Double bulk acoustic resonator comprising aluminum scandium nitride

• US 9,154,111 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2013
• Issued: 10/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP PTE Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bradley, Paul, Shirakawa, Alexandre, Bader, Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): Donovan, Lincoln
• Assistant Examiner(s): Almo, Khareem E
• Application Number:
  US13/778,593
• Publication Number:
  US 20130176086A1
• Time in Patent Office: 951 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 9/0211 of reflections
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 9/1007 for bulk acoustic wave [BAW] devices
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 9/1014 the enclosure being defined by a frame built on a substrate and a cap, the frame having no mechanical contact with the BAW device
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 9/173 Air-gaps
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 9/175 Acoustic mirrors
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 9/54 comprising resonators of piezoelectric or electrostrictive material H03H9/64 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 9/585 Stacked Crystal Filters [SCF]

Abstract

A method of forming a double bulk acoustic resonator structure comprises forming a first electrode on a substrate, forming a first piezoelectric layer on the first electrode, forming a second electrode on the first piezoelectric layer, forming a second piezoelectric layer on the second electrode, and forming a third electrode on the second piezoelectric layer. The first and second piezoelectric layers are formed by a sputter deposition process using at least one sputter target comprising a combination of scandium and aluminum.

Claims

1. A method of forming a double bulk acoustic resonator (DBAR) structure, comprising;

providing a substrate;

forming an air cavity in the substrate;

forming a first electrode on a substrate and over the air cavity;

forming a first piezoelectric layer on the first electrode;

forming a second electrode on the first piezoelectric layer;

forming a second piezoelectric layer on the second electrode; and

forming a third electrode on the second piezoelectric layer,

wherein the first and second piezoelectric layers are formed by a sputter deposition process using at least one sputter target comprising a combination of scandium and aluminum.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one sputter target comprises scandium-doped aluminum having a scandium concentration between 0 and 50 percent by number of atoms.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one sputter target comprises scandium-doped aluminum having a scandium concentration of approximately 5 percent by number of atoms to approximately 10 percent by number of atoms.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the DBAR has a passband with a center frequency between approximately 700 MHz and 900 MHz.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first, second, and third electrodes are formed of tungsten.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the first and second piezoelectric layers each have a thickness in a range of approximately 1.0 μ

m to approximately 1.5 μ

m.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after the forming of the cavity, and before the forming of the first electrode, filling the cavity with sacrificial material, and after forming the third electrode, removing the sacrificial material.

7. A double bulk acoustic resonator (DBAR) structure, comprising:

a first electrode disposed over a substrate;

an air cavity located in the substrate and below the first electrode;

a first piezoelectric layer disposed over the first electrode and comprising aluminum scandium nitride;

a second electrode disposed over the first piezoelectric layer;

a second piezoelectric layer disposed over the second electrode a id comprising aluminum scandium nitride; and

a third electrode disposed over the second piezoelectric layer.

8. The DBAR structure of claim 7, wherein the aluminum scandium nitride has a scandium concentration between approximately 0 percent and approximately 50 percent by number of atoms.

9. The DBAR structure of claim 7, wherein the first, second, and third electrodes are formed of tungsten.

10. A ladder filter comprising a plurality of series resonators and a plurality of shunt resonators connected between an input port and an output port, at least one of the series or shunt resonators comprising a double bulk acoustic resonator (DBAR), comprising:

a first electrode on a substrate;

a first piezoelectric layer on the first electrode and comprising aluminum scandium nitride;

a second electrode on the first piezoelectric layer;

a second piezoelectric layer on the second electrode and comprising aluminum scandium nitride; and

a third electrode on the second piezoelectric layer.

11. The ladder filter of claim 10, wherein the ladder filter has a passband with a center frequency in a range of approximately 700 MHz to approximately 900 MHz.

12. The ladder filter of claim 10, wherein the first and second piezoelectric layers each have a thickness in a range of approximately 1.0 to 1.5 microns.

13. The ladder filter of claim 10, wherein the aluminum scandium nitride has a scandium concentration between approximately zero percent by number of atoms and approximately 50 percent by number of atoms.

14. The ladder filter of claim 10, wherein the aluminum scandium nitride has a scandium concentration of approximately 5 percent by number of atoms to approximately 10 percent by number of atoms.

16. A double bulk acoustic resonator (DBAR) structure, comprising:

a first electrode disposed over a substrate;

an air cavity located in the substrate and below the first electrode;

a first piezoelectric layer disposed over the first electrode and comprising aluminum scandium nitride, the first piezoelectric layer having a thickness in a range of approximately 1.0 μ

m to approximately 1.5 μ

m;

second electrode disposed over the first piezoelectric layer;

a second piezoelectric layer disposed over the second electrode and comprising aluminum scandium nitride; and

a third electrode disposed over the second piezoelectric layer.

17. The DBAR structure of claim 16, wherein the ladder filter has a passband with a center frequency in a range of approximately 700 MHz to approximately 900 MHz.

18. The DBAR structure of claim 16, wherein the second piezoelectric layer has a thickness in a range of approximately 1.0 μ

m to approximately 1.5 μ

m.

19. The DBAR structure of claim 16, wherein the aluminum scandium nitride has a scandium concentration between approximately zero percent by number of atoms and 50 percent by number of atoms.

20. The DBAR structure of claim 16, wherein the aluminum scandium nitride has a scandium concentration of approximately 5 percent by number of atoms to approximately 10 percent by number of atoms.

21. A double bulk acoustic resonator (DBAR) structure, comprising:

a first electrode disposed over a substrate;

an air cavity located in the substrate and below the first electrode;

a first piezoelectric layer disposed over the first electrode and comprising aluminum scandium nitride;

second electrode disposed over the first piezoelectric layer;

a second piezoelectric layer disposed over the second electrode and comprising aluminum scandium nitride; and

a third electrode disposed over the second piezoelectric layer wherein the DBAR has a passband with a center frequency between approximately 700 MHz and approximately 900 MHz.

22. The DBAR structure of claim 21, wherein the first, second, and third electrodes are formed of tungsten.

23. The DBAR structure of claim 21, wherein the first and second piezoelectric layers each have a thickness in a range of approximately 1.0 μ

m to approximately 1.5 μ

m.