Tunable thin film acoustic resonators and method for making the same

• US 5,587,620 A
• Filed: 12/21/1993
• Issued: 12/24/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP PTE Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Ruby, Richard C., Merchant, Paul P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dougherty, Thomas M.
• Application Number:
  US08/171,227
• Time in Patent Office: 1,099 Days
• Field of Search: 310/312, 310/315, 310/341, 310/346
• US Class Current: 310/346
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 2009/02181 by application of heat from a heat source
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 3/04 for obtaining desired frequency or temperature coefficient
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 9/02133 of stress
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 9/02236 of surface skimming bulk wave devices
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 9/174 Membranes
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 9/583 comprising a plurality of piezoelectric layers acoustically coupled
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 9/588 Membranes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/42 Piezoelectric device making

Abstract

An acoustical resonator comprising top and bottom electrodes that sandwich a PZ layer. The resonance frequency of the acoustical resonator may be adjusted after fabrication by utilizing heating elements included in the acoustical resonator and/or by adjusting the thickness of a tuning layer. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the electrodes comprise Mo layers. One embodiment of the present invention is constructed on a Si₃ N₄ membrane. A second embodiment of the present invention is constructed such that it is suspended over a substrate on metallic columns. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the electrodes are deposited by a method that minimizes the stress in the electrodes.

Claims

1. A high-Q, acoustical resonator, comprising:

a bottom electrode layer having an ordered structure, a thickness and an acoustical attenuation;

a thin-film PZ layer comprising AlN deposited on said lower electrode layer with an ordered structure imparted thereon by said ordered structure of said lower electrode layer, said PZ layer having a top surface and a thickness; and

a top electrode layer adjacent to said top surface of said PZ layer, the top electrode layer having a thickness and an acoustical attenuation,

wherein;

the top electrode layer, the PZ layer, and the bottom electrode layer collectively consitute an acoustic path having a Q, the top electrode layer and the bottom electrode layer each having a thickness relative to the thickness of the PZ layer such that the top electrode layer and the bottom electrode layer collectively constitute such a proportion of the acoustic path that the top electrode layer and the bottom electrode layer having a high acoustical attenuation causes the acoustic path to have a low Q, and

both of said top electrode layer and said bottom electrode layer consist essentially of at least one metal chosen from the group consisting of Mo and W to minimize the acoustical attenuation of said top electrode layer and said bottom electrode layer, and thereby to maximize the Q of the acoustical resonator.

2. The acoustical resonator of claim 1 further comprising a layer of Si₃ N₄ adjacent to said bottom electrode layer, said bottom electrode being sandwiched between said layer of Si₃ N₄ and said PZ layer.

3. The acoustical resonator of claim 2 wherein the side of said Si₃ N₄ layer remote from said PZ layer comprises a region that is in contact with air.

4. The acoustical resonator of claim 1, wherein:

said PZ layer includes an upper PZ layer and a lower PZ layer, said lower PZ layer being deposited on said bottom electrode layer, said top electrode layer being deposited on said upper PZ layer;

the acoustical resonator additionally comprises a middle electrode layer deposited on said lower PZ layer, said middle electrode layer constituting part of said acoustic path and consisting essentially of at least one metal chosen from the group consisting of Mo and W; and

at least part of said upper PZ layer is deposited on said middle electrode layer.

5. An acoustical resonator, comprising:

a thin-film PZ layer having top and bottom surfaces;

a bottom electrode layer adjacent to said bottom surface of said PZ layer;

a top electrode layer adjacent to said top surface of said PZ layer, said top electrode layer, said PZ layer, and said bottom electrode layer collectively constituting a structure having a resonant frequency, said resonant frequency depending on a temperature of said PZ layer;

a layer of Si₃ N₄ adjacent to said bottom electrode layer, said bottom electrode being sandwiched between said layer of Si₃ N₄ and said PZ layer; and

heating means for increasing said temperature of said PZ layer to a predetermined temperature whereat said resonant frequency is equal to a predetermined frequency, said heating means additionally indicating said temperature of said PZ layer.

6. The acoustical resonator of claim 5, wherein:

said PZ layer includes an upper PZ layer and a lower PZ layer, said lower PZ layer being deposited on said bottom electrode layer, said top electrode layer being deposited on said upper PZ layer;

the acoustical resonator additionally comprises a middle electrode layer deposited on said lower PZ layer; and

at least part of said upper PZ layer is deposited on said middle electrode layer.

7. The acoustical resonator of claim 6 wherein the side of said Si₃ N₄ layer remote from said PZ layer comprises a region that is in contact with air.

8. An acoustical resonator, comprising:

a thin-film PZ layer comprising AlN and having top and bottom surfaces;

a bottom electrode layer adjacent to said bottom surface of said PZ layer;

a top electrode layer adjacent to said top surface of said PZ layer, said top electrode layer, said PZ layer, and said bottom electrode layer collectively constituting a structure having a resonant frequency, said resonant frequency depending on a temperature of said PZ layer; and

heating means for increasing said temperature of said PZ layer to a predetermined temperature whereat said resonant frequency is equal to a predetermined frequency, said heating means additionally indicating said temperature of said PZ layer.

