HBAR oscillator and method of manufacture

• US 7,508,286 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2006
• Issued: 03/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Avago Technologies Wireless IP Singapore Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ruby, Richard C., Pang, Wei
• Primary Examiner(s): JEANGLAUDE, JEAN BRUNER
• Application Number:
  US11/540,413
• Publication Number:
  US 20080079516A1
• Time in Patent Office: 908 Days
• Field of Search: 333/188, 333/189, 333/191, 333/133
• US Class Current: 333/189
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 3/04 for obtaining desired frequency or temperature coefficient
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 9/105 the enclosure being defined by a cover cap mounted on an element forming part of the BAW device
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 9/605 consisting of a ladder configuration

Abstract

An oscillator comprises a substrate and a high tone bulk acoustic resonator (HBAR), which includes a portion of the substrate. The oscillator also comprises a film bulk acoustic resonator (FBAR) filter disposed over the substrate. The filter comprises a plurality of FBAR devices. The oscillator also comprises a plurality of acoustic isolators disposed in the substrate, wherein one of the isolators is disposed beneath each of the FBAR devices. A method of fabricating an oscillator is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method of fabricating an oscillator, the method comprising:

providing a substrate;

fabricating a high tone bulk acoustic resonator (HBAR), wherein the HBAR includes a portion of the substrate;

fabricating a film bulk acoustic resonator (FBAR) filter over the substrate; and

removing a portion of the substrate to provide a desired substrate thickness.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the removing further comprises:

grinding the substrate to a first thickness; and

polishing the substrate to the desired thickness.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein fabricating the HBAR further comprises forming a raised frame structure over an active area of the HBAR.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein fabricating the HBAR further comprises forming a recessed frame structure over an active area of the HBAR.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein fabricating the FBAR filter further comprises:

fabricating a plurality of cavities in the substrate; and

fabricating an FBAR structure over each of the cavities.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein fabricating the FBAR filter further comprises:

fabricating a plurality of acoustic isolators in the substrate; and

fabricating an FBAR structure over each of the acoustic isolators.

7. A method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the acoustic isolators are Bragg mirrors.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

providing a temperature compensating element over a piezoelectric layer of the HBAR.

9. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

forming a microcap structure over the HBAR and the FBAR filter, the microcap structure adapted to provide hermeticity to the HBAR and the FBAR filter.

10. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

providing a protective structure beneath the substrate and at least in a region beneath the HBAR.

11. A method as claimed in claim 10, further comprising an air gap between the protective structure and the substrate.

12. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the substrate is silicon and the desired thickness is in the range of approximately 10.0 μ

m to approximately 50.0 μ

m.

13. An oscillator, comprising:

a substrate;

a high tone bulk acoustic resonator (HBAR), which includes a portion of the substrate;

a film bulk acoustic resonator (FBAR) filter disposed over the substrate, wherein the filter comprises a plurality of FBAR devices; and

a plurality of acoustic isolators disposed in the substrate, wherein one of the isolators is disposed beneath each of the FBAR devices.

14. An oscillator as claimed in claim 13, further comprising:

a frame structure disposed over a top electrode of the HBAR, wherein the frame structure is adapted to suppress spurious modes in the HBAR.

15. An oscillator as claimed in claim 13, wherein the substrate has a thickness selected to provide a desired harmonic mode frequency spacing.

16. An oscillator as claimed in claim 14, wherein the filter is adapted to pass a selected one of a plurality of harmonic modes.

17. An oscillator as claimed in claim 13, further comprising:

a microcap structure over the HBAR and the FBAR filter, the microcap structure being adapted to provide hermeticity to the HBAR and the FBAR filter.

18. An oscillator as claimed in claim 13, wherein the HBAR further comprises a temperature compensating element.

19. An oscillator as claimed in claim 13, further comprising a protective structure disposed beneath the substrate and at least in a region beneath the HBAR.

20. An oscillator as claimed in claim 14, wherein the frame structure is one of:

a raised frame structure or a recessed frame structure.