Akoustis Technologies, a manufacturer of innovative Bulk ONE™ single crystal piezoelectric RF filters for mobile wireless, has expanded its portfolio of intellectual property for the use of single crystal piezoelectric materials to improve performance of RF filters in mobile devices and smartphones.
Through an agreement signed with University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB), Akoustis Technologies has exclusive rights to U.S. Patent Nos. 7,687,293 and 8,405,128, titled “METHOD FOR ENHANCING GROWTH OF SEMIPOLAR (AL, IN, GA, B) VIA METAL ORGANIC CHEMICAL VAPOR”, assigned to the Regents of the University of California. The patents relate to advanced semi-polar configurations of single crystal nitride-based materials suitable for construction of next-generation resonators used in BAW RF Filters. The technology rights acquired by Akoustis are anticipated to provide valuable intellectual property to its Bulk One™ RF filter technologies currently under review by the Company’s design clientele. Akoustis currently has ten design clients in Phase 1 of a design cycle whom are actively reviewing Bulk One™ and other Akoustis Technologies for application in future smartphone radio-frequency front ends (RFFEs).
Professor Shuji Nakamura believes the advanced semi-polar configurations in the licensed patents and their application into single-crystal piezoelectric materials will result in a tremendous performance advantage. Based on published performance data of incumbent materials, a resonator designed with single crystal nitride materials can enable a new class of high performance BAW filters.
Akoustis Technologies agreement with UCSB allows them to leverage years of university research in single crystal materials. They believes their single- crystal architecture has the potential to develop into high performance BAW filters, leading to increased performance versus current poly-crystalline installations. Akoustis exclusive access to Professor Nakamura’s patents will accelerate the development and design currently underway with clients. Additionally, adding IP to the portfolio protects their technologies, increases barriers to entry, and positions them with smartphone OEMs and RF front end module and transceiver manufacturers worldwide.
Akoustis Technologies, Inc. has seven (7) US Patents filed, plus three (3) Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) applications protecting its use of single crystal piezoelectric materials for the manufacturing, packaging and circuit integration of its materials in BAW filtering devices and resonators. BAW filtering devices are considered the next generation of RF filtering technologies for mobile devices and smartphones worldwide. Akoustis believes a new class of RF Filters, based upon high purity single crystal piezoelectric resonators, can service a multibillion dollar market of device OEMs, network providers, and consumers to diminish front end phone heat, battery drain and signal loss – all considered to be directly related to current RF filter technologies’ limitations.
Download the Presentation on Disruptive Single Crystal Filter Solutions for 4G/LTE Smartphones and Beyond.
