The scope of the project is the development of a new class of monolithic integrated duplexer circuits, based on two GaN/Si Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) band pass filters (BPF) operating in the satellite communication bands (7.25 – 7.75 GHz) and (7.9 – 8.4 GHz) and a phase compensation network.

The BPFs will be based on SAW resonators integrated with series and parallel connected planar inductors with operating frequency above 7 GHz. The targeted duplexer performances (insertion losses in the range 6 – 12 dB, out-of-band rejection better than 25 dB and isolation between Tx and Rx higher than 40 dB) are well beyond the current state of the art for SAW duplexers. The SAW resonant frequencies will be pushed above 7 GHz by innovative technological development for digit widths below 100 nm, different interdigital transducer metallization, GaN layer thicknesses and superstrate layers. Multiphysics simulations will be used for the piezo-electro-mechanical modeling and analysis of the piezoelectric device and different acoustic propagation modes investigations.

Full wave 3D electromagnetic (EM) simulation software will be used for advanced EM modeling of the BPFs and duplexer layouts. The optimization of the duplexer design will be performed at circuit level and will include a phase compensation network. The characterization of the SAW duplexer demonstrator will include microphysical techniques (SEM, AFM), on wafer scattering (S) parameter measurements, measurements in the – 55°C …+125°C temperature range and high-power nonlinear effects assessment.

The project will start at TRL 2 (“Technology concept and/or application formulated”), with some preliminary simulation results presented in the proposal. The duplexer circuits will be tested on-wafer in laboratory environment and the main parameters will be compared to specifications, thus taking the proposed technology to TRL4 (“Component and/or Breadboard Functional Validation in Laboratory Environment”).