Square-extensional mode single-crystal silicon micromechanical RF-resonator

Abstract

A micromechanical 13.1 MHz bulk acoustic mode (BAW) silicon resonator is demonstrated. The vibration mode can be characterized as a 2-D plate expansion that preserves the original square shape. The prototype resonator is fabricated of single-crystal silicon by reactive ion etching a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafer. The measured high quality factor (Q=130000) and current output (i/sub MAX/ /spl ap/ 160 /spl mu/A) make the resonator suitable for reference oscillator applications. An electrical equivalent circuit based on physical device parameters is derived and experimentally verified.