Realizing the frequency quality factor product limit in silicon via compact phononic crystal resonators

Drew Goettler*, Mehmet Su, Zayd Leseman, Yasser Soliman, Roy Olsson, Ihab El-Kady

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

32 Scopus citations

Abstract

High- Q (quality factor) resonators are a versatile class of components for radio frequency micro-electromechanical systems. Phononic crystals provide a promising method of producing these resonators. In this article, we present a theoretical study of the Q factor of a cavity resonator in a two-dimensional phononic crystal comprised of tungsten rods in a silicon matrix. One can optimize the Q of a phononic crystal resonator by varying the number of inclusions or the cavity harmonic number. We conclude that using higher harmonics marginally increases Q while increasing crystal length via additional inclusions causes Q to increase by orders of magnitude. Incorporating loss into the model shows that the silicon material limit on Q is achievable using a two-dimensional phononic crystal design with a reasonable length. With five layers of inclusions on either side of the cavity, the material limit on Q is achieved, regardless of the harmonic number.

Original languageEnglish
Article number084505
JournalJournal of Applied Physics
Volume108
Issue number8
DOIs
StatePublished - 15 Oct 2010
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This work was supported by the Laboratory Directed Research and Development program at Sandia National Laboratories. Sandia National Laboratories is a multiprogram laboratory operated by the Sandia Corporation, Lockheed Martin Co., for the United States Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration under Contract No. DE-AC04-94AL85000.

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Physics and Astronomy

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