Method for fabricating quartz-based nanoresonators

• US 20070205839A1
• Filed: 05/04/2007
• Published: 09/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HRL Laboratories LLC (The Boeing Co.)
• Original Assignee: HRL Laboratories LLC (The Boeing Co.)
• Inventors: Chang, David, Kim, Jinsoo, Kubena, Randall
• Granted Patent: US 7,750,535 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 331/158
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 2003/0414 Resonance frequency
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 2009/241 Bulk-mode MEMS resonators
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 3/04 for obtaining desired frequency or temperature coefficient
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 9/19 consisting of quartz
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/42 Piezoelectric device making
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49005 Acoustic transducer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4908 Acoustic transducer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49128 Assembling formed circuit to base
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49165 by forming conductive walled aperture in base

Abstract

A method for fabricating a quartz nanoresonator which can be integrated on a substrate, along with other electronics is disclosed. In this method a quartz substrate is bonded to a base substrate. The quartz substrate is metallized so that a bias voltage is applied to the resonator, thereby causing the quartz substrate to resonate at resonant frequency greater than 100 MHz. The quartz substrate can then be used to drive other electrical elements with a frequency equal to its resonant frequency. The quartz substrate also contains tuning pads to adjust the resonant frequency of the resonator. Additionally, a method for accurately thinning a quartz substrate of the resonator is provided. The method allows the thickness of the quartz substrate to be monitored while the quartz substrate is simultaneously thinned

Claims

1-23. -23. (canceled)

24. A resonator comprising:

a quartz substrate;

the quartz substrate having a thickness less than 10 micrometers; and

a base substrate, the quartz substrate bonded to the base substrate.

25. The resonator of claim 24, wherein the base substrate comprises a member selected from the group consisting of group III-V elements, and SiGe.

26. The resonator of claim 24, wherein at least a portion of the base substrate is removed, thereby creating a modified base substrate.

27. The resonator of claim 24, wherein the modified base substrate further comprises at least one probe pad.

28. The resonator of claim 27, wherein the quartz substrate comprises a first surface and a second surface, the resonator comprising at least one first electrode on the first surface, and at least one second electrode on the second surface.

29. The resonator of claim 28, wherein the quartz substrate further comprises at least one via connected to the at least one first electrode and the at least one second electrode, wherein the at least one via is filled with a metal.

30. The resonator of claim 29, wherein the quartz substrate further comprises at least one tuning pad located on a member of the group consisting of the first surface and the second surface for tuning the quartz substrate to a resonant frequency, and wherein a portion of the quartz substrate has been removed, thereby creating a modified quartz substrate.

31. The resonator of claim 30, wherein the bond between the base substrate and the quartz substrate further comprises a bond between the probe pad and a member selected from the group of the at least one first electrode and the at least one second electrode.

32. The resonator of claim 31, wherein the tuning pad is ablated to adjust the resonant frequency.

33. The resonator of claim 32, wherein the tuning pad is one among the at least one first electrode and the at least one second electrode.

34-42. -42. (canceled)