High-Q aluminum nitride Lamb wave resonators with biconvex edges

A Lamb wave resonator utilizing an aluminum nitride (AlN) plate with biconvex edges to enhance the quality factor (Q) is demonstrated. The simulation results based on finite element analysis verify that the use of the biconvex edges, instead of the conventional flat edges, can efficiently confine mechanical energy in the AlN Lamb wave resonator. Specifically, the measured frequency response of a 491.8-MHz AlN Lamb wave resonator with biconvex edges yields a Q of 3280 which represents a 2.6x enhancement in Q over a 517.9-MHz Lamb wave resonator on the same AlN plate but with the suspended flat edges. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3643153]