Impedance transforming bulk acoustic wave baluns

• US 7,612,636 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2006
• Issued: 11/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2006
• 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: Larson, John D. III, Jamneala, Tiberiu, Ruby, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Takaoka; Dean O
• Application Number:
  US11/343,117
• Publication Number:
  US 20070176710A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,373 Days
• Field of Search: 333/191, 333/189, 333/192, 333/187, 333/188
• US Class Current: 333/189
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 9/0095 using bulk acoustic wave devices
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 9/584 Coupled Resonator Filters [CFR]
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 9/587 Air-gaps
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 9/589 Acoustic mirrors

Abstract

A bulk acoustic wave device includes an acoustic decoupler between first and second film bulk acoustic resonators (FBARs). The first FBAR is resonant at a resonant frequency of the device and includes first and second planar electrodes abutting opposite sides of a first resonator volume free of any intervening electrodes and containing piezoelectric material disposed for acoustic vibrations parallel to a propagation axis normal to the first and second electrodes. The first FBAR has a first electrical impedance parallel to the propagation axis. The second FBAR is resonant at the resonant frequency and includes third and fourth planar electrodes abutting opposite sides of a second resonator volume free of any intervening electrodes and containing piezoelectric material disposed for acoustic vibrations parallel to the propagation axis. The second FBAR has a second electrical impedance parallel to the propagation axis and different from the first electrical impedance.

Claims

1. A bulk acoustic wave (BAW) device comprising:

a stacked bulk acoustic wave resonator (SBAR) comprising an acoustic decoupler between first and second film bulk acoustic resonators (FBARs),

the first FBAR being resonant at a resonant frequency and comprising first and second planar electrodes abutting opposite sides of a first resonator volume free of intervening electrodes and containing piezoelectric material disposed for acoustic vibrations parallel to a propagation axis normal to the first and second electrodes, the first FBAR having a first electrical impedance parallel to the propagation axis,

the second FBAR being resonant at the resonant frequency and comprising third and fourth planar electrodes abutting opposite sides of a second resonator volume free of intervening electrodes and containing piezoelectric material disposed for acoustic vibrations parallel to the propagation axis, the second FBAR having a second electrical impedance parallel to the propagation axis and different from the first electrical impedance,

wherein the first resonator volume has a first thickness dimension between the first and second planar electrodes parallel to the propagation axis and the second resonator volume has a second thickness dimension between the third and fourth planar electrodes parallel to the propagation axis, the second thickness dimension being different from the first thickness dimension, and

wherein each of the first and second planar electrodes has a thickness parallel to the propagation axis that is different from a thickness of each of the third and fourth planar electrodes parallel to the propagation axis, compensating for the difference between the first and second thickness dimensions, such that the first and second FBARs have substantially the same overall acoustic thickness.

2. The BAW device of claim 1, wherein the overall acoustic thickness of the first FBAR and the second FBAR is substantially equal to one-half of a wavelength corresponding to the resonant frequency.

3. The BAW device of claim 1, wherein the first resonator volume is characterized by a first normal dimension that is normal to the propagation axis and the second resonator volume is characterized by a second normal dimension that is normal to the propagation axis and is substantially equal to the first normal dimension.

4. The BAW device of claim 1, further comprising a single-ended signal port, a first differential signal port, a second differential signal port, and a device ground, wherein the first electrode is electrically coupled to the device ground, the second electrode is electrically coupled to the single-ended signal port, the third electrode is electrically coupled to the first differential signal port, and the fourth electrode is electrically coupled to the second differential signal port.

5. The BAW device of claim 1, further comprising a second SBAR electrically coupled to the first SBAR and comprising a second acoustic decoupler between third and fourth FBARs, wherein

the third FBAR is resonant at the resonant frequency and comprises fifth and sixth planar electrodes abutting opposite sides of a third resonator volume free of intervening electrodes and containing piezoelectric material disposed for acoustic vibrations parallel to the propagation axis, the third FBAR having a third electrical impedance parallel to the propagation axis, and

the fourth FBAR is resonant at the resonant frequency and comprises seventh and eighth planar electrodes abutting opposite sides of a fourth resonator volume free of intervening electrodes and containing piezoelectric material disposed for acoustic vibrations parallel to the propagation axis, the fourth FBAR having a fourth electrical impedance parallel to the propagation axis and different from the third electrical impedance.

6. The BAW device of claim 5, wherein the first electrical impedance and the third electrical impedance are substantially equal and the second electrical impedance and the fourth electrical impedance are substantially equal.

7. The BAW device of claim 5, wherein the third resonator volume has a third thickness dimension parallel to the propagation axis and the fourth resonator volume has a fourth thickness dimension parallel to the propagation axis and different from the third thickness dimension.

8. The BAW device of claim 7, wherein the first and third thickness dimensions are substantially equal and the second and fourth thickness dimensions are substantially equal.

9. The BAW device of claim 8, wherein the third resonator volume is characterized by a third normal dimension that is normal to the propagation axis, the fourth resonator volume is characterized by a fourth normal dimension that is normal to the propagation axis, and the third and fourth normal dimension are substantially equal to the first normal dimension.

