In the era of 5G communication, bulk acoustic wave (BAW) filters have become an effective solution to achieve high-performance radio frequency (RF) filtering. In the current environment where film bulk acoustic resonator (FBAR) technology (the most mature BAW technology) and patents are held by a few companies, it is essential to make breakthroughs in piezoelectric film growth and device preparation, to form a unique BAW device technology route. This paper reviews the AlN thin film growth, the development of AlN in BAW filter devices, and the preparation and application of AlN-based BAW devices. With the efforts of domestic researchers, the single-crystalline AlN bulk acoustic resonator (SABAR) device has further improved the performance of BAW devices through independent innovation in the material growth method and preparation process. Moreover, it also brought a new route to eliminate the “neck sticking” problem to the RF filter industry constrained by foreign countries.