Thin film ferroelectric varactor

• US 5,640,042 A
• Filed: 12/14/1995
• Issued: 06/17/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The United States of America As Represented By The Secretary of Agriculture
• Original Assignee: The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Army
• Inventors: Wilber, William D., Koscica, Thomas E., Babbitt, Richard W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ngo , Ngan V.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wilson, Allan R.
• Application Number:
  US08/573,357
• Time in Patent Office: 551 Days
• Field of Search: 257/295, 257/595, 257/602, 257/661, 257/662, 257/663
• US Class Current: 257/595
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 1/2039 Galvanic coupling between Input/Output

Abstract

A voltage-variable ceramic capacitance device which has a plurality of las in a matching lattice structure and which possesses a symmetric voltage characteristic and a determinable voltage breakdown and has a high resistance to overbiasing or reverse biasing from an applied voltage. The device consists of a carrier substrate layer, a high temperature superconducting metallic layer deposited on the substrate, a thin film ferroelectric deposited on the metallic layer, and a plurality of metallic conductive means disposed on the thin film ferroelectric which are placed in electrical contact with RF transmission lines in tuning devices. The voltage breakdown of the device is easily designed by selecting the appropriate thickness of the ceramic, thus enabling a highly capacitive device that can be placed in a position of maximum standing wave voltage in a tuning circuit or tuning mechanism to provide a maximum effect on tunability, especially in high power applications, based on the changes in dielectric constant of the device.

Claims

1. A thin film ferroelectric varactor device, comprising:

a carrier substrate layer;

a metallic conductive layer deposited on said carrier substrate layer;

a thin film ferroelectric deposited on said metallic conductive layer; and

a plurality of metallic conductive means longitudinally disposed on said thin film ferroelectric, said conductive means defining longitudinal gaps therebetween.

2. A thin film ferroelectric varactor device as recited in claim 1, wherein said carrier substrate layer, said metallic conductive layer, and said thin film ferroelectric layer have matching lattice crystal structures.

3. A thin film ferroelectric varactor device as recited in claim 2, wherein:

said carrier substrate layer has an elemental composition of MgO;

said metallic conductive layer is a high temperature superconducting film of YBaCu-Oxide; and

said thin film ferroelectric layer has an elemental composition of Ba_x Sr_1-x TiO₃, where x is less than 1.

4. A thin film ferroelectric varactor device as recited in claim 2, wherein said thin film ferroelectric layer is deposited on said metallic conductive layer by laser ablation.

5. A thin film ferroelectric varactor device, comprising:

a crystalline carrier substrate layer having a predetermined lattice structure;

a crystalline superconducting film deposited on said carrier substrate layer, said superconducting film having a predetermined lattice structure that matches the lattice structure of said carrier substrate layer;

a crystalline thin film ferroelectric deposited on said superconducting film, said thin film ferroelectric having a predetermined lattice structure that matches the lattice structure of said superconducting film and said carrier substrate layer; and

a plurality of metallic conductive means longitudinally disposed on said thin film ferroelectric, said conductive means defining longitudinal gaps therebetween.

6. A thin film ferroelectric varactor device as recited in claim 5, wherein:

said carrier substrate layer has an elemental composition of MgO;

said superconducting film has an elemental composition of YBaCu-Oxide; and

said thin film ferroelectric layer has an elemental composition of Ba_x Sr_1-x TiO₃, where x is less than 1.

7. A thin film ferroelectric varactor device, comprising:

a carrier substrate layer having a crystalline structure oriented in the [001] crystal plane;

a metallic conductive layer deposited on said carrier substrate layer;

said metallic conductive layer having a crystalline structure oriented in the [001] crystal plane and matching the crystalline structure of said carrier substrate;

a thin film ferroelectric deposited on said metallic conductive layer, said thin film ferroelectric having a perovskite crystalline structure oriented in the [001] crystal plane and matching the crystalline structure of said metallic conductive layer and said carrier substrate; and

a plurality of metallic conductive means longitudinally disposed on said thin film ferroelectric, said conductive means defining longitudinal gaps therebetween.

8. A thin film ferroelectric varactor device as recited in claim 7, wherein:

said carrier substrate layer has an elemental composition of MgO;

said metallic conductive layer is a high temperature superconducting film of YBaCu-Oxide; and

said thin film ferroelectric layer has an elemental composition of Ba_x Sr_1-x TiO₃, where x is less than 1.