IP Library Granted Patent US 9,525,397
Granted Patent B2
US 9,525,397 · App. 14/180,596 · Granted Dec 20, 2016

Acoustic resonator comprising acoustic reflector, frame and collar

Inventor: Dariusz Burak (Fort Collins, CO)
Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.
H03H9/02118H03H9/02102H03H9/132H03H9/171H03H9/175H03H9/54
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,525,397
App. No.
14/180,596
Granted
Dec 20, 2016
Kind
B2
Abstract

A solidly mounted resonator (SMR) device includes an acoustic reflector having stacked acoustic reflector layer pairs, each of which includes a low acoustic impedance layer formed of low acoustic impedance material stacked on a high acoustic impedance layer formed of high acoustic impedance material. The SMR device further includes a bottom electrode disposed on the acoustic reflector, a piezoelectric layer disposed on the bottom electrode, and a top electrode disposed on the piezoelectric layer. A collar is formed outside a main active region defined by an overlap between the top electrode, the piezoelectric layer and the bottom electrode, and at least one frame is disposed within the main active region. The collar has an inner edge substantially aligned with a boundary of or overlapping the main active region, and the at least one frame has an outer edge substantially aligned with the boundary of the main active region.

Claims (58)

1. A solidly mounted resonator (SMR) device, comprising:

an acoustic reflector disposed on a substrate, the acoustic reflector comprising a plurality of stacked acoustic reflector layer pairs, each acoustic reflector layer pair comprising a low acoustic impedance layer formed of low acoustic impedance material stacked on a high acoustic impedance layer formed of high acoustic impedance material;

a bottom electrode disposed on the low acoustic impedance layer of a top acoustic impedance layer pair of the acoustic reflector;

a piezoelectric layer disposed on the bottom electrode;

a top electrode disposed on the piezoelectric layer;

a collar formed outside a main active region defined by an overlap between the top electrode, the piezoelectric layer and the bottom electrode, the collar having an inner edge substantially aligned with a boundary of or overlapping the main active region; and

at least one frame disposed within the main active region and having an outer edge substantially aligned with the boundary of the main active region,

wherein the collar defines a collar region having a cutoff frequency that is substantially the same as a cutoff frequency of the main active region, and

wherein the collar is formed on a top surface of the top electrode and a planarization layer adjacent the top electrode or on a top surface of the bottom electrode between the bottom electrode and the piezoelectric layer.

2. The SMR device of claim 1 , wherein the low acoustic impedance material comprises borosilicate glass (BSG) or tetra-ethyl-ortho-silicate (TEOS).

3. The SMR device of claim 1 , wherein the collar comprises borosilicate glass, silicon dioxide, carbon-doped silicon oxide, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, aluminum oxide, aluminum nitride, zinc oxide, lead zirconium titanate, diamond, diamond-like carbon, tungsten, molybdenum or iridium.

4. The SMR device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one frame comprises copper, molybdenum, aluminum, tungsten, iridium, borosilicate glass, carbon-doped silicon oxide, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, aluminum oxide, aluminum nitride, zinc oxide, lead zirconium titanate, diamond or diamond-like carbon.

5. The SMR device of claim 1 , wherein the piezoelectric layer is doped with at least one rare earth element.

6. The SMR device of claim 1 , wherein the low acoustic impedance material of at least one of the plurality of stacked acoustic reflector layer pairs comprises a temperature compensating material having a positive temperature coefficient for offsetting at least a portion of negative temperature coefficients of the piezoelectric layer, the bottom electrode and the top electrode.

7. A solidly mounted resonator (SMR) device, comprising:

an acoustic reflector disposed on a substrate, the acoustic reflector comprising a plurality of stacked acoustic reflector layer pairs, each acoustic reflector layer pair comprising a low acoustic impedance layer formed of low acoustic impedance material stacked on a high acoustic impedance layer formed of high acoustic impedance material;

a bottom electrode disposed on the low acoustic impedance layer of a top acoustic impedance layer pair of the acoustic reflector;

a piezoelectric layer disposed on the bottom electrode;

a top electrode disposed on the piezoelectric layer;

a collar formed outside a main active region defined by an overlap between the top electrode, the piezoelectric layer and the bottom electrode, the collar having an inner edge substantially aligned with a boundary of or overlapping the main active region, wherein at least a portion of the collar is formed on a top surface of the bottom electrode or on a top surface of the top electrode; and

at least one frame disposed within the main active region and having an outer edge substantially aligned with the boundary of the main active region,

wherein the collar defines a collar region having a cutoff frequency that is substantially the same as a cutoff frequency of the main active region, and

wherein the collar is an electrically grounded collar.