9. The acoustical resonator of claim 8, wherein:

said PZ layer includes an upper PZ layer and a lower PZ layer, said lower PZ layer being deposited on said bottom electrode layer, said top electrode layer being deposited on said upper PZ layer;

the acoustical resonator additionally comprises a middle electrode layer deposited on said lower PZ layer; and

at least part of said upper PZ layer is deposited on said middle electrode layer.

10. An acoustical resonator, comprising:

a PZ layer having top and bottom surfaces;

a bottom electrode layer adjacent to said bottom surface of said PZ layer;

a top electrode layer adjacent to said top surface of said PZ layer;

a layer of Si₃ N₄ adjacent to said bottom electrode layer, said bottom electrode being sandwiched between said layer of Si₃ N₄ and said PZ layer; and

heating means for heating said PZ layer, said heating means comprising a metallic trace in contact with said Si₃ N₄ layer.

11. The acoustical resonator of claim 10, wherein said PZ layer comprises AlN.

12. The acoustical resonator of claim 10, wherein the side of said Si₃ N₄ layer remote from said PZ layer comprises a region that is in contact with air.

13. The acoustical resonator of claim 10, wherein said heating means is additionally sandwiched between said PZ layer and said Si₃ N₄ layer.

14. The acoustical resonator of claim 10, wherein said bottom electrode and said heating means are parts of a common metallization layer.

15. The acoustical resonator of claim 10, wherein:

said PZ layer includes an upper PZ layer and a lower PZ layer, said lower PZ layer being deposited on said bottom electrode layer, said top electrode layer being deposited on said upper PZ layer;

the acoustical resonator additionally comprises a middle electrode layer deposited on said lower PZ layer; and

at least part of said upper PZ layer is deposited on said middle electrode layer.

16. An acoustical resonator, comprising:

a thin-film PZ layer having top and bottom surfaces;

a bottom electrode layer adjacent to said bottom surface of said PZ layer;

a top electrode layer adjacent to said top surface of said PZ layer; and

an evaporable tuning layer acoustically coupled to said PZ layer, part of said tuning layer being evaporated after fabrication of said acoustical resonator to provide a predetermined resonance frequency for said acoustical resonator, said tuning layer comprising a metallic layer and means for causing a current to pass through said metallic layer thereby causing a portion of said metallic layer to vaporize.

17. The acoustical resonator of claim 16, wherein:

said PZ layer includes an upper PZ layer and a lower PZ layer, said lower PZ layer being deposited on said bottom electrode layer, said top electrode layer being deposited on said upper PZ layer;

the acoustical resonator additionally comprises a middle electrode layer deposited on said lower PZ layer; and

at least part of said upper PZ layer is deposited on said middle electrode layer.

18. An acoustical resonator, comprising:

a PZ layer having top and bottom surfaces;

a bottom electrode layer adjacent to said bottom surface of said PZ layer;

a layer of Si₃ N₄ adjacent to said bottom electrode layer, said bottom electrode being sandwiched between said layer of Si₃ N₄ and said PZ layer;

a top electrode layer adjacent to said top surface of said PZ layer; and

a tuning layer in acoustical contact with said PZ layer, the thickness of said tuning layer being adjusted after fabrication of said acoustical resonator to provide a predetermined resonance frequency for said acoustical resonator.

19. The acoustical resonator of claim 18, wherein the side of said Si₃ N₄ layer remote from said PZ layer comprises a region that is in contact with air.

20. The acoustical resonator of claim 19 wherein said tuning layer comprises means for depositing a metallic layer on said acoustical resonator.

21. The acoustical resonator of claim 18, wherein said tuning layer is formed on the side of said Si₃ N₄ layer remote from said PZ layer.

22. The acoustical resonator of claim 21, wherein said tuning layer comprises a metallic layer and means for causing a current to pass through said metallic layer thereby causing a portion of said metallic layer to vaporize.

23. The acoustical resonator of claim 18, wherein said tuning layer comprises a metallic layer and means for causing a current to pass through said metallic layer thereby causing a portion of said metallic layer to vaporize.

24. The acoustical resonator of claim 18, wherein said tuning layer comprises means for depositing a metallic layer on said layer of Si₃ N₄.

25. The acoustical resonator of claim 18, wherein:

said PZ layer includes an upper PZ layer and a lower PZ layer, said lower PZ layer being deposited on said bottom electrode layer, said top electrode layer being deposited on said upper PZ layer;

the acoustical resonator additionally comprises a middle electrode layer deposited on said lower PZ layer; and

at least part of said upper PZ layer is deposited on said middle electrode layer.