Nanostructure engineering of epitaxial piezoelectric α-quartz thin films on silicon

Abstract: The monolithic integration of sub-micron quartz structures on silicon substrates is a key issue for the future development of telecommunication to the GHz frequencies. Here we report unprecedented large-scale fabrication of ordered arrays of piezoelectric epitaxial quartz nanostructures on silicon substrates by the combination of soft-chemistry and three cost effective lithographic techniques: (i) laser transfer lithography, (ii) soft nanoimprint lithography on Sr-doped SiO2 sol-gel thin films and (iii) self-assembled SrCO3 nanoparticles reactive nanomasks. Epitaxial {\alpha}-quartz nanopillars with different diameters (down to 50 nm) and heights (up to 2000 nm) were obtained for the first time. This work proves the control over the shape, micro- and nano-patterning of quartz thin films while preserving its crystallinity, texture and piezoelectricity. This work opens up the opportunity to fabricate new high frequency resonators and high sensitivity sensors relevant in different fields of application.