Method to adjust etch rate of insulating crystals in chemical etching with electrical bias
(ROI #2007-13)
Description
· We have developed an efficient method, based on MEMS fabrication technique, for mass producing Quartz resonators. This technology could represent a paradigm shift in manufacture of quartz resonators.
Market Opportunity
· Quartz crystal resonators represent a $3-6 billion/year market. They are widely used in cell phones, PCs, other high-tech electronic devices. Quartz is the preferred material for resonators because of its piezoelectric nature and excellent thermal stability.
· In spite of its popularity, quartz processing for high frequency resonators is still a difficult process that requires mechanical and/or chemical polishing. This processing is both labor and time intensive and is a barrier to further miniaturization
Advantages
· Chemical etching of insulating material is typically hard to control to good uniformity. In applications requiring tight tolerances, the etched devices need to be trimmed. For example, chemical etching is used for defining crystal resonators. While large number of devices can be made of a single quartz wafer, each device requires individual trimming.
· Our technology allows one to increase or decrease of the etch rate by 300% depending on electrical bias voltage to control the local etch rate. This can be used to compensate for local variations or to define novel etch structures.
· Potential to dominate the quartz resonator market.
Patent Status
· Patent pending
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