THIN FILM RESONATOR MICROWAVE-ACOUSTIC FILTERS

THE THIN FILM RESONATOR (TFR) TECHNOLOGY EMBODIES A BROAD CLASS OF FREQUENCY SELECTIVE DEVICES OFFERING SIGNIFICANT SIZE AND PERFORMNCE BENEFITS OVER OTHER EXISTING TECHNOLOGIES. TFR'S CAN BE MONOLITHICALLY INTEGRATED WITH CTIVE DEVICES TO ENABLE HIGH LEVELS OF RF SUBSYSTEM INTEGRATION AND FUNCTIONALITY. AREA, VOLUME,AND FABRICATION REQUIREMENTS OF OTHER FILTERING TECHNOLOGIES LIMIT THE OVERALL SYSTEM SIZE REDUCTIONS OBTAINABLE THROUGH THE HIGH LEVELS OF CIRCUIT INTEGRATION POSSIBLE WITH MMIC TECHNOLOGY. THE TFR TECHNOLGY IS SYNERGISTIC WITH MMIC TECHNOLOGIES, PROVIDING A MECHANISM FOR PURSUING ADVANCED CONCEPT CHIPS AND MODULE DEVELOPMENTS THAT OFFER A POTENTIALLY HIGH PAYOFF TO FUTURE SYSTEMS. THIS PROPOSAL IS FOR A SIX MONTH TECHNICAL PROGRAM DESIGNED TO PROVIDE MAJOR ARCHITECTURAL INNOVATIONS LEADING TO A HIGH LEVEL OF INTEGRATION OF THIN FILM RESONATORS WITH ACTIVE AND PASSIVE CIRCUITS TO BE IMPLEMENTED IN PHASE II.