IP Library › Granted Patent US 9,929,714
Granted Patent B2
US 9,929,714 · App. 14/251,637 · Granted Mar 27, 2018

Temperature compensated bulk acoustic wave resonator with a high coupling coefficient

Inventors: Stuart M. Jacobsen (Frisco, TX); Rick L. Wise (Fairview, TX); Maria Wang (Plano, TX); Ricky Alan Jackson (Richardson, TX); Nicholas S. Dellas (Dallas, TX); Django Earl Trombley (Dallas, TX)
Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
H03H9/02102H03H9/175
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,929,714
App. No.
14/251,637
Granted
Mar 27, 2018
Kind
B2
Abstract

The dominant frequency of a solidly mounted resonator ( 100/280/300/400 ) is substantially increased by reducing the thickness of each layer of each Bragg acoustic reflector ( 112/160/224/274 ) to have a thickness than is substantially equal to one-quarter of the wavelength of a frequency that is a higher harmonic resonant frequency of the fundamental resonant frequency of the solidly mounted resonator ( 100/280/300/400 ).

Claims (43)

1. A solidly mounted resonator (SMR) comprising:

a substrate;

a lower Bragg acoustic reflector that touches the substrate, the lower Bragg acoustic reflector having alternating layers of a low-acoustic material and a high-acoustic material, each layer of material within the lower Bragg acoustic reflector having a thickness substantially equal to one-quarter of a wavelength of a frequency that is a higher harmonic resonant frequency of a fundamental resonant frequency of the SMR;

a lower electrode that touches the lower Bragg acoustic reflector;

a piezoelectric structure that touches the lower electrode, wherein the piezoelectric structure has a thickness substantially equal to one-half of the wavelength of the fundamental resonant frequency of the SMR; and

an upper electrode that touches the piezoelectric structure.

2. The SMR of claim 1 and further comprising an upper Bragg acoustic reflector that touches the upper electrode, the upper Bragg acoustic reflector having alternating layers of a low-acoustic material and a high-acoustic material, each layer of material within the upper Bragg acoustic reflector having a thickness substantially equal to one-quarter of the wavelength of the frequency that is the higher harmonic resonant frequency of the fundamental resonant frequency of the SMR.

3. The SMR of claim 2 and further comprising:

a lower isolation layer that lies between and touches the lower Bragg acoustic reflector and the lower electrode; and

an upper isolation layer that lies between and touches the upper electrode and the upper Bragg acoustic reflector.

4. The SMR of claim 2 and further comprising an isolation layer that lies between and touches the piezoelectric structure and the upper electrode.

5. The SMR of claim 2 , wherein the piezoelectric structure includes a material selected from a list of materials that includes AlN, ZnO, and PZT.

6. The SMR of claim 5 wherein the low-acoustic material is selected from a list of materials that includes MSQ, SiO 2 , and HSQ.

7. The SMR of claim 6 wherein the high-acoustic material is selected from a list of materials that includes SiC, Si-DLC, and DLC.

8. A method of forming a solidly mounted resonator (SMR) comprising:

forming a lower Bragg acoustic reflector to touch a substrate, the lower Bragg acoustic reflector having alternating layers of a low-acoustic material and a high-acoustic material, each layer of material within the lower Bragg acoustic reflector having a thickness substantially equal to one-quarter of a wavelength of a frequency that is a higher harmonic resonant frequency of a fundamental resonant frequency of the SMR;

forming a lower electrode that touches the lower Bragg acoustic reflector;

forming a piezoelectric structure that touches the lower electrode; wherein the piezoelectric structure has a thickness substantially equal to one-half of the wavelength of the fundamental resonant frequency of the SMR; and

forming an upper electrode that touches the piezoelectric structure.

9. The method of claim 8 and further comprising forming an upper Bragg acoustic reflector that touches the upper electrode, the upper Bragg acoustic reflector having alternating layers of a low-acoustic material and a high-acoustic material, each layer of material within the upper Bragg acoustic reflector having a thickness substantially equal to one-quarter of the wavelength of the frequency that is the higher harmonic resonant frequency of the fundamental resonant frequency of the SMR.

10. The method of claim 9 and further comprising:

forming a lower isolation layer that lies between and touches the lower Bragg acoustic reflector and the lower electrode; and

forming an upper isolation layer that lies between and touches the upper electrode and the upper Bragg acoustic reflector.

11. The method of claim 9 and further comprising forming an isolation layer that lies between and touches the piezoelectric structure and the upper electrode.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein the piezoelectric structure includes a material selected from a list of materials that includes AlN, ZnO, and PZT.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the low-acoustic material is selected from a list of materials that includes MSQ, SiO 2 , and HSQ.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the high-acoustic material is selected from a list of materials that includes SiC, Si-DLC, and DLC.

15. A solidly mounted resonator (SMR) comprising:

a substrate;

a lower Bragg acoustic reflector that touches the substrate, the lower Bragg acoustic reflector having alternating layers of a low-acoustic material and a high-acoustic material, each layer of material within the lower Bragg acoustic reflector having a thickness substantially equal to one-quarter of a wavelength of a frequency that is a higher harmonic resonant frequency of a fundamental resonant frequency of the SMR;

a lower isolation layer that touches the lower Bragg acoustic reflector;

a lower electrode that touches the lower isolation layer;

a piezoelectric structure that touches the lower electrode, wherein the piezoelectric structure has a thickness substantially equal to one-half of the wavelength of the fundamental resonant frequency of the SMR;

an upper electrode that touches the piezoelectric structure;

an upper isolation layer that touches the upper electrode; and

an upper Bragg acoustic reflector that touches the upper isolation layer, the upper Bragg acoustic reflector having alternating layers of a low-acoustic material and a high-acoustic material, each layer of material within the upper Bragg acoustic reflector having a thickness substantially equal to one-quarter of the wavelength of the frequency that is a higher harmonic resonant frequency of the fundamental resonant frequency of the SMR.

16. The SMR of claim 15 , wherein the piezoelectric structure includes a material selected from a list of materials that includes AlN, ZnO, and PZT.

17. The SMR of claim 16 wherein:

the low-acoustic material is selected from a list of materials that includes MSQ, SiO 2 , and HSQ; and

the high-acoustic material is selected from a list of materials that includes SiC, Si-DLC, and DLC.

18. The SMR of claim 1 , wherein the higher harmonic resonant frequency is a non-integer multiple of the fundamental resonant frequency.

19. The SMR of claim 8 , wherein the higher harmonic resonant frequency is a non-integer multiple of the fundamental resonant frequency.

20. The SMR of claim 15 , wherein the higher harmonic resonant frequency is a non-integer multiple of the fundamental resonant frequency.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 13, 2014
From: JACOBSEN, STUART M.; WISE, RICK L.; WANG, MARIA; JACKSON, RICKY ALAN; DELLAS, NICHOLAS S.; TROMBLEY, DJANGO EARL
To: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
Reel/Frame 032765/0411 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20150295556A1 · Oct 15, 2015