IP Library Granted Patent US 11,239,816
Granted Patent B1
US 11,239,816 · App. 17/408,120 · Granted Feb 1, 2022

Decoupled transversely-excited film bulk acoustic resonators

Inventor: Sean McHugh (Santa Barbara, CA)
Assignee: Resonant Inc.
H03H9/02228H03H3/04H03H9/02031H03H9/02102H03H9/174H03H9/176H03H9/562H03H9/564H03H9/568H03H2003/023H03H2003/0407H03H2003/0442
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,239,816
App. No.
17/408,120
Granted
Feb 1, 2022
Kind
B1
Abstract

Acoustic resonator devices and filters are disclosed. An acoustic resonator includes a substrate and a piezoelectric plate having parallel front and back surfaces, the back surface attached to the substrate. A decoupling dielectric layer is on the front surface of the piezoelectric plate. An interdigital transducer (IDT) is formed over the decoupling dielectric layer such that interleaved fingers of the IDT are over a portion of the piezoelectric plate suspended across a cavity formed in the substrate.

Claims (39)

1. An acoustic resonator device comprising:

a substrate;

a piezoelectric plate having front and back surfaces, a thickness between the front and back surfaces greater than or equal to 200 nm and less than or equal to 1000 nm, the back surface attached to the substrate;

a decoupling dielectric layer on the front surface of the piezoelectric plate; and

an interdigital transducer (IDT) formed on the decoupling dielectric layer such that interleaved fingers of the IDT are over a portion of the piezoelectric plate suspended across a cavity formed in the substrate.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the IDT is configured to excite shear acoustic waves in the piezoelectric plate in response to a radio frequency signal applied to the IDT.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the piezoelectric plate is rotated Y-cut lithium niobate.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the decoupling dielectric layer comprises silicon dioxide.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein the IDT comprises one of aluminum, an aluminum alloy, copper, a copper alloy, beryllium, and gold.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein a pitch of the fingers of the IDT is greater than or equal to 2 times the thickness of the piezoelectric plate and less than or equal to 25 times the thickness of the piezoelectric plate.

7. The device of claim 6 , wherein

the fingers of the IDT have a width, and

the pitch is greater than or equal to 2 times the width and less than or equal to 25 times the width.

8. The device of claim 1 , further comprising:

a front-side dielectric layer formed on the front surface of the piezoelectric plate between the fingers of the IDT,

wherein a resonant frequency of the acoustic resonator device is determined, in part, by a thickness of the front-side dielectric layer.

9. The device of claim 8 , wherein the front-side dielectric layer comprises at least one of silicon dioxide and silicon nitride.

10. A filter device, comprising:

a substrate;

a piezoelectric plate having front and back surfaces, a thickness between the front and back surfaces greater than or equal to 200 nm and less than or equal to 1000 nm, the back surface attached to the substrate;

a decoupling dielectric layer on the front surface of the piezoelectric plate; and

a conductor pattern formed on the decoupling dielectric layer, the conductor pattern including a plurality of interdigital transducers (IDTs) of a respective plurality of resonators, wherein

interleaved fingers of each of the plurality of IDTs are over respective portions of the piezoelectric plate suspended across one or more cavities formed in the substrate.

11. The filter device of claim 10 , wherein each of the plurality of IDTs is on a respective portion of the piezoelectric plate suspended over respective cavities formed in the substrate.

12. The filter device of claim 10 , wherein all of the plurality of IDTs are configured to excite shear acoustic waves in the piezoelectric plate in response to respective radio frequency signals applied to each IDT.

13. The filter device of claim 10 , wherein the piezoelectric plate is rotated Y-cut lithium niobate.

14. The filter device of claim 10 , wherein the decoupling dielectric layer comprises silicon dioxide.

15. The filter device of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of resonators includes a shunt resonator and a series resonator.

16. The filter device of claim 15 , wherein a thickness of a first dielectric layer deposited between fingers of an IDT of the shunt resonator is greater than a thickness of a second dielectric layer deposited between fingers of an IDT of the series resonator.

17. A method of fabricating an acoustic resonator device, comprising:

attaching a back surface of a piezoelectric plate to a substrate, the piezoelectric plate having a thickness greater than or equal to 200 nm and less than or equal to 1000 nm;

forming a cavity in the substrate such that a portion of the piezoelectric plate is suspended across the cavity;

forming a decoupling dielectric layer on a front surface of the piezoelectric plate; and

forming an interdigital transducer (IDT) over the decoupling dielectric layer such that interleaved fingers of the IDT are over the portion of the piezoelectric plate suspended across the cavity.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein a pitch of the interleaved fingers of the IDT is greater than or equal to 2 times the thickness of the piezoelectric plate and less than or equal to 25 times the thickness of the piezoelectric plate.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein

the interleaved fingers of the IDT have a width, and

the pitch is greater than or equal to 2 times the width and less than or equal to 25 times the width.

20. The method of claim 17 , wherein the piezoelectric plate is rotated Y-cut lithium niobate and the decoupling dielectric layer comprises silicon dioxide.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 6, 2023
From: RESONANT INC.
To: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 062957/0864 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 31, 2021
From: MCHUGH, SEAN
To: RESONANT INC.
Reel/Frame 057340/0571 →
Continuity (1)
Provisional Application 63137736 · Jan 15, 2021
Cited By (9)
US 12,283,938 US 12,341,490 US 12,348,216 US 12,407,326 US 12,451,864 US 12,456,962 US 12,463,619 US 12,489,421 US 12,603,639