Gigahertz Low-Loss and High Power Handling Acoustic Delay Lines Using Thin-Film Lithium-Niobate-on-Sapphire

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Abstract
In this work, we present the first group of gigahertz low-loss, wideband, and high power handling delay lines (ADLs) using a thin-film lithium niobate (LiNbO 3 )-on-sapphire platform. The ADLs leverage a single-phase unidirectional transducer (SPUDT) to efficiently excite the shear horizontal surface acoustic wave (SH-SAW) in the film stack. The fabricated miniature SH-SAW ADL at 1.1 GHz shows a low insertion loss (IL) of 2.8 dB, a wide fractional bandwidth (FBW) of 6.14%, and a fast phase velocity of 5127 m/s. The device also features a high 1-dB compression point (P1dB) of 30.4 dBm. The temperature coefficient of frequency is -45 ppm/K. ADLs with delays between 12 and 172 ns have been implemented, with IL between 2.8 and 8.3 dB. SH-SAW propagation characteristics are extracted, showing a group velocity of 4747 m/s and a propagation loss of 6.73 dB/mm or 31.9 dB/μs. The simultaneous low-loss and high power handling illustrate the great potential of LiNbO 3 -on-sapphire for RF and cross domain applications at gigahertz.
Funding Information
  • NSF SpecEES Programs

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