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P.M. Mayrhofer, E Wistrela, M. Kucera, A. Bittner, U. Schmid:
"Fabrication and Characterisation of ScAlN-based Piezoelectric MEMS Cantilevers";
Talk: Transducers 2015, Anchorage, Alaska, USA; 06-21-2015 - 06-25-2015; in: "Proceedings of the 18th International Conference On Solid State Sensors and Actuators - Transducers 2015", IEEE, (2015), ISBN: 978-1-4799-8955-3; 2144 - 2147.

Scandium (Sc) doping of aluminium nitride (AlN) increases the piezoelectric actuation potential due to
substantially enhanced piezoelectric constants. This work demonstrates the fabrication of MEMS cantilevers actuated by sputter deposited ScxAl1-xN thin films (x = 27 %) sandwiched between gold electrodes. Patterning of ScxAl1-xN films is performed by a reactive ion etching process
using SiCl4. The dynamic actuation potential of the fabricated devices is evaluated with Laser Doppler
Vibrometry and with electrical impedance spectroscopy measurements. When applying the Butterworth Van-Dyke equivalent circuit a significant increase of the effective transverse piezoelectric constant d31 is demonstrated.

Scandium (Sc) doping of aluminium nitride (AlN) increases the piezoelectric actuation potential due to
substantially enhanced piezoelectric constants. This work demonstrates the fabrication of MEMS cantilevers actuated by sputter deposited ScxAl1-xN thin films (x = 27 %) sandwiched between gold electrodes. Patterning of ScxAl1-xN films is performed by a reactive ion etching process
using SiCl4. The dynamic actuation potential of the fabricated devices is evaluated with Laser Doppler
Vibrometry and with electrical impedance spectroscopy measurements. When applying the Butterworth Van-Dyke equivalent circuit a significant increase of the effective transverse piezoelectric constant d31 is demonstrated.

ScAlN thin films, piezoelectric, MEMS cantilever, impedance spectrum, Laser Doppler Vibrometer