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1. AlScN-on-SiC microelectromechanical Lamb wave resonators operating at high temperature up to 800 °C

   https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0185606  

   Sui, Wen; Feng, Philip X-L (July 2024, Applied Physics Letters)

   We report on the experimental demonstration of aluminum scandium nitride (AlScN)-on-cubic silicon carbide (3C-SiC) Lamb wave resonators (LWRs) realized via microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology, operating at high temperature (T) up to T = 800 °C, while retaining robust electromechanical resonances at ∼27 MHz and good quality factor of Q ≈ 900 even at 800 °C. Measured resonances exhibit clear consistency and stability during heating and cooling processes, validating the AlScN-on-SiC LWRs can operate at high T up to 800 °C without noticeable degradation in moderate vacuum (∼20 mTorr). Even after undergoing four complete thermal cycles (heating from 23 to 800 °C and then cooling down to 23 °C), the devices exhibit robust resonance behavior, suggesting excellent stability and suitability for high-temperature applications. Q starts to decline as the temperature exceeds 400 °C, which can be attributed to energy dissipation mechanisms stemming from thermoelastic damping and intrinsic material loss originating from phonon–phonon interactions. 

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2. Methods to achieve ultra-high quality factor silicon nitride resonators

   https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0057881  

   Ji, Xingchen; Roberts, Samantha; Corato-Zanarella, Mateus; Lipson, Michal (July 2021, APL Photonics)

   On-chip resonators are promising candidates for applications in a wide range of integrated photonic fields, such as communications, spectroscopy, biosensing, and optical filters, due to their compact size, wavelength selectivity, tunability, and flexible structure. The high quality (Q) factor is a main positive attribute of on-chip resonators that makes it possible for them to provide high sensitivity, narrow bandpass, and low power consumption. In this Tutorial, we discuss methods to achieve ultra-high Q factor on-chip resonators on a silicon nitride (Si3N4) platform. We outline the microfabrication processes, including detailed descriptions and recipes for steps such as deposition, lithography, etch, cladding, and etch facet, and then describe the measurement of the Q factor and methods to improve it. We also discuss how to extract the basic loss limit and determine the contribution of each loss source in the waveguide and resonator. We present a modified model for calculating scattering losses, which successfully relates the measured roughness of the waveguide interface to the overall performance of the device. We conclude with a summary of work done to date with low pressure chemical vapor deposition Si3N4 resonator devices, confinement, cross-sectional dimensions, bend radius, Q factor, and propagation loss. 

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3. Miniature High-Coupling Lithium Niobate Thin Film Bulk Acoustic Wave Resonators at 10-30 GHz

   https://doi.org/10.1109/IMS40360.2025.11103794  

   Chulukhadze, Vakhtang; Wang, Yinan; Anderson, Ian; Kramer, Jack; Cho, Sinwoo; Lu, Ruochen (June 2025, IEEE)

   Thin film bulk acoustic wave resonators (FBARs) leveraging sputtered aluminum nitride (AlN) and scandium aluminum nitride (ScAlN) films, are a leading commercial solution for compact radio frequency (RF) filters in mobile devices. However, as 5G/6G bands extend beyond 6 GHz, achieving the required thinner piezoelectric film thicknesses below 500 nm presents a significant challenge to high-quality sputtering, resulting in a moderate quality factor (Q). Additionally, AlN/ScAlN platforms are limited by moderate electromechanical coupling (k2), restricting bandwidth. More recently, ultra-thin transferred single-crystal piezoelectric lithium niobate (LN) has enabled lateral field excited resonators (XBAR) at 10-30 GHz. While these devices boast a high Q and k2, they face challenges with low capacitance density, large footprint, and significant electromagnetic (EM) effects. On the other hand, thickness-field excited LN FBARs face challenges with bottom electrode integration. In this work, we implement a transferred LN on aluminum FBAR platform on sapphire wafers with an intermediate amorphous silicon layer without the need for a patterned bottom electrode. The resonators show first order symmetric mode (S1) at 10.5 GHz with a 3-dB series resonance Q of 38 and k2 of 14.1%, alongside third order symmetric mode (S3) at 27 GHz with a 3-dB series resonance Q of 22 and a high k2 of 11.3%. Further analysis shows that higher Q could be achieved by adjusting the low-loss piezoelectric to lossy metal volume ratio. 

