Top-via etch technique for forming dielectric membranes

• US 5,853,601 A
• Filed: 04/03/1997
• Issued: 12/29/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation (Northrop Grumman Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Northrop Grumman Corporation
• Inventors: Valek, William F., Valko, Thomas M., Krishaswamy, Silaipillayarputhur V., Milton, Curtis E. Jr., Rosenbaum, Joel F.
• Primary Examiner(s): POWELL, WILLIAM A
• Application Number:
  US08/832,080
• Time in Patent Office: 635 Days
• Field of Search: 216/2, 216/41, 216/56, 216/79, 216/99, 438/719, 438/723, 438/733, 438/739, 438/743, 438/753, 438/735
• US Class Current: 216/2
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 3/02 for the manufacture of piezoelectric or electrostrictive resonators or networks H03H3/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 9/172 Means for mounting on a substrate, i.e. means constituting the material interface confining the waves to a volume

Abstract

A top-via etch technique for forming dielectric membranes for thin film devices, the dielectric membrane being deposited on the upper planar surface of the substrate. After the thin film device is formed on the dielectric membrane, a photoresist etch mask is deposited on the entire upper planar surface of the substrate, including the thin film structure. Vias are formed through the dielectric membrane and the protective photoresist etch mask to expose the upper planar surface of the substrate along opposite first and second ends of the thin film device. The upper planar surface of the substrate is isotropically etched using a reactive ion etching technique for example, to form air gaps beneath the dielectric membrane. The etching process may be carried out in etch segments of predetermined intervals, each followed by a cool down period of a prescribed interval.

Claims

1. A method of fabricating a film bulk acoustic resonator comprising the steps of:

a) depositing a membrane layer on an upper planar surface of a substrate;

b) forming a film bulk acoustic resonator on the membrane layer;

c) depositing a photoresist etch mask on the membrane layer and the film bulk acoustic resonator;

d) opening respective first and second vias through the membrane layer and the photoresist etch mask at respective first and second ends of the film bulk acoustic resonator to expose the substrate;

e) isotropically etching the substrate through the first and second vias to form air gaps under the membrane layer along the first and second ends of the film bulk acoustic resonator; and

f) removing the photoresist etch mask.

2. The method of fabricating a film bulk acoustic resonator of claim 1, wherein said step e) comprises etching the substrate using a reactive ion etch.

3. The method of fabricating a film bulk acoustic resonator of claim 2, wherein said step e) comprises etching the substrate in thirty minute etch intervals, each etch interval being followed by a ten minute cool down interval, to obtain air gaps of desired depth.

4. The method of fabricating a film bulk acoustic resonator of claim 3, wherein said step e) further comprises subjecting the etched substrate to an ash treatment.

5. The method of fabricating a film bulk acoustic resonator of claim 2, wherein said step e) comprises using SF₆ as reactive gas.

6. The method of fabricating a film bulk acoustic resonator of claim 1, wherein said step b) comprises:

b1) depositing a first electrode on the membrane layer;

b2) depositing a piezoelectric layer on the first electrode; and

b3) depositing a second electrode on the piezoelectric layer.

7. The method of fabricating a film bulk acoustic resonator of claim 6, wherein said step b2) comprises depositing AlN as the piezoelectric layer.

8. The method of fabricating a film bulk acoustic resonator of claim 6, wherein said step b2) comprises depositing ZnO as the piezoelectric layer.

9. The method of fabricating a film bulk acoustic resonator of claim 1, wherein the substrate is Si and said step a) comprises depositing a first submembrane of SiO₂ on the upper planar surface of the substrate and a second submembrane of ZnO on the first submembrane as the membrane layer.

10. The method of fabricating a film bulk acoustic resonator of claim 9, wherein the first submembrane is 1 micron thick and the second submembrane is 0.5 micron thick.

11. The method of fabricating a film bulk acoustic resonator of claim 1, wherein the substrate is Si and said step a) comprises depositing a first submembrane of SiO₂ on the upper planar surface of the substrate, a second submembrane of CrAu on the first submembrane and a third submembrane of ZnO on the second submembrane as the membrane layer.

12. The method of fabricating a film bulk acoustic resonator of claim 11, wherein the first submembrane is 1 micron thick, the second submembrane is 0.1 micron thick and the third submembrane is 1.5 microns thick.

13. The method of fabricating a film bulk acoustic resonator of claim 1, wherein the substrate is Si and said step a) comprises depositing SiO₂ as the membrane layer.

14. A method of forming air gaps under a dielectric membrane, the dielectric membrane being deposited on an upper planar surface of a substrate and having a thin film device integrated thereon, the method comprising the steps of:

a) depositing a photoresist layer on the dielectric membrane and the thin film device;

b) forming respective first and second vias through the dielectric membrane and the photoresist layer at respective first and second ends of the thin film device to expose the substrate;

c) isotropically etching the substrate through the first and second vias to form air gaps under the dielectric membrane along the first and second ends of the thin film device; and

d) removing the photoresist layer.

15. The method of forming air gaps under a dielectric membrane of claim 14, wherein the thin film device is a film bulk acoustic resonator.

16. The method of forming air gaps under a dielectric membrane of claim 14, wherein the substrate is Si and the dielectric membrane is deposited as a first submembrane of SiO₂ on the upper planar surface of the substrate and a second submembrane of ZnO on the first submembrane.

17. The method of forming air gaps under a dielectric membrane of claim 14, wherein the substrate is Si and the dielectric membrane is deposited as a first submembrane of SiO₂ on the upper planar surface of the substrate, a second submembrane of CrAu on the first submembrane and a third submembrane of ZnO on the second submembrane.

18. The method of forming air gaps under a dielectric membrane of claim 14, wherein the substrate is Si and the dielectric membrane is deposited on the upper planar surface of the substrate as an SiO₂ dielectric membrane.

19. The method of forming air gaps under a dielectric membrane of claim 14, wherein said step c) comprises etching the substrate using a reactive ion etch.

20. The method of forming air gaps under a dielectric membrane of claim 14, wherein said step c) comprises etching the substrate in thirty minute etch intervals, each etch interval being followed by a ten minute cool down interval, to obtain air gaps of desired depth.

21. The method of forming air gaps under a dielectric membrane of claim 14, wherein said step a) comprises forming a protective skin of photoresist material having enhanced masking ability on the dielectric membrane and the thin film device.