Gradient Residual Stress in Transferred Thin-Film Lithium Niobate and Its Compenstation Using Periodically Poled Piezoelectric Bilayers

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Kim, Byeongjin, Anderson, Ian, Hsu, Tzu-Hsuan, Lu, Ruochen
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Kim, Byeongjin
Anderson, Ian
Hsu, Tzu-Hsuan
Lu, Ruochen
author_facet Kim, Byeongjin
Anderson, Ian
Hsu, Tzu-Hsuan
Lu, Ruochen
contents In this work, we experimentally investigate the gradient stress (sigma1) in 128 deg Y-cut transferred thin film lithium niobate (TFLN) films with thicknesses from 100 to 460 nm using cantilever curvature analysis. The results reveal a strong dependence of sigma1 on both crystallographic orientation and film thickness, with stress-free orientations at approximately 55 deg and 125 deg for 220-460 nm films, shifting to approximately 20 deg and 160 deg for 100 nm films. The extracted normalized sigma1 ranges from -0.1 to 3.4 MPa/nm (100 nm), -0.8 to 0.34 MPa/nm (220 nm), and -0.12 to 0.08 MPa/nm (460 nm), indicating a pronounced thickness-dependent through-thickness stress gradient. Finite element simulations show excellent agreement with the measurements, validating the curvature-based extraction method and confirming that sigma1 originates from an orientation-dependent residual stress gradient. To mitigate this effect, a bilayer TFLN structure with opposite crystallographic orientations, forming a periodically poled piezoelectric film (P3F), is investigated, enabling partial cancellation of sigma1. A 90/110 nm P3F bilayer reduces the equivalent normalized sigma1 to -0.4 to -0.04 MPa/nm, resulting in significantly reduced deformation. These results establish gradient stress engineering through orientation, thickness, and bilayer design as an effective strategy for achieving mechanically stable and scalable TFLN microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2604_20694
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Gradient Residual Stress in Transferred Thin-Film Lithium Niobate and Its Compenstation Using Periodically Poled Piezoelectric Bilayers
Kim, Byeongjin
Anderson, Ian
Hsu, Tzu-Hsuan
Lu, Ruochen
Applied Physics
In this work, we experimentally investigate the gradient stress (sigma1) in 128 deg Y-cut transferred thin film lithium niobate (TFLN) films with thicknesses from 100 to 460 nm using cantilever curvature analysis. The results reveal a strong dependence of sigma1 on both crystallographic orientation and film thickness, with stress-free orientations at approximately 55 deg and 125 deg for 220-460 nm films, shifting to approximately 20 deg and 160 deg for 100 nm films. The extracted normalized sigma1 ranges from -0.1 to 3.4 MPa/nm (100 nm), -0.8 to 0.34 MPa/nm (220 nm), and -0.12 to 0.08 MPa/nm (460 nm), indicating a pronounced thickness-dependent through-thickness stress gradient. Finite element simulations show excellent agreement with the measurements, validating the curvature-based extraction method and confirming that sigma1 originates from an orientation-dependent residual stress gradient. To mitigate this effect, a bilayer TFLN structure with opposite crystallographic orientations, forming a periodically poled piezoelectric film (P3F), is investigated, enabling partial cancellation of sigma1. A 90/110 nm P3F bilayer reduces the equivalent normalized sigma1 to -0.4 to -0.04 MPa/nm, resulting in significantly reduced deformation. These results establish gradient stress engineering through orientation, thickness, and bilayer design as an effective strategy for achieving mechanically stable and scalable TFLN microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices.
title Gradient Residual Stress in Transferred Thin-Film Lithium Niobate and Its Compenstation Using Periodically Poled Piezoelectric Bilayers
topic Applied Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.20694