Low Phase Noise, Dual-Frequency Pierce MEMS Oscillators with Direct Print Additively Manufactured Amplifier Circuits
This paper presents the first demonstration and comparison of two identical oscillator circuits employing piezoelectric zinc oxide (ZnO) microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) resonators, implemented on conventional printed-circuit-board (PCB) and three-dimensional (3D)-printed acrylonitrile butadien...
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MDPI AG
2025-06-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/16/7/755 |
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| author | Liguan Li Di Lan Xu Han Tinghung Liu Julio Dewdney Adnan Zaman Ugur Guneroglu Carlos Molina Martinez Jing Wang |
| author_facet | Liguan Li Di Lan Xu Han Tinghung Liu Julio Dewdney Adnan Zaman Ugur Guneroglu Carlos Molina Martinez Jing Wang |
| author_sort | Liguan Li |
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| description | This paper presents the first demonstration and comparison of two identical oscillator circuits employing piezoelectric zinc oxide (ZnO) microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) resonators, implemented on conventional printed-circuit-board (PCB) and three-dimensional (3D)-printed acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) substrates. Both oscillators operate simultaneously at dual frequencies (260 MHz and 437 MHz) without the need for additional circuitry. The MEMS resonators, fabricated on silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers, exhibit high-quality factors (<i>Q</i>), ensuring superior phase noise performance. Experimental results indicate that the oscillator packaged using 3D-printed chip-carrier assembly achieves a 2–3 dB improvement in phase noise compared to the PCB-based oscillator, attributed to the ABS substrate’s lower dielectric loss and reduced parasitic effects at radio frequency (RF). Specifically, phase noise values between −84 and −77 dBc/Hz at 1 kHz offset and a noise floor of −163 dBc/Hz at far-from-carrier offset were achieved. Additionally, the 3D-printed ABS-based oscillator delivers notably higher output power (4.575 dBm at 260 MHz and 0.147 dBm at 437 MHz). To facilitate modular characterization, advanced packaging techniques leveraging precise 3D-printed encapsulation with sub-100 μm lateral interconnects were employed. These ensured robust packaging integrity without compromising oscillator performance. Furthermore, a comparison between two transistor technologies—a silicon germanium (SiGe) heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) and an enhancement-mode pseudomorphic high-electron-mobility transistor (E-pHEMT)—demonstrated that SiGe HBT transistors provide superior phase noise characteristics at close-to-carrier offset frequencies, with a significant 11 dB improvement observed at 1 kHz offset. These results highlight the promising potential of 3D-printed chip-carrier packaging techniques in high-performance MEMS oscillator applications. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-fe25ae07f69b4da98b6d3cd285a2e28f |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2072-666X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Micromachines |
| spelling | doaj-art-fe25ae07f69b4da98b6d3cd285a2e28f2025-08-20T03:36:12ZengMDPI AGMicromachines2072-666X2025-06-0116775510.3390/mi16070755Low Phase Noise, Dual-Frequency Pierce MEMS Oscillators with Direct Print Additively Manufactured Amplifier CircuitsLiguan Li0Di Lan1Xu Han2Tinghung Liu3Julio Dewdney4Adnan Zaman5Ugur Guneroglu6Carlos Molina Martinez7Jing Wang8Department of Electrical Engineering, University of South Florida, 4202 E. Fowler Avenue, Tampa, FL 33620, USACoherence. Inc., 375 Saxonburg Boulevard, Saxonburg, PA 16056, USAQorvo, Inc., Greensboro, NC 27401, USASkyworks Solutions, Inc., 5260 California Avenue, Irvine, CA 92617, USASkyworks Solutions, Inc., 5260 California Avenue, Irvine, CA 92617, USAMicroelectronics and Semiconductor Institute, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), Riyadh 11442, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Electrical Engineering, University of South Florida, 4202 E. Fowler Avenue, Tampa, FL 33620, USADepartment of Electrical Engineering, University of South Florida, 4202 E. Fowler Avenue, Tampa, FL 33620, USADepartment of Electrical Engineering, University of South Florida, 4202 E. Fowler Avenue, Tampa, FL 33620, USAThis paper presents the first demonstration and comparison of two identical oscillator circuits employing piezoelectric zinc oxide (ZnO) microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) resonators, implemented on conventional printed-circuit-board (PCB) and three-dimensional (3D)-printed acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) substrates. Both oscillators operate simultaneously at dual frequencies (260 MHz and 437 MHz) without the need for additional circuitry. The MEMS resonators, fabricated on silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers, exhibit high-quality factors (<i>Q</i>), ensuring superior phase noise performance. Experimental results indicate that the oscillator packaged using 3D-printed chip-carrier assembly achieves a 2–3 dB improvement in phase noise compared to the PCB-based oscillator, attributed to the ABS substrate’s lower dielectric loss and reduced parasitic effects at radio frequency (RF). Specifically, phase noise values between −84 and −77 dBc/Hz at 1 kHz offset and a noise floor of −163 dBc/Hz at far-from-carrier offset were achieved. Additionally, the 3D-printed ABS-based oscillator delivers notably higher output power (4.575 dBm at 260 MHz and 0.147 dBm at 437 MHz). To facilitate modular characterization, advanced packaging techniques leveraging precise 3D-printed encapsulation with sub-100 μm lateral interconnects were employed. These ensured robust packaging integrity without compromising oscillator performance. Furthermore, a comparison between two transistor technologies—a silicon germanium (SiGe) heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) and an enhancement-mode pseudomorphic high-electron-mobility transistor (E-pHEMT)—demonstrated that SiGe HBT transistors provide superior phase noise characteristics at close-to-carrier offset frequencies, with a significant 11 dB improvement observed at 1 kHz offset. These results highlight the promising potential of 3D-printed chip-carrier packaging techniques in high-performance MEMS oscillator applications.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/16/7/755additive manufacturingadvanced packagingphase noisepiezoelectriczinc oxide (ZnO)silicon-on-insulator (SOI) |
| spellingShingle | Liguan Li Di Lan Xu Han Tinghung Liu Julio Dewdney Adnan Zaman Ugur Guneroglu Carlos Molina Martinez Jing Wang Low Phase Noise, Dual-Frequency Pierce MEMS Oscillators with Direct Print Additively Manufactured Amplifier Circuits Micromachines additive manufacturing advanced packaging phase noise piezoelectric zinc oxide (ZnO) silicon-on-insulator (SOI) |
| title | Low Phase Noise, Dual-Frequency Pierce MEMS Oscillators with Direct Print Additively Manufactured Amplifier Circuits |
| title_full | Low Phase Noise, Dual-Frequency Pierce MEMS Oscillators with Direct Print Additively Manufactured Amplifier Circuits |
| title_fullStr | Low Phase Noise, Dual-Frequency Pierce MEMS Oscillators with Direct Print Additively Manufactured Amplifier Circuits |
| title_full_unstemmed | Low Phase Noise, Dual-Frequency Pierce MEMS Oscillators with Direct Print Additively Manufactured Amplifier Circuits |
| title_short | Low Phase Noise, Dual-Frequency Pierce MEMS Oscillators with Direct Print Additively Manufactured Amplifier Circuits |
| title_sort | low phase noise dual frequency pierce mems oscillators with direct print additively manufactured amplifier circuits |
| topic | additive manufacturing advanced packaging phase noise piezoelectric zinc oxide (ZnO) silicon-on-insulator (SOI) |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/16/7/755 |
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