Characteristics of strontium-doped ZnO films on love wave filter applications

The effect of dopant concentrations in strontium-doped ZnO films on Love wave filter characteristics was investigated. Strontium-doped ZnO films with a c-axis preferred orientation were grown on ST-cut quartz by radio frequency magnetron sputtering. The crystalline structures and surface morphology of films were studied by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The electromechanical coupling coefficient, dielectric constant, and temperature coefficient of frequency of filters were then determined using a network analyzer. A uniform crystalline structure and smooth surface of the ZnO films were obtained at the 1–2 mol% strontium dopant level. The electromechanical coupling coefficient of the 1 mol% strontium-doped ZnO film reaches a maximum of 0.61%, and the temperature coefficient of frequency declines to +12.87 ppm/°C at a 1.5 mol% strontium dopant level. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.