Exploring Energy Loss Mechanism of Zero-Thermal-Expansion and Other Glasses as Materials of MEMS Resonators

This study presents the first systematic investigation of energy loss mechanisms in MEMS resonators made of zero thermal expansion (ZTE) glass. To differentiate various energy dissipation mechanisms in the ZTE glass resonator, we designed cantilever-type resonators with varying dimensions. In addition, a comparative analysis was conducted on multiple materials, including ZTE glass, borosilicate glass, fused quartz, and synthetic quartz. Experimental results reveal that the Q-factor of ZTE glass resonators is mainly dominated by elastic dissipation, with a material Q- factor <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">$(Q_{m})$</tex> ranging from 1200 to 1800. A similar trend was observed in borosilicate glass, whereas quartz-based resonators were primarily limited by anchor loss. Furthermore, we developed a novel microfabrication process for ZTE glass MEMS devices. While our findings suggest that ZTE glass may not be suitable for ultra-high-Q resonators, this study provides the first comprehensive characterization of elastic dissipation in ZTE glass, offering valuable insights into MEMS resonator design and material selection.