LEAD
ZIRCONATE
TITANATE
(PZT)
BASED
PIEZOELECTRIC
MEMS:
MATERIALS,
DEVICE DESIGN,
AND
APPLICATIONS
FOR RF
SYSTEMS
R.G. Polcawich
US
Army
Research
Laboratory,
Adelphi,
MD
Wednesday, April
20,
12:00pm -
1:15pm, Birck
2001
Abstract
As
part
of an
on-going
research
activity at
the US
Army
Research
Laboratory,
PiezoMEMS
technology using
lead zirconate
titanate
(PZT
(52/48))
thin films
have
been
developed in
the area
of RF electronics
with
a specific
emphasis on
reconfigurable
component
technologies.
This
presentation
will
provide
an overview
of current
research
activities
in PZT
thin film
processing,
device
design,
and experimental
demonstrations of
RF relays,
tunable passives,
resonators
and
filters, and
reconfigurable RF
systems.
Film
processing
capabilities
include
both chemical
solution
deposition (CSD)
and
sputter
deposition
with
a vast
majority
of the
device
demonstration to
date
using CSD material.
In
the area
of device
design,
the key
aspects
to designing components
for
reconfigurable RF
circuits
will
be provided
with
emphasis on
the interaction
of the
electrical,
electromechanical, mechanical,
and
process
engineering
aspects
required to
create
large
displacement,
large
force actuators.
Example
actuators
highlighting
the
capabilities
of using
PZT thin
films
will
include
previous
work
on actuators
for
mobility
including
motors,
flapping
micro-flight,
and
ground
robots.
In
the last
section
of the
presentation,
experimental
data
will
be presented
on the
performance
of RF
relays,
resonators,
filters,
and
tunable passive
components.
Biography:
Ronald
G. Polcawich
is a
staff
researcher
in the
Micro
& Nano
Materials
& Devices
Branch
of US
Army research
Laboratory
(ARL),
Adelphi,
MD.
He
received
a B.S.
in
Materials
Science
and
Engineering
from
Carnegie
Mellon University
(1997),
and
a Ph.D.
in Materials
Science
and
Engineering
from Penn
State
University
(2007).
He
is currently
the team
lead for
PiezoMEMS Technology
at ARL
with
a focus
on developing
component
technologies
to enable
cognitive
RF
communication
and
radar
systems
and
MEMS
inertial and
aiding
sensors
to provide
position, navigation,
and
timing
(PNT) solutions
for SWAP-C
constrained
platforms.
Dr.
Polcawich
and
his colleagues
were
the recipients
of the
2006
Department of
the Army
Research
and
Development
Achievement
Award
for
Piezoelectric RF
MEMS
Switch
Using
PZT
Thin
Films
and
the 2009
US Army
Research
Laboratory
Engineering
Award
for
ground-breaking
work
on Piezoelectric
MEMS.
Additionally,
Dr. Polcawich
received
the 2012
Presidential
Early
Career
Award
for
Scientists
and
Engineers
(PECASE) and
the 2015
IEEE
UFFC
Ferroelectrics
Young
Investigator
Award.