Variable capacitor and associated fabrication method

• US 6,229,684 B1
• Filed: 12/15/1999
• Issued: 05/08/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Computer Circuit Operations LLC
• Original Assignee: Viavi Solutions, Inc. (Lumentum Holdings Inc.)
• Inventors: Cowen, Allen Bruce, Dhuler, Vijayakumar Rudrappa, Hill, Edward Arthur, Koester, David Alan, Mahadevan, Ramaswamy
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinkins, Anthony
• Application Number:
  US09/461,247
• Time in Patent Office: 510 Days
• Field of Search: 361/277, 361/278, 361/281-282, 361/299.5, 361/298.2, 361/298.4, 361/298.5, 361/290
• US Class Current: 361/278
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 3/0056 Adjusting the distance between two elements, at least one of them being movable, e.g. air-gap tuning
• CPC Class Codes: F03G 7/06 using expansion or contraction of bodies due to heating, cooling, moistening, drying or the like using thermal expansion of non-vaporising liquids F01K
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 5/16 using variation of distance between electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 5/18 due to change in inclination, e.g. by flexing, by spiral wrapping
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 1/0036 Switches making use of microelectromechanical systems [MEMS] for electromagnetic relays H01H50/005; for electrostatic relays H01H59/0009
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2059/0063 with stepped actuation, e.g. actuation voltages applied to different sets of electrodes at different times or different spring constants during actuation
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2059/0072 with stoppers or protrusions for maintaining a gap, reducing the contact area or for preventing stiction between the movable and the fixed electrode in the attracted position
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2059/0081 with a tapered air-gap between fixed and movable electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2061/006 Micromechanical thermal relay
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 59/0009 making use of micromechanics
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 61/02 wherein the thermally-sensitive member is heated indirectly, e.g. resistively, inductively

Abstract

A variable capacitor having low loss and a correspondingly high Q is provided. In addition to a substrate, the variable capacitor includes at least one substrate electrode and a substrate capacitor plate that are disposed upon the substrate and formed of a low electrical resistance material, such as HTS material or a thick metal layer. The variable capacitor also includes a bimorph member extending outwardly from the substrate and over the at least one substrate electrode. The bimorph member includes first and second layers formed of materials having different coefficients of thermal expansion. The first and second layers of the bimorph member define at least one bimorph electrode and a bimorph capacitor plate such that the establishment of a voltage differential between the substrate electrode and the bimorph electrode moves the bimorph member relative to the substrate electrode, thereby altering the interelectrode spacing as well as the distance between the capacitor plates. As such, the capacitance of the variable capacitor can be controlled based upon the relative spacing between the bimorph member and the underlying substrate. A method is also provided for micromachining or otherwise fabricating a variable capacitor having an electrode and a capacitor plate formed of a low electrical resistance material such that the resulting variable capacitor has low loss and a correspondingly high Q. The variable capacitor can therefore be employed in high frequency applications, such as required by some tunable filters.

Claims

1. A microelectromechanical system (MEMS) variable capacitor comprising:

a substrate;

at least one substrate electrode disposed upon said substrate, said at least one substrate electrode comprising a low electrical resistance material; and

a bimorph member extending outwardly from said substrate and over said at least one substrate electrode, said bimorph member comprising first and second layers formed of materials having different coefficients of thermal expansion, said bimorph member comprising at least one bimorph electrode such that a voltage differential established between said at least one substrate electrode and said at least one bimorph electrode further moves said bimorph member relative to said at least one substrate electrode to thereby alter an interelectrode spacing.

2. A MEMS variable capacitor according to claim 1, further comprising a substrate capacitor plate disposed upon said substrate, wherein said bimorph member further comprises a bimorph capacitor plate that moves in response to the voltage differential between said at least one substrate electrode and said at least one bimorph electrode to thereby correspondingly alter the capacitance between the substrate capacitor plate and the bimorph capacitor plate.

3. A MEMS variable capacitor according to claim 1, further comprising a dielectric element disposed between said substrate electrode and said bimorph electrode, wherein the dielectric element provides for electrical isolation between the substrate electrode and said bimorph electrode.

4. A MEMS variable capacitor according to claim 2, further comprising at least one dielectric element disposed between said substrate electrode and said bimorph electrode and disposed between said substrate capacitor plate and said bimorph capacitor plate, wherein the at least one dielectric element provides for electrical isolation between the substrate electrode and bimorph electrode and for electrical isolation between the substrate capacitor plate and the bimorph capacitor plate.

5. A MEMS variable capacitor according to claim 2, wherein said substrate capacitor plate comprises a low electrical resistance material.

6. A MEMS variable capacitor according to claim 2, wherein said at least one substrate electrode and said substrate capacitor plate are each comprised of a High Temperature Superconducting (HTS) material.

7. A MEMS variable capacitor according to claim 6, wherein said at least one substrate electrode and said substrate capacitor plate are each comprised of Yttrium Barium Copper Oxide (YBCO).

8. A MEMS variable capacitor according to claim 6, wherein said at least one substrate electrode and said substrate capacitor plate are each comprised of Thallium Barium Calcium Copper Oxide (TBCCO).

9. A MEMS variable capacitor according to claim 5, wherein said at least one substrate electrode and said substrate capacitor plate are each comprised of a metal having a thickness at least two times (2×

) the skin depth of the traversing signal at the frequency of operation.

