Sensitivity of STW resonators to radial in-plane stress effects: theory and experiments

The design and fabrication of high spectral purity resonators based on surface waves requires a good understanding of the influence of temperature and mechanical stress effects on their frequency stability. The aim of these paper is to present a perturbation model of Surface Transverse Waves (STW) sensitivity to stresses used to predict the frequency variations of STW resonators built on AT cut quartz plates submitted to radial compression. Comparison between theory and experiments is shown to validate the model and to check the stability of STW properties to the propagation direction of the wave.