Quality Factor Dependence on the Inactive Regions in AlN Contour-Mode Resonators

This paper investigates the dependence of the quality factor (Q) of AlN contour mode resonators (CMRs) on the characteristics of the inactive regions located between the main resonator body (active region) and the stress-free surfaces placed beside the anchors. This paper shows that it is possible to reduce the energy leakage through the anchors by optimally sizing the width of such regions. To validate this concept, we built 16 different configurations of 225-MHz AlN CMRs, differing just by the size of the resonator inactive regions.