The Main Lateral Mode Approximation of a Film Bulk Acoustic Resonator With Perfect Metal Electrodes.

Using first principles and the constitutive equations of a piezoelectric crystal, we solve the 2-D problem inside a three-layer film bulk acoustic resonator (FBAR) in order to study the dispersion and parasitic lateral modes' characteristic of the structure. In our main lateral mode approximation, described here in detail, we construct the acoustic wave by combining the ideal "piston" mode and the main dispersion branch lateral mode. By limiting our analysis to the practical range of frequencies near the series resonance of the stack, where the lateral component $k_{x}$ of the ${k}$ vector is small, we find analytical expressions for the FBAR acoustic wave and for the dispersion of the three-layer stack.

An Investigation of Lateral Modes in FBAR Resonators.

Using first principles and the constitutive equations for a piezoelectric, we solve the 2D acoustic wave inside a single, infinite, piezoelectric membrane in order to study the dispersion of Thin Film Bulk Acoustic Resonator (FBAR) lateral modes, with and without infinitely-thin electrodes. The acoustic eigenfunction is a dual wave, composed of longitudinal and shear components, able to satisfy the 2D acoustic boundary conditions at the vacuum interfaces. For the single piezoelectric slab we obtain analytical expressions of the dispersion for frequencies near the longitudinal resonant frequency (Fs) of the resonator.

Ultra-miniature coupled resonator filter with single-layer acoustic coupler.

Coupled resonator filters designed using a single-layer coupler require coupling materials with an acoustic impedance less than 5.0 MRayl. Carbon-doped oxide, with an acoustic impedance of 4.

Modified mason model for bulk acoustic wave resonators.

Accurate modeling of a bulk acoustic wave resonator frequency response is limited by the inability of the current 1-D models to simulate certain parasitic modes excited in realistic 3-D structures. A simple technique is proposed to simulate such parasitic modes by employing the 1-D Mason Model of a resonator and a coupling term between the fundamental mode and those parasitic modes. This Modified Mason Model allows accurate simulation of resonators with arbitrary impedance and arbitrary resonating frequency.

Coupled resonator filter with single-layer acoustic coupler.

We discuss the operation of novel coupled-resonator filters with single-layer acoustic couplers. Our analysis employs the physical Mason model for acoustic resonators. Their simpler fabrication process is counterbalanced by the high acoustic attenuation of suitable coupler materials.