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4. Interface Stress for Bidirectional Frequency Tuning of Prebuckled Vanadium Dioxide MEMS Resonators

   https://doi.org/10.1002/admi.201900887  

   Cao, Yunqi; Sepúlveda, Nelson (September 2019, Advanced Materials Interfaces)

   Abstract Interface stress between structural materials and thin film coatings has a significant influence on the resonant frequency of microelectromechanical system (MEMS) resonators. In this work, the axial stress on different types of buckled bridge MEMS resonator structures is controlled through the solid‐to‐solid phase transition of a VO₂thin film coating. The devices have identical dimensions, but different buckling orientations and profiles due to the combined effect of overetching and residual thermal stress mismatch. Thermal actuation is used to tune the resonant frequency of the device, but the changes in frequency are found to be dependent on the type of buckling for the device. Thermal actuation is achieved by applying an electrical current to integrated heaters, or by uniform substrate heating. Bidirectional tunability is found when substrate heating is used, while Joule heating shows a monotonic change in frequency. This phenomenon can be attributed to the transition in boundary conditions, where the turning points are indicated by the prominent changes in buckling amplitude. In addition, devices with opposite buckling orientations exhibit different tuning behaviors which can be explained by different bending moments induced by beam stress interface modification. 

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5. Low Phase Noise, Dual-Frequency Pierce MEMS Oscillators with Direct Print Additively Manufactured Amplifier Circuits

   https://doi.org/10.3390/mi16070755  

   Li, Liguan; Lan, Di; Han, Xu; Liu, Tinghung; Dewdney, Julio; Zaman, Adnan; Guneroglu, Ugur; Martinez, Carlos; Wang, Jing (July 2025, Micromachines)

   This paper presents the first demonstration and comparison of two identical oscillator circuits employing piezoelectric zinc oxide (ZnO) microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) resonators, implemented on conventional printed-circuit-board (PCB) and three-dimensional (3D)-printed acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) substrates. Both oscillators operate simultaneously at dual frequencies (260 MHz and 437 MHz) without the need for additional circuitry. The MEMS resonators, fabricated on silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers, exhibit high-quality factors (Q), ensuring superior phase noise performance. Experimental results indicate that the oscillator packaged using 3D-printed chip-carrier assembly achieves a 2–3 dB improvement in phase noise compared to the PCB-based oscillator, attributed to the ABS substrate’s lower dielectric loss and reduced parasitic effects at radio frequency (RF). Specifically, phase noise values between −84 and −77 dBc/Hz at 1 kHz offset and a noise floor of −163 dBc/Hz at far-from-carrier offset were achieved. Additionally, the 3D-printed ABS-based oscillator delivers notably higher output power (4.575 dBm at 260 MHz and 0.147 dBm at 437 MHz). To facilitate modular characterization, advanced packaging techniques leveraging precise 3D-printed encapsulation with sub-100 μm lateral interconnects were employed. These ensured robust packaging integrity without compromising oscillator performance. Furthermore, a comparison between two transistor technologies—a silicon germanium (SiGe) heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) and an enhancement-mode pseudomorphic high-electron-mobility transistor (E-pHEMT)—demonstrated that SiGe HBT transistors provide superior phase noise characteristics at close-to-carrier offset frequencies, with a significant 11 dB improvement observed at 1 kHz offset. These results highlight the promising potential of 3D-printed chip-carrier packaging techniques in high-performance MEMS oscillator applications. 

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