Method of providing differential frequency adjusts in a thin film bulk acoustic resonator (FBAR) filter and apparatus embodying the method

• US 6,566,979 B2
• Filed: 03/05/2001
• Issued: 05/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP PTE Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Ruby, Richard C., Larson, John D. III, Bradley, Paul D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Summons, Barbara
• Application Number:
  US09/799,153
• Publication Number:
  US 20020121944A1
• Time in Patent Office: 806 Days
• Field of Search: 333/186-192, 310/312, 29/253.5
• US Class Current: 333/187
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 2003/0428 of an electrode
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 2003/0471 of a plurality of resonators at different frequencies
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 3/04 for obtaining desired frequency or temperature coefficient
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 9/564 implemented with thin-film techniques
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/42 Piezoelectric device making

Abstract

A method for fabricating a resonator, and in particular, a thin film bulk acoustic resonator (FBAR), and a resonator embodying the method are disclosed. A resonator is fabricated on a substrate, and its top electrode 56 is oxidized to form a oxide layer 58. For a substrate having multiple resonators, the top electrode 56 of only selected resonator is oxidized to provide resonators having different resonance frequencies on the same substrate.

Claims

1. A method of lowering resonant frequency of a thin film bulk acoustic resonator (FBAR) having a top electrode, the method comprising oxidizing a portion of the top electrode, wherein the top electrode comprises Molybdenum, and the FBAR is heated at around 300 degrees Celsius for about an hour to lower the resonant frequency by about 5 MHz.

2. A method of lowering resonant frequency of a thin film bulk acoustic resonator (FBAR) having a top electrode, the method comprising oxidizing a portion of the top electrode, wherein the oxidation lowers the resonant frequency in the range of about 60 MHz to 100 MHz.

3. A method for fabricating resonators on a substrate, the method comprising:

fabricating a first resonator on the substrate, the first resonator having a first bottom electrode, a first piezoelectric (PZ) layer, and a first top electrode;

fabricating a second resonator on the substrate, the second resonator having a second bottom electrode, a second piezoelectric (PZ) layer, and a second top electrode;

oxidizing the first top electrode to lower resonant frequency of the first resonator;

wherein the first top electrode comprises Molybdenum, and the substrate is heated at around 300 degrees Celsius for about an hour to lower the resonant frequency by about 5 MHz.

4. A method for fabricating resonators on a substrate, the method comprising:

fabricating a first resonator on the substrate, the first resonator having a first bottom electrode, a first piezoelectric (PZ) layer, and a first top electrode;

fabricating a second resonator on the substrate, the second resonator having a second bottom electrode, a second piezoelectric (PZ) layer, and a second top electrode;

oxidizing the first top electrode to lower resonant frequency of the first resonator;

wherein the oxidation lowers the resonant frequency in the range of about one to six percent compared to that of a non-oxidized resonator of the same structure.

5. A resonator comprising a bottom electrode and a top electrode sandwiching a piezoelectric (PZ) layer, the top electrode including a conductor portion and an oxidized conductor portion wherein the top electrode comprises Molybdenum, and the resonator is heated at around 300 degrees Celsius for about an hour to lower resonant frequency of the resonator by about five MHz.

6. A resonator comprising a bottom electrode and a top electrode sandwiching a piezoelectric (PZ) layer, the top electrode including a conductor portion and an oxidized conductor portion wherein the oxidation lowers the resonant frequency in the range of one to three percent compared to that of a non-oxidized resonator of the same structure.

7. An apparatus comprising:

a first resonator having a first bottom electrode, a first piezoelectric (PZ) layer, and a first top electrode, the first top electrode comprising a conductor layer and an oxidized conductor layer; and

a second resonator having a second bottom electrode, a second piezoelectric (PZ) layer, and a second top electrode wherein the apparatus is heated at around 300 degrees Celsius for about an hour to lower resonant frequency of the second resonator by about 5 MHz.

8. An apparatus comprising:

a first resonator having a first bottom electrode, a first piezoelectric (PZ) layer, and a first top electrode, the first top electrode comprising a conductor layer and an oxidized conductor layer; and

a second resonator having a second bottom electrode, a second piezoelectric (PZ) layer, and a second top electrode wherein the oxidation lowers the resonant frequency of the first resonator in the range of one to six percent compared to that of the second resonator.