5-10 GHz AlN Contour-Mode Nanoelectromechanical Resonators

This paper reports on the design and experimental verification of super high frequency (SHF) laterally vibrating nanoelctromechanical (NEMS) resonators. For the first time, AlN piezoelectric nanoresonators with multiple frequencies of operation ranging between 5 and 10 GHz have been fabricated on the same chip and attained the highest f-Q product (~4.6ldr10¹² Hz) ever reported in AlN contour-mode devices. These piezoelectric NEMS resonators are the first of their class to demonstrate on-chip sensing and actuation of nanostructures without the need of cumbersome or power consuming excitation and readout systems. Effective piezoelectric activity has been demonstrated in thin AlN films having vertical and lateral features in the range of 250 nm.