10. A MEMS variable capacitor according to claim 9 wherein said at least one substrate electrode and said substrate capacitor plate are each comprised of gold having a thickness at least two times (2×

) the skin depth of the traversing signal at the frequency of operation.

11. A MEMS variable capacitor according to claim 2 wherein the first and second layers of said bimorph member are each continuous layers such that the continuous second layer serves as both the at least one bimorph electrode and the bimorph capacitor plate.

12. A MEMS variable capacitor according to claim 2 wherein the second layer of said bimorph member comprises the at least one bimorph electrode disposed in general alignment with at least one substrate electrode and the bimorph capacitor plate spaced from the at least one bimorph electrode and disposed in general alignment with the substrate capacitor plate.

13. A MEMS variable capacitor according to claim 1 wherein said bimorph member is curled away from said substrate at a predetermined operating temperature in the absence of an applied voltage.

14. A MEMS variable capacitor according to claim 1 wherein the first layer of said bimorph member comprises gold, and wherein the second layer of said bimorph member comprises aluminum.

15. A MEMS variable capacitor according to claim 1 wherein the first layer of said bimorph member comprises polymeric material, and wherein the second layer of said bimorph member comprises a metal.

16. A MEMS variable capacitor according to claim 1 wherein the first layer of said bimorph member comprises a nitride material, and wherein the second layer of said bimorph member comprises a metal.

17. A MEMS variable capacitor according to claim 1 wherein the first layer of said bimorph member comprises an oxide material, and wherein the second layer of said bimorph member comprises a metal.

18. A MEMS variable capacitor according to claim 2, wherein said at least one substrate electrode and said substrate capacitor plate are countersunk into the substrate.

19. A MEMS variable capacitor according to claim 1, further comprising post-like structures disposed on the substrate, wherein the post-like structures serve to impede stiction.

20. A MEMS variable capacitor according to claim 1, further comprising dimples disposed on an underside of the bimorph member nearest the substrate and corresponding islands disposed on the substrate, wherein the dimples and islands serve to impede stiction.

32. A MEMS variable capacitor according to claim 1 further comprising:

an anchor between the bimorph member and the substrate that is configured to mechanically bias the bimorph member to contact the substrate.

21. A MEMS variable capacitor comprising:

a substrate;

a substrate capacitor plate disposed upon said substrate, said substrate capacitor plate comprising a low electrical resistance material;

at least one substrate electrode disposed upon said substrate and spaced from said substrate capacitor plate, said at least one substrate electrode comprising a low electrical resistance material;

a bimorph member extending outwardly from said substrate and over said at least one substrate electrode, said bimorph member comprising a bimorph capacitor plate and at least one bimorph electrode; and

at least one dielectric element disposed between substrate electrode and bimorph electrode and disposed between the substrate capacitor plate and the bimorph capacitor plate,

wherein a voltage differential established between said at least substrate electrode and said at least one bimorph electrode moves said bimorph member relative to said substrate to thereby alter the spacing between said substrate capacitor plate and said bimorph capacitor plate.

22. A MEMS variable capacitor according to claim 21 wherein said at least one substrate electrode and said substrate capacitor plate are each comprised of a HTS material.

23. A MEMS variable capacitor according to claim 21, wherein said at least one substrate electrode and said substrate capacitor plate are each comprised of Yttrium Barium Copper Oxide (YBCO).

24. A MEMS variable capacitor according to claim 21, wherein said at least one substrate electrode and said substrate capacitor plate are each comprised of Thallium Barium Calcium Copper Oxide (TBCCO).

25. A MEMS variable capacitor according to claim 21, wherein said at least one substrate electrode and said substrate capacitor plate are each comprised of a metal having a thickness at least two times (2×

) the skin depth of the traversing signal at the frequency of operation.

26. A MEMS variable capacitor according to claim 25 wherein said at least one substrate electrode and said substrate capacitor plate are each comprised of gold having a thickness at least two times (2×

) the skin depth of the traversing signal at the frequency of operation.

27. A MEMS variable capacitor according to claim 21 wherein said bimorph member comprises first and second layers formed of materials having different coefficients of thermal expansion such that said bimorph member is curled away from said substrate at a predetermined operating temperature in the absence of an applied voltage.

28. A MEMS variable capacitor according to claim 27 wherein the first and second layers of said bimorph member are each continuous layers such that the continuous second layer serves as both the at least one bimorph electrode and the bimorph capacitor plate.

29. A MEMS variable capacitor according to claim 27 wherein the second layer of said bimorph member comprises the at least bimorph electrode disposed in general alignment with the at least one substrate electrode, and the bimorph capacitor plate spaced from the at least one bimorph electrode and disposed in general alignment with the substrate capacitor plate.

30. A variable capacitor according to claim 27 wherein the first layer of said bimorph member comprises gold, and wherein the second layer of said bimorph member comprises aluminum.

31. A variable capacitor according to claim 27 wherein the first layer of said bimorph member comprises a polymeric material, and wherein the second layer of said bimorph member comprises a metal.

33. A MEMS variable capacitor according to claim 21 further comprising:

an anchor between the bimorph member and the substrate that is configured to mechanically bias the bimorph member to contact the substrate.