Hybrid semiconductor-piezoacoustic radiofrequency device

Patent · Tue May 26 04:00:00 EDT 2020

OSTI ID:1650960

Eichenfield, Matt; Olsson, Roy H.; Tauke-Pedretti, Anna; Leenheer, Andrew; Siddiqui, Aleem; Friedmann, Thomas A.

An amplifying radiofrequency device includes a piezoelectric film and a semiconductor amplifier layer. The piezoelectric film is conformed as an acoustic waveguide. The piezoelectric film has a principal acoustic propagation direction parallel to the principal conduction direction of the amplifier layer. Interdigitated transducers are positioned on the piezoelectric film to respectively launch an acoustic wave in response to an input RF signal, and transduce the acoustic wave back to an output RF signal. There is a distance of less than the acoustic wavelength between the semiconductor amplifier layer and the piezoelectric film. The piezoelectric film has a thickness of less than the acoustic wavelength. According to a method for making such a device, a stack of III-V layers is epitaxially grown on a III-V substrate, wherein the stack comprises a first etch stop layer, a second etch stop layer, an amplifier layer, and a contact layer. The stack is bonded to a lithium niobate film. The III-V substrate is removed by etching down to the first etch stop layer. Deposition windows are opened by etching from the first etch stop layer down to the contact layer. Metal contact electrodes are deposited in the deposition windows.

• Research Organization: Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC04-94AL85000
• Assignee: National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC (Albuquerque, NM)
• Patent Number(s): 10,666,222
• Application Number: 15/718,817
• OSTI ID: 1650960
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY