Acoustic resonator devices having multiple resonant frequencies and methods of making the same

• US 6,927,651 B2
• Filed: 05/12/2003
• Issued: 08/09/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Oshmyansky, Yury, Larson, John D. III
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Dinh T.
• Application Number:
  US10/436,404
• Publication Number:
  US 20040227590A1
• Time in Patent Office: 820 Days
• Field of Search: 333/187, 333/189, 333/197, 333/320, 310/330, 310/321, 310/359, 310/366
• US Class Current: 333/189
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 3/04 for obtaining desired frequency or temperature coefficient
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 9/176 consisting of ceramic material H03H9/177, H03H9/178 take precedence

Abstract

Acoustic resonator devices having multiple resonant frequencies and methods of making the same are described. In one aspect, an acoustic resonator device includes an acoustic resonant structure that includes first and second electrodes and first and second piezoelectric layers. The first and second electrodes abut opposite sides of a resonant volume free of any interposing electrodes. The first and second piezoelectric layers are disposed for acoustic vibrations in the resonant volume and have different respective acoustical resonance characteristics and respective piezoelectric axes oriented in different directions. The acoustic resonant structure has resonant electric responses at first and second resonant frequencies respectively determined at least in part by the acoustical resonance characteristics of the first and second piezoelectric layers.

Claims

1. An acoustic resonator device, comprising:

an acoustic resonant structure including

first and second electrodes abutting opposite sides of a resonant volume free of any interposing electrodes, and

first and second piezoelectric layers disposed for acoustic vibrations in the resonant volume and having different respective acoustical resonance characteristics and respective piezoelectric axes oriented in different directions;

wherein the acoustic resonant structure has resonant electric responses at first and second resonant frequencies respectively determined at least in part by the acoustical resonance characteristics of the first and second piezoelectric layers.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the first and second piezoelectric layers have different respective thicknesses.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the piezoelectric axes of the first and second piezoelectric layers are oriented in opposite directions.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the piezoelectric axes of the first and second piezoelectric layers are perpendicular to the first and second electrodes.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the first and second piezoelectric layers are formed of different materials.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein each of the first and second piezoelectric layers is a wurtzite-type hexagonal crystal layer.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein each of the first and second piezoelectric layers is formed of a material selected from aluminum nitride and zinc oxide.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the acoustic resonant structure is a thin film bulk acoustic wave resonator.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the acoustic resonant structure includes a seed layer disposed between the first and second piezoelectric layers.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the first piezoelectric layer is formed of elements in a first set, the second piezoelectric layer is formed of elements in a second set, and the seed layer is formed of elements in a third set including one or more of the elements in a union of the first and second sets.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein each of the first and second piezoelectric layers is formed of aluminum nitride and the seed layer is formed of aluminum oxynitride.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the first and second resonant frequencies of the acoustic resonant structure substantially correspond to 900 MHz and 1900 MHz, respectively.

13. The device of claim 1, further comprising a second acoustic resonant structure coupled to the first acoustic resonant structure and including

third and fourth electrodes abutting a resonant volume free of any interposing electrodes, and

third and fourth piezoelectric layers disposed for acoustic vibrations in the resonant volume and having different respective acoustical resonance characteristics and respective piezoelectric axes oriented in different directions,

wherein the second acoustic resonant structure has resonant electric responses at third and fourth resonant frequencies respectively determined at least in part by the acoustical resonance characteristics of the third and fourth piezoelectric layers.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the first and second resonant frequencies of the first acoustic resonant structure are frequency-shifted relative to the third and fourth resonant frequencies of the second acoustic resonant structure, respectively.

15. The device of claim 12, wherein the first and second acoustic resonant structures are connected respectively as series and shunt resonators of a ladder filter having an electric response characterized by first and second passbands with different center frequencies.

16. A method of making an acoustic resonator device, comprising:

forming a first electrode over an acoustic isolation structure;

forming a first piezoelectric layer over the first electrode;

forming a second piezoelectric layer over the first piezoelectric layer without any interposing electrodes, wherein the first and second piezoelectric layers have different respective acoustical resonance characteristics and respective piezoelectric axes oriented in different directions; and

forming a second electrode over the second piezoelectric layer.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first and second piezoelectric layers have different respective thicknesses.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the first and second piezoelectric layers are formed of different materials.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein each of the first and second piezoelectric layers is formed of a wurtzite-type hexagonal crystal.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein each of the first and second piezoelectric layers is formed of a material selected from aluminum nitride and zinc oxide.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein the acoustic resonant structure is a thin film bulk acoustic wave resonator.

22. The method of claim 16, further comprising forming a seed layer between the first and second piezoelectric layers.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the first piezoelectric layer is formed of elements in a first set, the second piezoelectric layer is formed of elements in a second set, and the seed layer is formed of elements in a third set including one or more of the elements in a union of the first and second sets.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein each of the first and second piezoelectric layers is formed of aluminum nitride and the seed layer is formed of aluminum oxynitride.

25. A method of making a device, comprising:

depositing a first piezoelectric layer having a first piezoelectric axis oriented in a first direction;

depositing a seed layer on the first piezoelectric layer; and

depositing on the seed layer a second piezoelectric layer having a second piezoelectric axis oriented in a second direction different from the first direction.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the first piezoelectric layer is formed of elements in a first set, the second piezoelectric layer is formed of elements in a second set, and the seed layer is formed of elements in a third set including one or more of the elements in a union of the first and second sets.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein each of the first and second piezoelectric layers is formed of aluminum nitride and the seed layer is formed of aluminum oxynitride.