AlN thin films are of continuing interest for excitation of acoustic waves in surface and bulk acoustic wave devices. We report herein on preparation and characterization of c-axis inclined AlN films by a new method of rotating the substrate holder plate to different angles in an off-center system. The microstructure of the c-axis inclined AlN films was investigated using x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The analyses showed that polycrystalline AlN films with c-axis inclination of up to 12° could be obtained using the off-center system. Solidly mounted resonators based on the deposited c-axis inclined and vertical AlN films were successfully realized. The frequency responses showed dual-mode resonance characteristics located at 1.12 GHz and 1.87 GHz, corresponding to shear and longitudinal resonant modes, respectively.
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Xiong, J., Gu, HS., Wu, W. et al. Synthesis of c-Axis Inclined AlN Films in an Off-Center System for Shear Wave Devices. J. Electron. Mater. 40, 1578–1583 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-011-1662-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-011-1662-5