SBIR Phase II: Single Crystal Group III-Nitride Bulk Acoustic Resonators and Bulk Acoustic Wave Filter Components for Mobile Communications
The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will be to enable the development and commercialization of single crystal piezoelectric Bulk Acoustic Wave (BAW) filters targeting the mobile wireless market, providing much needed improvements over the incumbent poly-crystalline technology in critical components used in all smartphones and other wireless devices. The technical advantage based upon this innovation in single crystal piezoelectric material provides improvements in key parameters that will benefit consumers of the smartphone, of particular note are component insertion losses which will result in increased battery life and reducing the complexity of the RF front-end. Additionally, the commercialization of this technology will address cellular component market demand not being serviced with the incumbent technology. There is a general lack of competition around the incumbent technology based on limited access to existing intellectual property. The technology developed under this SBIR will enable new participants in this growing market. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will enable the first comprehensive study of wide bandgap, group III-Nitride single crystal materials for bulk mode resonator technology. This technology is the fundamental building block of RF filter technology and addresses a critical need in today's RF frontends. The need arises from the filter's location (between amplifier and antenna) and performance (half the power is lost due to inefficiencies). As a result, components must be over-designed to accommodate for the filter loss. The excessive losses degrade battery life and drive higher thermal management costs in the system. To address this need, a more efficient, lower loss Bulk Acoustic Wave (BAW) filter with lower losses and dramatically improved performance is proposed and offers high payoff in the end market. The effort continues the design and simulation of single-crystal piezoelectric resonators to support resonant frequencies from 1 to 6 GHz. Piezoelectric materials are synthesized on 150-mm silicon substrates and fabricated into resonators and BAW filters using an experimental fabrication process flow and novel circuit designs. less The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will be to enable the development and commercialization of single crystal piezoelectric Bulk Acoustic Wave (BAW) filters targeting the mobile wireless market, providing much needed improvements over the incumbent poly-crystalline technology in critical components used in all smartphones and other wireless devices. The technical advantage based upon this innovation in single crystal piezoelectric material provides imp... more
Akoustis is a start up company developing and manufacturing of novel high performance single crystal AlN based bulk acoustic wave filters. The Process Integration Engineer position involves integration of different process modules required to create a single crystal AlN based bulk acoustic wave resonator. The candidate will work with process engineers from different disciplines and follow wafers through a fabrication facility as the end product is created. Job duties include (1) Lead process development and integration efforts in critical process areas such as photolithography, thin film deposition, wafer bonding and thinning, (2) Interface directly with process engineers, technicians, designers and provide technical expertise as required, (3) Program management and significant technical contributions are expected (i.e. RF MEMS/MEMS design, process integration, process flow development), (4) Participation in developing concepts, design, prototyping, processes and testing of RF MEMS/MEMS devices.
- 2+ years experience in MEMS technology, preferably with experience in a variety of RF MEMS/MEMS applications and devices. - Thorough understanding of MEMS process integration and device design, as well as RF MEMS/MEMS packaging and device testing. - Experience in taking RF MEMS/MEMS devices from design to fabrication through test. - Previous project and team management experience beneficial. - Experienced in the use of design of experiments and failure analysis methodologies. - Ability to interface with various groups (R&D, Manufacturing, Management, etc.). - Wide range of understanding and hands-on experience with various aspects of RF MEMS/MEMS processing (e.g. processes for thin film deposition, metal deposition by evaporation or sputtering, metal etching, wafer bonding, photolithography, double-side wafer alignment) - Significant technical expertise in at least one of the focus technical areas mentioned above - Able to conceive and present new ideas effectively. - High energy and motivation level to lead technology development. - Strong communication and interpersonal skills.