrode transverse modulation was proposed to suppress the transverse modes. This method reduces the mass loading effect by replacing the electrode from Cu to Cu/Al. Moreover, the Al thicknesses in different regions are changed to perform the transverse modulation, and thus a widespread suppression of transverse modes is achieved by exciting the piston mode and enhancing the energy constraint, with a significant improvement on quality factor at the resonance frequency. Eventually, the spurious-free SAW resonator has the K 2 of 9.5% and the TCF close to zero. This work provides a feasible scheme for the design of high performance SAW resonators with spurious mode suppression.

Study of the Performance Enhancement of Sc-Doped AlN Super High Frequency Cross-Sectional Lamé Mode Resonators

The increasing use of mobile broadband requires new acoustic filtering technologies that can operate efficiently at frequencies above 6 GHz. Previous research has shown that AlN Super High Frequency (SHF) Cross-Sectional Lamé Mode resonators (CLMRs) can address this challenge, but their performance is limited by the piezoelectric strength of AlN. In this work, we explore the use of substitutional doping of Al in AlN with Sc to enhance the kt2 values of SHF CLMRs. Our results showed that the measured kt2·Qm product of Al72Sc28N CLMRs was four times greater than that of AlN CLMRs operating at the same frequency. Additionally, the measured fractional bandwidth (FWB) of Al72Sc28N 2nd order ladder filters was 4.13%, a fourfold improvement over AlN filters with the same design. We also discuss other aspects of the technology, such as power handling, losses, and spurious mode suppression, and identify potential areas for future research.

Stepped electrode designs of TSM langasite resonators for high-temperature applications

In this paper, we report the simulation and fabrication of thickness-shear mode langasite resonators with stepped elliptical electrode designs to investigate their effects on energy trapping and suppression of spurious modes at elevated temperatures. Finite element analysis was conducted to analyze the design of a stepped elliptical electrode on a contoured langasite crystal. Based on the simulation findings, langasite resonators with stepped electrodes were fabricated, and their displacement profiles and frequency–temperature properties were characterized using network analysis and laser Doppler vibrometry. Results demonstrate improved frequency separation between the resonant and spurious modes, and enhanced spurious mode suppression at both room and higher temperatures, suggesting that stepped elliptical electrode designs can effectively enhance the sensing performance of langasite resonators.

Large-Range Spurious Mode Elimination for Wideband SAW Filters on LiNbO₃/SiO₂/Si Platform by LiNbO₃ Cut Angle Modulation.

A LiNbO3 (LN)/SiO2/Si multilayered structure was recently reported as a new platform for achieving wideband radio frequency (RF) filters. However, the in-band ripples in filters resulting from the spurious Rayleigh mode lead to deteriorated performance, and thus, a wide Rayleigh elimination window (REW) is highly desired for realizing spurious-free wideband surface acoustic wave (SAW) filters with a wide design space and good process tolerance. Here, we investigated the spurious mode suppression on the LN/SiO2/Si platform theoretically and experimentally through modulating the cut angle ( θ ) of LN. The K2 dispersion characteristics of the main mode (shear-horizontal wave) and spurious mode (Rayleigh wave) on LN/SiO2/Si substrates were systematically analyzed by the finite-element method (FEM), along with bulk LN for comparison. It is found that the REW is wider on LN/SiO2/Si than bulk LN, as Rayleigh wave can be totally eliminated with Cu electrode normalized thickness ( [Formula: see text]) ranging from 0.1 to 0.19 when θ is between 19° and 22° on the LN/SiO2/Si platform, in contrast to the quite narrow REW on bulk LN restricted to some specific [Formula: see text]. To verify the simulation results, resonators were prepared on 15°YX-LN/SiO2/Si, 20°YX-LN/SiO2/Si, bulk 15°YX-LN, and bulk 20°YX-LN. In addition, the typical spurious-free wideband SAW filter with [Formula: see text] nm based on the 20°YX-LN/SiO2/Si platform demonstrates high performance with a center frequency ( [Formula: see text]) of 1.27 GHz, a minimum insertion loss (ILmin) of 0.7 dB, and a 3-dB fractional bandwidth (FBW) of ~20.1%. This work provides a workable solution in fabricating spurious-free wideband and low-loss SAW filters for fifth-generation (5G) applications.

