Investigation of Elastic Properties of WO3 Thin Films Supported on Quartz in Surface Acoustic Wave Sensing Devices

This study aims to discuss the combined theoretical and experimental results of elastic properties of tungsten trioxide films supported on Quartz (YX)/45°/10° resonator to form surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices. The SAW systems with different thicknesses of WO3 thin films were imaged and structurally characterized by X-ray diffraction, atomic force, and transmission electron microscopy. The deposited WO3 films (100, 200, and 300 nm of thickness) crystallized in a single monoclinic phase. The acoustoelectric properties of the SAW system were obtained by combining theoretical simulations with experimental measurements. The modeling of the SAW devices has been performed by the finite element and boundary element methods (FEM/BEM). The elastic constants of the films at room temperature were assessed via electrical admittances experiments in light of theoretical calculations. The gravimetric effect of the deposited layers is observed by a shift of the resonance frequency to lower values as the thickness of the films increases. Moreover, the acoustic losses are affected by the dielectric losses of the WO3 films while the resonant frequency decreases almost linearly. SAW devices revealed strong displacement fields with low acoustic losses as a function of WO3 thicknesses. For all the deposited layers, the measured Young’s moduli and Poisson’s ratios are 8 GPa and 0.5, respectively.