The growth of piezoelectric alpha quartz crystals

The emergence of cellular and satellite networks is the driving force for high frequency, smaller, cost effective resonators. Smaller device geometries demand improved uniformity in quartz material. To achieve this, renewed interest in the hydrothermal growth process is surfacing, encouraging the employment of computer modeling of the fluid dynamic and kinetic interactions of the growth process. Investigations of the processes used to prepare material for ‘end’ use are affected primarily by the point defect level range of the material entering the system. The defect level generated by the processing method employed can account for up to 10% of the total yield loss. With the ever increasing use of photolithography in quartz component manufacture, etch channel and dislocation densities play a critical role, as does etch pit formation.