Contour mode resonators with acoustic reflectors

• US 7,385,334 B1
• Filed: 11/20/2006
• Issued: 06/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: National Technology & Engineering Solutions Of Sandia LLC (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Sandia Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Inventors: Tuck, Melanie R., Fleming, James G., Olsson, Roy H.
• Primary Examiner(s): BUDD, MARK OSBORNE
• Application Number:
  US11/602,011
• Time in Patent Office: 568 Days
• Field of Search: 310/309, 310/320, 310/322, 310/324, 310/334, 333/189
• US Class Current: 310/322
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 2009/02503 Breath-like, e.g. Lam? mode, wine-glass mode
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 2009/241 Bulk-mode MEMS resonators
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 3/0072 of microelectro-mechanical resonators or networks micromembranes or microbeams B81B2203/01; manufacture of microstructural devices in general B81C
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 9/172 Means for mounting on a substrate, i.e. means constituting the material interface confining the waves to a volume
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 9/175 Acoustic mirrors
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 9/2431 Ring resonators

Abstract

A microelectromechanical (MEM) resonator is disclosed which has a linear or ring-shaped acoustic resonator suspended above a substrate by an acoustic reflector. The acoustic resonator can be formed with a piezoelectric material (e.g. aluminum nitride, zinc oxide or PZT), or using an electrostatically-actuated material. The acoustic reflector (also termed an acoustic mirror) uses alternating sections of a relatively low acoustic impedance Z_L material and a relatively high acoustic impedance Z_H material to isolate the acoustic resonator from the substrate. The MEM resonator, which can be formed on a silicon substrate with conventional CMOS circuitry, has applications for forming oscillators, rf filters, and acoustic sensors.

Claims

1. A microelectromechanical (MEM) resonator, comprising:

a substrate;

an acoustic resonator suspended on the substrate to produce a resonant acoustic signal in response to an electrical actuation; and

an acoustic reflector located between the acoustic resonator and the substrate to provide an acoustic isolation of the acoustic resonator, with the acoustic reflector being formed as a cantilevered plate extending substantially parallel to the substrate, and with the acoustic reflector further comprising a plurality of elongate regions of two different materials arranged side-by-side in an alternating arrangement.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein each elongate region has a width substantially equal to a one-quarter wavelength of the resonant acoustic signal, or an odd multiple thereof.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the substrate comprises silicon.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the acoustic resonator is separated from the substrate by an air gap.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the two different materials comprise tungsten and a material selected from the group consisting of silicon dioxide, aluminum nitride, and silicon.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the acoustic resonator comprises a piezoelectric material.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the piezoelectric material comprises aluminum nitride.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the acoustic resonator comprises an electrostatically-activated material.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the acoustic resonator is suspended over a cavity formed in the substrate.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the acoustic resonator further comprises a plurality of electrodes to provide the electrical actuation to produce the resonant acoustic signal, and to provide an oscillatory electrical output signal generated in the acoustic resonator by the resonant acoustic signal.

11. A microelectromechanical (MEM) resonator, comprising:

a substrate;

an acoustic resonator suspended on the substrate and having a ring shape, with the acoustic resonator producing a resonant acoustic signal in response to an electrical actuation thereof; and

an acoustic reflector located between the acoustic resonator and the substrate to provide an acoustic isolation of the acoustic resonator, with the acoustic reflector having a ring shape and further comprising a plurality of nested rings of two different alternating materials.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein each nested ring has a width which is substantially equal to a one-quarter wavelength of the resonant acoustic signal, or an odd multiple thereof.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the substrate comprises silicon.

14. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the acoustic resonator is separated from the substrate by an air gap.

15. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the two different alternating materials comprise tungsten and a material selected from the group consisting of silicon dioxide, aluminum nitride, and silicon.

16. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the acoustic resonator comprises a piezoelectric material.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the piezoelectric material comprises aluminum nitride.

18. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the acoustic resonator comprises an electrostatically-activated material.

19. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the acoustic resonator is suspended over a cavity formed in the substrate.

20. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the acoustic resonator further comprises a plurality of electrodes to provide the electrical actuation to produce the resonant acoustic signal, and to provide an oscillatory electrical output signal generated in the acoustic resonator by the resonant acoustic signal.

21. A microelectromechanical (MEM) resonator, comprising:

a substrate having a cavity formed therein;

an acoustic reflector formed as a plate and suspended at least partially over the cavity, and further comprising a plurality of elongate regions of a first material and a second material arranged side-by-side, with each elongate region having a width substantially equal to one-quarter of an acoustic wavelength; and

an acoustic resonator attached to the acoustic reflector and suspended over the cavity to produce a resonant acoustic signal, with the acoustic resonator being substantially acoustically isolated from the substrate by the acoustic reflector.

22. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein the acoustic resonator comprises a contour mode resonator.

23. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein the acoustic resonator has a ring shape.

24. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein the first material comprises tungsten, and the second material comprises a material selected from the group consisting of silicon dioxide, silicon nitride and silicon.

25. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein the acoustic resonator comprises aluminum nitride.

26. A microelectromechanical (MEM) resonator, comprising:

a substrate;

a ring resonator extending outward over a cavity formed in the substrate to generate or detect a resonant acoustic signal; and

an acoustic reflector located between the ring resonator and the substrate to acoustically decouple the ring resonator from the substrate, with the acoustic reflector further comprising a plurality of nested rings having two different alternating acoustic impedances, and with a width of each nested ring being substantially equal to a one-quarter wavelength of the resonant acoustic signal.