Stacked bulk acoustic resonator

• US 8,575,820 B2
• Filed: 03/29/2011
• Issued: 11/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP PTE Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Shirakawa, Alexandre Augusto, Bradley, Paul, Burak, Dariusz, Bader, Stefan, Feng, Chris
• Primary Examiner(s): DOUGHERTY, THOMAS M
• Application Number:
  US13/074,094
• Publication Number:
  US 20120248941A1
• Time in Patent Office: 952 Days
• Field of Search: 310/320, 310363-366
• US Class Current: 310/320
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 2003/0428 of an electrode
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 3/02 for the manufacture of piezoelectric or electrostrictive resonators or networks H03H3/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 9/132 characterized by a particular shape
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 9/585 Stacked Crystal Filters [SCF]

Abstract

A stacked bulk acoustic resonator includes a first piezoelectric layer stacked on a first electrode, a second electrode stacked on the first piezoelectric layer; a second piezoelectric layer stacked on the second electrode, and a third electrode stacked on the second piezoelectric layer. The stacked bulk acoustic resonator further includes an inner raised region formed in an inner portion on a surface of at least one of the first, second and third electrodes, and an outer raised region formed along an outer perimeter on the surface of the at least one of the first, second or third electrodes. The outer raised region surrounds the inner raised region and defines a gap between the inner raised region and the outer raised region.

Claims

1. A stacked bulk acoustic resonator, comprising:

a first piezoelectric layer stacked on a first electrode;

a second electrode stacked on the first piezoelectric layer;

a second piezoelectric layer stacked on the second electrode;

a third electrode stacked on the second piezoelectric layer;

an inner raised region formed on an inner portion of a surface of at least one of the first, second and third electrodes; and

an outer raised region formed along an outer perimeter of the surface of the at least one of the first, second and third electrodes, the outer raised region surrounding the inner raised region and defining a gap between the inner raised region and the outer raised region.

2. The stacked bulk acoustic resonator of claim 1, wherein a corresponding resonant frequency varies inversely proportionately with a thickness of at least one of the inner raised region and the outer raised region.

3. The stacked bulk acoustic resonator of claim 1, wherein each of the inner raised region and the outer raised region comprises a conductive material.

4. The stacked bulk acoustic resonator of claim 3, wherein the conductive material of the inner raised region and the outer raised region is the same as a conductive material of the at least one of the first, second and third electrodes.

5. The stacked bulk acoustic resonator of claim 3, wherein the conductive material of the inner raised region and the outer raised region comprises one of tungsten (W), molybdenum (Mo) and copper (Cu).

6. The stacked bulk acoustic resonator of claim 1, wherein each of the inner raised region and the outer raised region comprises a dielectric material.

7. The stacked bulk acoustic resonator of claim 6, wherein the dielectric material of the inner raised region and the outer raised region comprises one of silicon dioxide (SiO₂), silicon nitride (SiN) and silicon carbide (SiC).

8. The stacked bulk acoustic resonator of claim 1, wherein each of the inner raised region and the outer raised region comprises a piezoelectric material.

9. The stacked bulk acoustic resonator of claim 1, wherein the inner raised region has a thickness of about 500 Å

to about 1000 Å

, and the outer raised region has a thickness of about 1000 Å

to about 3000 Å

, and the gap has a width of about 3 μ

m to about 8 μ

m.

10. The stacked bulk acoustic resonator of claim 1, wherein the inner raised region and the outer raised region are formed on the surface of the third electrode.

11. The stacked bulk acoustic resonator of claim 1, wherein the inner raised region and the outer raised region are formed on the surface of the second electrode, and

wherein the third electrode includes a propagated inner raised region and a propagated outer raised region corresponding to the inner raised region and the outer raised region.

12. The stacked bulk acoustic resonator of claim 1, wherein the inner raised region and the outer raised region are formed on the surface of the first electrode, and

wherein the second electrode includes a first propagated inner raised region and a first propagated outer raised region corresponding to the inner raised region and the outer raised region, and the third electrode includes a second propagated inner raised region and a second propagated outer raised region corresponding to the inner raised region and the outer raised region.

13. The stacked bulk acoustic resonator of claim 1, wherein a thickness of the inner raised region is less than a thickness of the outer raised region.

14. A bulk acoustic resonator device comprising the stacked bulk acoustic resonator of claim 1, wherein the first and second piezoelectric layers are shared in common with at least one other stacked bulk acoustic resonator configured the same as the bulk acoustic resonator of claim 1.

15. A stacked bulk acoustic resonator, comprising:

a plurality of piezoelectric layers; and

an electrode stacked on a top surface of one of the plurality of piezoelectric layers, the electrode having at least one of an inner raised region and an outer raised region extending from a top surface of the electrode, wherein the inner raised region is formed in an inner portion of the top surface of the electrode and the outer raised region is formed along an outer perimeter of the top surface of the electrode.

16. The stacked bulk acoustic resonator of claim 15, wherein the outer raised region surrounds the inner raised region, defining a gap between the inner raised region and the outer raised region.

17. The stacked bulk acoustic resonator of claim 15, wherein the electrode has an apodized shape.

18. A stacked bulk acoustic resonator, comprising:

a first piezoelectric layer formed on a first electrode;

a second electrode formed on the first piezoelectric layer;

a second piezoelectric layer formed on the second electrode;

an embedded protrusion formed on the second piezoelectric layer along an outer perimeter of the second piezoelectric layer;

a third electrode formed on the second piezoelectric layer and the embedded protrusion, a portion of the third electrode covering the embedded protrusion extending from the third electrode to form an outer raised region along an outer perimeter of the third electrode; and

an inner raised region formed in an inner portion of the third electrode, wherein a gap is defined between the inner raised region and the outer raised region.

19. The stacked bulk acoustic resonator of claim 18, wherein the embedded protrusion comprises a conductive material.

20. The stacked bulk acoustic resonator of claim 18, wherein the embedded protrusion comprises a dielectric material or a piezoelectric material.