10. The BAW device of claim 5, further comprising a single-ended signal port, a first differential signal port, a second differential signal port, and a device ground, wherein the first electrode is electrically coupled to the device ground, the second electrode and the fifth electrode are electrically coupled to the single-ended signal port, the fourth electrode is electrically coupled to the first differential signal port, and the eighth electrode is electrically coupled to the second differential signal port.

11. The BAW device of claim 5, wherein the first SBAR and the second SBAR correspond to different respective material stacks on a common substrate.

12. The BAW device of claim 1, wherein the SBAR additionally comprises a second decoupler between the second FBAR and a third FBAR, wherein the third FBAR is resonant at the resonant frequency and comprises fifth and sixth planar electrodes abutting opposite sides of a third resonator volume free of intervening electrodes and containing piezoelectric material disposed for acoustic vibrations parallel to the propagation axis.

13. The BAW device of claim 12, wherein the third FBAR has a third electrical impedance parallel to the propagation axis that is substantially equal to the first electrical impedance and different from the second electrical impedance.

14. The BAW device of claim 12, wherein the first resonator volume has a first thickness dimension parallel to the propagation axis, the second resonator volume has a second thickness dimension parallel to the propagation axis and different from the first thickness dimension, the third resonator volume has a third thickness dimension parallel to the propagation axis that is substantially equal to the first thickness dimension.

15. The BAW device of claim 14, wherein the first, second, and third resonator volumes are respectively characterized by first, second, and third normal dimensions that are normal to the propagation axis and are substantially equal to each other.

16. The BAW device of claim 12, further comprising:

a single-ended signal port, a first differential signal port, a second differential signal port, and a device ground, wherein the first electrode is electrically coupled to the first differential signal port, the third electrode is electrically coupled to the device ground, the fourth electrode is electrically coupled to the single-ended signal port, and the sixth electrode is electrically coupled to the second differential signal port.

17. The BAW device of claim 16, wherein the second electrode and the fifth electrode are electrically coupled to the device ground.

18. A bulk acoustic wave (BAW) device, comprising:

a first stacked bulk acoustic wave resonator (SBAR) comprising a first acoustic decoupler between first and second film bulk acoustic resonators (FBARs),

the first FBAR being resonant at a resonant frequency and comprising first and second planar electrodes abutting opposite sides of a first resonator volume free of intervening electrodes and containing piezoelectric material disposed for acoustic vibrations parallel to a propagation axis normal to the first and second electrodes, the first FBAR having a first electrical impedance parallel to the propagation axis, and

the second FBAR being resonant at the resonant frequency and comprising third and fourth planar electrodes abutting opposite sides of a second resonator volume free of intervening electrodes and containing piezoelectric material disposed for acoustic vibrations parallel to the propagation axis, the second FBAR having a second electrical impedance parallel to the propagation axis and different from the first electrical impedance; and

a second SBAR electrically coupled to the first SBAR and comprising a second acoustic decoupler between third and fourth FBARs,

the third FBAR being resonant at the resonant frequency and comprising fifth and sixth planar electrodes abutting opposite sides of a third resonator volume free of intervening electrodes and containing piezoelectric material disposed for acoustic vibrations parallel to the propagation axis, the third FBAR having a third electrical impedance parallel to the propagation axis, and

the fourth FBAR being resonant at the resonant frequency and comprising seventh and eighth planar electrodes abutting opposite sides of a fourth resonator volume free of intervening electrodes and containing piezoelectric material disposed for acoustic vibrations parallel to the propagation axis, the fourth FBAR having a fourth electrical impedance parallel to the propagation axis and different from the third electrical impedance,

wherein the first resonator volume has a first thickness dimension between the first and second planar electrodes parallel to the propagation axis and the second resonator volume has a second thickness dimension between the third and fourth planar electrodes parallel to the propagation axis, the second thickness dimension being different from the first thickness dimension, and

wherein the first electrode is electrically coupled to the fifth electrode, the second electrode is electrically coupled to a single-ended signal port, the fourth electrode is electrically coupled to a first differential signal port, the eighth electrode is electrically coupled to a second differential signal port, and the third, sixth and seventh electrodes are electrically coupled to a device ground.

19. An impedance transforming balun, comprising:

a first film bulk acoustic resonator (FBAR) resonant at a resonant frequency and having a first electrical impedance, the first FBAR comprising a first planar electrode, a second planar electrode, and a first resonator volume between the first and second planar electrodes, the first resonator volume having a first thickness dimension between the first and second planar electrodes and comprising piezoelectric material arranged for acoustic vibrations parallel to a propagation axis normal to the first and second planar electrodes;

a second FBAR resonant at the resonant frequency and having a second electrical impedance different from the first electrical impedance, the second FBAR comprising a third planar electrode, a fourth planar electrode, and a second resonator volume between the third and fourth planar electrodes, the second resonator volume having a second thickness dimension between the third and fourth planar electrodes and comprising piezoelectric material arranged for acoustic vibrations parallel to the propagation axis, the second thickness dimension being different from the first thickness dimension; and

an acoustic decoupler between the first FBAR and the second FBAR,

wherein the first and second planar electrodes have a thickness parallel to the propagation axis that is different from a thickness of the third and fourth planar electrodes parallel to the propagation axis, compensating for the difference between the first and second thickness dimensions, so that the second FBAR has substantially the same overall acoustic thickness as the first FBAR parallel to the propagation axis.