AlN/Al0.8Sc0.2N film S mode lamb wave resonator with spurious mode suppression

High-performance Lamb wave devices have a vast application prospect in modern wireless communication systems. This paper proposes a method of spurious mode suppression by reducing the overlap length of electrodes according to modal shapes. The AlN/Al0.8Sc0.2N composite film is used to achieve a trade-off between electromechanical coupling coefficient (kt2) and Q factor. The finite-element analysis (FEA) is employed to study the performance of the lowest-order symmetric mode (S0) Lamb wave resonators (LWRs), and the FEA result shows a spurious mode in the impedance response. According to the results of modal shape analysis, the typical LWR, the LWR with the circle-shaped arrangement of electrodes, the LWR with the circle-shaped apodization, and the LWR with the arc-shaped apodization are fabricated to suppress the spurious mode and investigate the performance of the LWRs. The measurement results show that the spurious mode is effectively suppressed over a wide frequency range (1.9–2.2 GHz) by the three designed electrode configurations. The LWR with the circle-shaped apodization working at 2.023 GHz has a Qp factor of 955, a moderate kt2 of 2.97%, a figure-of-merit (Q×kt2) of 28.4, and a large value of f×Q×kt2 (5.773 × 1010). Utilizing modal shapes to design the electrode configuration of LWRs can suppress spurious modes without significant performance deterioration.

Fractional Bandwidth up to 24% and Spurious Free SAW Filters on Bulk 15°YX-LiNbO3 Substrates Using Thickness-Modulated IDT Structures

To cope with ubiquitous wireless connectivity and the increased and faster data delivery in 5G communication, surface acoustic wave (SAW) filters are progressively requiring wider bandwidths. Conventional bulk 15°YX-LiNbO3 substrates with a large coupling coefficient (K2) are attractive for the low-cost mass production of wideband SAW filters, but these generally suffer from spurious responses, limiting their practical application. In this work, a novel and simple SAW configuration is proposed that uses thickness-modulated interdigital transducer (IDT) structures to overcome the limitations set by spurious responses. Different from the conventional design where the thicknesses of the IDT electrodes in the series and parallel resonators generally kept the same, the proposed configuration adopts IDT electrodes of different thicknesses in the series and shunt resonators to suppress or remove unwanted spurious Rayleigh modes from the filter passband. Two different ultra-wideband SAW filter designs employing thickness-modulated IDTs were designed and fabricated to validate the effective suppression of spurious modes. The SAW filters experimentally featured spurious-free responses in the passband as well as a large 3 dB fractional bandwidth (FBW) in the 18.0% and 24.1% ranges and low insertion losses below 1 dB. This work can significantly broaden the range of applications for SAW devices and can open a pathway to commercialize ultra-wideband SAW filters in 5G communication systems.

Analysis of high electromechanical coupling coefficient zinc oxide Lame’ mode resonators and a design technique for spurious mode mitigation

This paper presents an exhaustive analysis on Zinc Oxide based modified Lame’ mode resonators. Extensive analytical study describing the operating principles of the resonator is presented and comparisons with finite element (FE) simulation results show excellent agreement. Subsequently, the effect of electrode configuration, type of metal used for electrode, electrode coverage ratio and electrode thickness on the effective electromechanical coupling coefficient (Keff2) is analyzed from which electrode configurations that can offer best values for Lame’ modes on rectangular plates are suggested. On this basis, a remarkably high coupling coefficient (i.e. about 14.5% simulated) is achieved. In addition, a method of mitigating in-band spurious modes without causing a significant change on the resonant frequency and coupling coefficient is demonstrated. In this setting, the simulated results offered a spurious free resonance with a sufficient suppression of spurious modes without inducing a performance degradation on the main mode.

Engineering the microwave to infrared noise photon flux for superconducting quantum systems

Electromagnetic filtering is essential for the coherent control, operation and readout of superconducting quantum circuits at milliKelvin temperatures. The suppression of spurious modes around transition frequencies of a few GHz is well understood and mainly achieved by on-chip and package considerations. Noise photons of higher frequencies – beyond the pair-breaking energies – cause decoherence and require spectral engineering before reaching the packaged quantum chip. The external wires that pass into the refrigerator and go down to the quantum circuit provide a direct path for these photons. This article contains quantitative analysis and experimental data for the noise photon flux through coaxial, filtered wiring. The attenuation of the coaxial cable at room temperature and the noise photon flux estimates for typical wiring configurations are provided. Compact cryogenic microwave low-pass filters with CR-110 and Esorb-230 absorptive dielectric fillings are presented along with experimental data at room and cryogenic temperatures up to 70 GHz. Filter cut-off frequencies between 1 to 10 GHz are set by the filter length, and the roll-off is material dependent. The relative dielectric permittivity and magnetic permeability for the Esorb-230 material in the pair-breaking frequency range of 75 to 110 GHz are measured, and the filter properties in this frequency range are calculated. The estimated dramatic suppression of the noise photon flux due to the filter proves its usefulness for experiments with superconducting quantum systems.

