Acoustic wave devices, and particularly piezoelectric layer arrangements in acoustic wave devices and related methods are disclosed. Acoustic wave devices may include a piezoelectric layer on a carrier substrate. The piezoelectric layer is formed with a thickness that is varied or shaped across different portions of the carrier substrate. Different piezoelectric layer thicknesses on a common carrier substrate may be provided for different surface acoustic wave (SAW) filter structures that are formed monolithically, for different sets of resonators within a single filter structure, and for different regions within a single SAW device in one or more of the transverse direction or the propagation directions. Shaping piezoelectric layers may include selectively removing or adding portions of the piezoelectric layer. In this manner, piezoelectric layer thicknesses at different hierarchy levels within SAW devices and filters may be tailored to provide different acoustic resonator properties without requiring separately formed devices on separate substrates.

A surface acoustic wave (SAW) resonator comprises a plurality of interdigital transducer electrodes disposed on a multilayer piezoelectric substrate (MPS) including a layer of piezoelectric material having a lower surface bonded to an upper surface of a layer of a second material different from the piezoelectric material that improves the temperature stability and reliability of the SAW resonator, and a layer of dielectric material disposed on an upper surface of the interdigital transducer electrodes and MPS.

An acoustic wave resonator includes: a piezoelectric substrate; a pair of comb-shaped electrodes that is located on the piezoelectric substrate and excites an acoustic wave, each of the pair of comb-shaped electrodes including a plurality of electrode fingers; and a polycrystalline substrate that is located at an opposite side of the piezoelectric substrate from a surface on which the pair of comb-shaped electrodes is located, an average particle size of the polycrystalline substrate being equal to or less than 66 times an average pitch of the plurality of electrode fingers.

A structure includes a substrate including a wafer or a portion thereof; and a piezoelectric bulk material layer comprising a first portion deposited onto the substrate and a second portion deposited onto the first portion, the second portion comprising an outer surface having a surface roughness (Ra) of 4.5 nm or less. Methods for depositing a piezoelectric bulk material layer include depositing a first portion of bulk layer material at a first incidence angle to achieve a predetermined c-axis tilt, and depositing a second portion of the bulk material layer onto the first portion at a second incidence angle that is smaller than the first incidence angle. The second portion has a second c-axis tilt that substantially aligns with the first c-axis tilt.

A method for processing a lithium tantalate crystal substrate includes providing a lithium tantalate crystal substrate, roughening the lithium tantalate crystal substrate, providing a catalytic agent, bringing the lithium tantalate crystal substrate and the catalytic agent into contact with each other after the lithium tantalate crystal substrate is roughened, and subjecting the lithium tantalate crystal substrate to a reduction treatment. The reduction treatment is conducted at a temperature not higher than a Curie temperature of the lithium tantalate crystal substrate. The catalytic agent is selected from the group consisting of metal powder, metal gas, and metal carbonate powder.

A surface acoustic wave (SAW) device according to the present invention includes: a substrate; an intermediate layer formed on an upper surface of the substrate; a piezoelectric layer formed on an upper surface of the intermediate layer; and an inter-digital transducer (IDT) electrode formed on an upper surface of the piezoelectric layer to generate a SAW, wherein an upper portion of the substrate is deformed by a predetermined thickness by ion implantation to form an ion trap layer and the intermediate layer is formed on an upper surface of the ion trap layer.

A surface acoustic wave device comprising a base substrate, a piezoelectric layer and an electrode layer in between the piezoelectric layer and the base substrate, a comb electrode formed on the piezoelectric layer comprising a plurality of electrode means with a pitch p, defined asp=A, with A being the wavelength of the standing acoustic wave generated by applying opposite potentials to the electrode layer and comb electrode, wherein the piezoelectric layer comprises at least one region located in between the electrode means, in which at least one physical parameter is different compared to the region underneath the electrode means or fingers. A method of fabrication for such surface acoustic wave device is also disclosed. The physical parameter may be thickness, elasticity, doping concentration of Ti or number of protons obtained by proton exchange.

An acoustic wave device includes a piezoelectric substrate in which a reverse-velocity surface is convex and an IDT electrode on the piezoelectric substrate. When an acoustic wave propagation direction is a first direction and a direction perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the first direction is a second direction, the portion of the IDT electrode where first and second electrode fingers overlap in the first direction is a crossing region. The crossing region includes a center region centrally located in the second direction and a first and second edge regions located on two sides of the center region. Recesses 17 and 18 are respectively provided in portions of the piezoelectric substrate located in the first and second edge regions between the portions where the first and second electrode fingers are provided.

An elastic wave device includes a piezoelectric substrate and an IDT electrode provided on the piezoelectric substrate. The IDT electrode includes a busbar electrode extending in an elastic wave propagation direction and electrode fingers connected to the busbar electrode and extending in a direction perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the elastic wave propagation direction. The piezoelectric substrate includes a groove extending along the elastic wave propagation direction. The groove is provided on a side across the busbar electrode in the perpendicular or substantially perpendicular direction from a side at which the electrode fingers are located.

A method for processing a lithium tantalate crystal substrate includes providing a lithium tantalate crystal substrate and a metallic sheet, roughening at least one of the lithium tantalate crystal substrate and the metallic sheet, bringing the lithium tantalate crystal substrate and the metallic sheet into contact with each other after the at least one thereof is roughened, and subjecting the lithium tantalate crystal substrate to a reduction treatment. The reduction treatment is conducted at a temperature not higher than a Curie temperature of the lithium tantalate crystal substrate.