The Fin Bulk Acoustic Resonator Technology (FinBAR)

The Fin Bulk Acoustic Resonator Technology (FinBAR)

We have recently developed a 3D semiconductor-piezoelectric platform that enables extreme miniaturization and integration of the nano-acoustic waveguides for 5G signal processing applications. The new technology relies on the integration of properly textured piezoelectric films on the sidewall of high aspect-ratio fins formed in silicon or germanium. Read More

Hafnia-Zirconia Ferroic Materials and Devices

Hafnia-Zirconia Ferroic Materials and Devices

Access to nanoscale ferroic materials in advanced semiconductor nodes will revolutionize integrated microsystems by substantial diversification of on-chip functionalities beyond baseline circuits. Examples of these functionalities are ferroelectric memories and logics, ferroelastic optical switches and modulators, piezoelectric sensors and actuators, pyroelectric energy harvesters, and magnetoelectric spintronics. Read More

ScAlN-GaN RF Microsystems

ScAlN-GaN RF Microsystems

The recent discovery of ferroelectricity in wurtzite scandium-aluminum-nitride (ScAlN) has opened a wide range of opportunity for creation of novel III-V microsystems. ScAlN provides various unique features including ferroelectric polarization switching, large piezoelectric coupling, and the feasibility of lattice-matched growth on GaN. These enable engineering microsystems created from monolithic integration of ScAlN resonators or memory devices with GaN electronics. Such microsystems can potentially revolutionize the high-power and high-frequency RF chips by adding new functionalities such as high quality-factor mechanical resonance and nonvolatile information storage and digital processing. Read More

Nonlinear NEMS for Intelligent Microsystems

Nonlinear NEMS for Intelligent Microsystems

The ever increasing quest for wireless capacity and the resulting spectrum congestion calls for substantial changes in spectral processors as we know today. Current spectral processors used in RF front-end modules are linear time-invariant systems, incapable of intelligent adaptation to the constantly changing spectrum availabilities. The required intelligence can be added by using complex system designs, exploiting numerous modules for spectrum sensing and processor configuration. However, putting the entire load on system-level solutions impose huge power consumption and may not be scalable as the number and frequency of communication bands grows into mm-wave. Read More

Micro-Acoustic Oscillators and Synthesizers

Micro-Acoustic Oscillators and Synthesizers

Tabrizian lab has pioneered characterization of lattice anharmonicty in semiconductors and piezoelectric films, and exploited such anharmonicities for realization of nonlinear signal processors. Read More