Thin films capacitors

• US 10,163,574 B2
• Filed: 07/11/2016
• Issued: 12/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP USA, Inc. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Oakes, James, Martin, James, Horne, Edward, McKinzie, William E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Thomas, Eric W
• Application Number:
  US15/207,171
• Publication Number:
  US 20170011858A1
• Time in Patent Office: 897 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 4/33 Thin- or thick-film capacitors thin- or thick-film circuits H01L27/00; capacitors without a potential-jump or surface barrier specially adapted for integrated circuits, details thereof, multistep manufacturing processes therefor H01L28/40
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 4/38 Multiple capacitors, i.e. structural combinations of fixed capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 7/06 having a dielectric selected for the variation of its permittivity with applied voltage, i.e. ferroelectric capacitors electrets H01G7/02
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 2001/0014 Capacitor filters, i.e. capacitors whose parasitic inductance is of relevance to consider it as filter
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/0458 Arrangements for matching and coupling between power amplifier and antenna or between amplifying stages matching circuits in general H03H

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a first solid electrode, a second electrode separated into subsections, and a dielectric medium separating the subsections from the first solid electrode, where the subsections of the second electrode include a first group of subsections and a second group of subsections, where the first group of subsections are connectable with a first terminal for receiving an input signal, and where the second group of subsections is connectable with a second terminal for providing an output signal. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a top electrode;

a bottom electrode; and

a dielectric medium separating the top electrode from the bottom electrode,

wherein the top electrode comprise a first segmented electrode and a second segmented electrode,

wherein the first segmented electrode and the bottom electrode form a first group of capacitors,

wherein the second segmented electrode and the bottom electrode form a second group of capacitors,

wherein each capacitor of the first group of capacitors is arranged in parallel,

wherein each capacitor of the second group of capacitors is arranged in parallel,

wherein the first group of capacitors is in series with the second group of capacitors, and

wherein electrodes of the first segmented electrode and the second segmented electrode are arranged in a nested array configuration.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein electrodes of the first segmented electrode and the second segmented electrode have a cross shape.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein electrodes of the first segmented electrode and the second segmented electrode have a rectangular shape and are parallel to each other, and wherein the first group of capacitors and the second groups of capacitors are formed in an alternating pattern.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first segmented electrode is connectable with a first terminal for receiving an input signal, and

wherein the second segmented electrode is connectable with a second terminal for providing an output signal.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the first terminal comprises a first comb portion, the first comb portion comprising a first terminal body and first terminal connectors extending from the first terminal body,

wherein the first terminal connectors are connected with the electrodes of the first segmented electrode through first metal vias,

wherein the second terminal comprises a second comb portion, the second comb portion comprising a second terminal body and second terminal connectors extending from the second terminal body, and

wherein the second terminal connectors are connected with the electrodes of the second segmented electrode through second metal vias.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein a portion of the first terminal connectors is non-orthogonal to the first terminal body, and wherein a portion of the second terminal connectors is non-orthogonal to the second terminal body.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a first resistance of the first segmented electrode is less than a second resistance of the second segmented electrode.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the dielectric medium is a tunable dielectric medium comprising barium-strontium titanate.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the electrodes of the first segmented electrode and the second segmented electrode have a diamond shape, and wherein each adjacent electrode of the first segmented electrode and the second segmented electrode is separated by an equal gap.

10. An apparatus, comprising:

a bottom electrode;

a first segmented electrode, wherein the first segmented electrode and the bottom electrode form a first group of capacitors;

a second segmented electrode, wherein the second segmented electrode and the bottom electrode form a second group of capacitors; and

a dielectric medium separating both of the first segmented electrode and the second segmented electrode from the bottom electrode,

wherein first electrodes of the first segmented electrode and second electrodes of the second segmented electrode are arranged in a nested array configuration.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein each capacitor of the first group of capacitors is arranged in parallel,

wherein each capacitor of the second group of capacitors is arranged in parallel, and

wherein the first group of capacitors is in series with the second group of capacitors.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the first electrodes of the first segmented electrode have a cross shape.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the second electrodes of the second segmented electrode have a cross shape.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the first electrodes and the second electrodes have a rectangular shape and are parallel to each other, and wherein the first group of capacitors and the second groups of capacitors are formed in an alternating pattern.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the first segmented electrode is connectable with a first terminal for receiving an input signal, and

wherein the second segmented electrode is connectable with a second terminal for providing an output signal.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the first terminal comprises a first comb portion, the first comb portion comprising a first terminal body and first terminal connectors extending from the first terminal body,

wherein the first terminal connectors are connected with the first electrodes through first metal vias,

wherein the second terminal comprises a second comb portion, the second comb portion comprising a second terminal body and second terminal connectors extending from the second terminal body, and

wherein the second terminal connectors are connected with the second electrodes through second metal vias.

17. An apparatus, comprising:

a dielectric medium;

a bottom electrode;

a plurality of first top electrodes provided on the dielectric medium, wherein the plurality of first top electrodes is separated from the bottom electrode by the dielectric medium, and wherein the plurality of first top electrodes forms a first group of capacitors; and

a plurality of second top electrodes provided on the dielectric medium, wherein the plurality of second top electrodes is separated from the bottom electrode by the dielectric medium, and wherein the plurality of second top electrodes forms a second group of capacitors,

wherein each capacitor of the first group of capacitors is arranged in parallel,

wherein each capacitor of the second group of capacitors is arranged in parallel,

wherein the first group of capacitors is in series with the second group of capacitors, and

wherein the plurality of first top electrodes and the plurality of second top electrodes are arranged in a nested array configuration.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein a shape of the plurality of first top electrodes is a cross shape, and

wherein a shape of the plurality of second top electrodes is a cross shape.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein electrodes of the plurality of first top electrodes and the plurality of second top electrodes have a rectangular shape and are parallel to each other, and wherein the first group of capacitors and the second groups of capacitors are formed in an alternating pattern.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the plurality of first top electrodes and the plurality of second top electrodes have a diamond shape, and wherein each adjacent electrode of the plurality of first top electrodes and the plurality of second top electrodes is separated by an equal gap.