Design of advanced piezoelectric resonator

Design of Advanced Piezoelectric resonatorAs essential components of military electronics systems, crystal resonators are always in need of improvement with respect to new materials and/or new designs. However, resonators in missiles and airborne radar usually are subject to harsh environments such as vibration and shock, as well as temperature variations. The resonant performance is degraded in this harsh environment.  To resolve this critical issue, we investigated the influence of a variety of biasing fields on crystal resonator performance, including the force-frequency effect, electroelastic effect, drive-level dependence (Fig. 2), and force-velocity effect for the SAW (Surface Acoustic Wave) resonator. The combination of our experiment and modeling work will lead to software for calculating the basic vibration characteristics, the frequency-temperature behavior, and the acceleration sensitivity of the resonator given the specific cut of a crystal. When new materials and resonator designs are considered, the software will allow efficient optimization of resonator design, quick prediction of system behaviors, and implications for system performance. It will make possible the rapid benchmarking and early evaluation of system performance analyses. The research will greatly improve the efficiency of the design cycle of military electronic systems.