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STRESS-MEDIATED SC-DOPED ALN FERROELECTRIC TRANSDUCER FOR INTRINSICALLY CONFIGURABLE SOLIDLY MOUNTED FILTER ARRAY
Nelms Institute Contact: Roozbeh Tabrizian
The objective of this project is to develop “Stress-Mediated Sc-Doped AlN Ferroelectric Transducer” for “Intrinsically Configurable Solidly Mounted Filter Array.” The proposed technology relies on tailoring of ferroelectric properties in ScxAl1-xN (30% < x < 45%) through layering with ultra-thin transition-metal nitride films and engineering of the film through mechanical stress. Our unique approach targets creation of stress-mediated ScxAl1-xN transducer stack through successive layering with ultra-thin transition-metal nitrides to enhance residual stress and enable device-level mechanical stress tailoring through in-situ ovenization.
CAREER: ACTIVE NANO-ACOUSTIC WAVEGUIDE MATRIX TO TACKLE SIGNAL PROCESSING LIMITS: ENABLING WIDEBAND AND NONRECIPRICOL INTEGRATED COMMUNICATION BEYOND THE UHF
Nelms Institute Contact: Roozbeh Tabrizian
To accommodate the explosive demand for wireless communication capacity, this research will enable efficient use of underexploited cm- and mm-wave spectrums (3-300 GHz) by developing transformative integrated acoustic signal processing devices and systems. Research shall consist of (1) investigation of nano-acoustic waveguides in semiconductors, with a focus on single crystal germanium, for wideband signal processing beyond the ultra-high-frequency regime (>UHF: 0.3-3GHz); (2) exploration of the physics/science of active electronic amplification of elastic signals through the acoustoelectric effect in piezoelectric-semiconductor nano-acoustic waveguides; (3) design and demonstration of low-loss and wideband signal processors beyond the UHF; and (4) engineering of chip-scale nonreciprocal signal processors, with a focus on isolators and circulators. The integrated research and education plan involves creation of the first educational Nano-kit, development of the Nano-Workshop and course materials, and outreach activities dedicated to the nano-acoustic signal processing.
FERROELECTRICALLY TRANSDUCED GE NANO-FIN BULK ACOUSTIC RESONATORS FOR CHIP-SCALE INSTINCTUALLY ADAPTIVE RF SPECTRAL PROCESSING
Nelms Institute Contact: Roozbeh Tabrizian
The proposed technology relies on the novel ferroelectrically transduced nano-Fin Bulk Acoustic Resonators (Nano-FinBAR) that enable realization and monolithic integration of instinctual frequency selective limiters (FSL) and bandpass filter arrays to cover the entire X-band (i.e. 8-12 GHz). This technology will transform tactical communication systems through radical miniaturization of size, weight, and power consumption (SWaP) of their RF front-end module, and instinctual and instantaneous immunization of their operation to RF interference. Currently, such a technology does not exist, and interference-management / jamming-protection is achieved through software-based techniques using machine learning strategies and computing resources. This approach significantly adds to the complexity and power consumption of the system and imposes tremendous latency in transceiver operation.