E-textile slot antenna with spurious mode suppression and low SAR for medical wearable applications

In this paper, electronic textile (E-textile) antenna design, with spurious mode suppression and low specific absorption rate (SAR), at a nearest distance of 1 mm from on-body phantom is investigated. The textile antenna is designed using a denim substrate material with conductive patch as a radiating element. The slots are introduced on the patch for spurious mode suppression so that external radio frequency components can be integrated with textile antenna without hampering the efficiency of the body area network system. The measured bandwidth of the proposed antenna is 100 MHz (2.39–2.49 GHz) in the 2.45 GHz ISM frequency band with broadside radiation pattern. The radiation pattern at spurious mode is suppressed by 5 dB without any change in the resonance frequency of fundamental mode. Besides, considering human safety for wearable devices, the SAR values average over 1 g of tissue are 0.208, 0.106 and 0.087 W/Kg at a distance of 1, 3 and 5 mm from on-body phantom, respectively.

Microwave Package Design for Superconducting Quantum Processors

Solid-state qubits with transition frequencies in the microwave regime, such as superconducting qubits, are at the forefront of quantum information processing. However, high-fidelity, simultaneous control of superconducting qubits at even a moderate scale remains a challenge, partly due to the complexities of packaging these devices. Here, we present an approach to microwave package design focusing on material choices, signal line engineering, and spurious mode suppression. We describe design guidelines validated using simulations and measurements used to develop a 24-port microwave package. Analyzing the qubit environment reveals no spurious modes up to 11GHz. The material and geometric design choices enable the package to support qubits with lifetimes exceeding 350 {\mu}s. The microwave package design guidelines presented here address many issues relevant for near-term quantum processors.

High-Q multi-frequency ring-shaped piezoelectric MEMS resonators

While MEMS resonators are emerging as a promising integrated clock-chip solution, often quality factor (Q) and spurious modes limit device performance. Moreover, realizing high-Q and multi-frequency simultaneously in a piezoelectric MEMS resonator is still comparatively difficult. In this research, a ring-shaped MEMS resonator outfitted with optimized electrodes was proposed to significantly suppress undesired resonant modes and then boosts the Q of rest resonant modes. To systematically explore the proposed design, numerical and experimental investigations were performed, revealing that the presence of optimized electrodes helps to counterpoise distributions of surface charge density and displacement current density in vertical direction, thereby results in the suppression of spurious modes. The maximum unloaded quality factor (Qu) of the fabricated ring-shaped resonators was up to 10,069 ​at 83.59 ​MHz. The measurement results of the resonator with optimized electrodes yielded three resonant modes with Qu large than 5,000, indicating that the high-Q and multi-frequency ring-shaped resonator was satisfactorily achieved.

A tunable ferroelectric based unreleased RF resonator

This paper introduces the first tunable ferroelectric capacitor (FeCAP)-based unreleased RF MEMS resonator, integrated seamlessly in Texas Instruments’ 130 nm Ferroelectric RAM (FeRAM) technology. The designs presented here are monolithically integrated in solid-state CMOS technology, with no post-processing or release step typical of other MEMS devices. An array of FeCAPs in this complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology’s back-end-of-line (BEOL) process were used to define the acoustic resonance cavity as well as the electromechanical transducers. To achieve high quality factor (Q) of the resonator, acoustic waveguiding for vertical confinement within the CMOS stack is studied and optimized. Additional design considerations are discussed to obtain lateral confinement and suppression of spurious modes. An FeCAP resonator is demonstrated with fundamental resonance at 703 MHz and Q of 1012. This gives a frequency-quality factor product f cdot Q = 7.11 times 10^{11} which is 1.6× higher than the most state-of-the-art Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 (PZT) resonators. Due to the ferroelectric characteristics of the FeCAPs, transduction of the resonator can be switched on and off by adjusting the electric polarization. In this case, the resonance can be turned off completely at ±0.3 V corresponding to the coercive voltage of the constituent FeCAP transducers. These novel switchable resonators may have promising applications in on-chip timing, ad-hoc radio front ends, and chip-scale sensors.

High Fundamental Frequency (HFF) Monolithic Resonator Arrays for Biosensing Applications: Design, Simulations, Experimental Characterization

Miniaturized, high-throughput, cost-effective sensing devices are needed to advance lab-on-a-chip technologies for healthcare, security, environmental monitoring, food safety, and research applications. Quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCMD) is a promising technology for the design of such sensing devices, but its applications have been limited, until now, by low throughput and significant costs. In this work, we present the design and characterization of 24-element monolithic QCMD arrays for high-throughput and low-volume sensing applications in liquid. Physical properties such as geometry and roughness, and electrical properties such as resonance frequency, quality factor, spurious mode suppression, and interactions between array elements (crosstalk), are investigated in detail. In particular, we show that the scattering parameter, S21, commonly measured experimentally to investigate crosstalk, contains contributions from the parasitic grounding effects associated with the acquisition circuitry. Finite element method simulations do not take grounding effects into account explicitly. However, these effects can be effectively modelled with appropriate equivalent circuit models, providing clear physical interpretation of the different contributions. We show that our array design avoids unwanted interactions between elements and discuss in detail aspects of measuring these interactions that are often-overlooked.