8. A solidly mounted resonator (SMR) device, comprising:

an acoustic reflector disposed on a substrate, the acoustic reflector comprising a plurality of stacked acoustic reflector layer pairs, each acoustic reflector layer pair comprising a low acoustic impedance layer formed of low acoustic impedance material stacked on a high acoustic impedance layer formed of high acoustic impedance material;

a bottom electrode disposed on the low acoustic impedance layer of a top acoustic impedance layer pair of the acoustic reflector;

a piezoelectric layer disposed on the bottom electrode;

a top electrode disposed on the piezoelectric layer;

a collar formed outside a main active region defined by an overlap between the top electrode, the piezoelectric layer and the bottom electrode, the collar having an inner edge substantially aligned with a boundary of or overlapping the main active region, wherein at least a portion of the collar is formed on a top surface of the bottom electrode or on a top surface of the top electrode; and

at least one frame disposed within the main active region and having an outer edge substantially aligned with the boundary of the main active region, wherein the at least one frame comprises a frame disposed at a bottom portion of the top electrode.

9. The SMR device of claim 8 , wherein the frame disposed at the bottom portion of the top electrode comprises an add-on frame.

10. The SMR device of claim 8 , wherein the frame disposed at the bottom portion of the top electrode comprises a composite frame.

11. The SMR device of claim 8 , wherein the at least one frame comprises another frame disposed at one of a top portion or a bottom portion of the bottom electrode.

12. The SMR device of claim 8 , wherein the piezoelectric layer is doped with at least one rare earth element.

13. The SMR device of claim 8 , wherein the low acoustic impedance material of at least one of the plurality of stacked acoustic reflector layer pairs comprises a temperature compensating material having a positive temperature coefficient for offsetting at least a portion of negative temperature coefficients of the piezoelectric layer, the bottom electrode and the top electrode.

14. A solidly mounted resonator (SMR) device, comprising:

an acoustic reflector disposed on a substrate, the acoustic reflector comprising a plurality of stacked acoustic reflector layer pairs, each acoustic reflector layer pair comprising a low acoustic impedance layer formed of low acoustic impedance material stacked on a high acoustic impedance layer formed of high acoustic impedance material;

a bottom electrode disposed on the low acoustic impedance layer of a top acoustic impedance layer pair of the acoustic reflector;

a piezoelectric layer disposed on the bottom electrode;

a top electrode disposed on the piezoelectric layer;

a collar formed outside a main active region defined by an overlap between the top electrode, the piezoelectric layer and the bottom electrode, the collar having an inner edge substantially aligned with a boundary of or overlapping the main active region, wherein at least a portion of the collar is formed on a top surface of the bottom electrode or on a top surface of the top electrode; and

at least one frame disposed within the main active region and having an outer edge substantially aligned with the boundary of the main active region, wherein the at least one frame comprises a frame disposed at a bottom portion of the bottom electrode.

15. The SMR device of claim 14 , wherein the piezoelectric layer is doped with at least one rare earth element.

16. The SMR device of claim 14 , wherein the low acoustic impedance material of at least one of the plurality of stacked acoustic reflector layer pairs comprises a temperature compensating material having a positive temperature coefficient for offsetting at least a portion of negative temperature coefficients of the piezoelectric layer, the bottom electrode and the top electrode.

17. A solidly mounted resonator (SMR) device, comprising:

a substrate;

a distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) disposed on a top surface of the substrate, the DBR comprising a plurality of acoustic reflector layer pairs;

an acoustic stack mounted on a top surface of the DBR, the acoustic stack comprising a piezoelectric layer sandwiched between bottom and top electrode layers, and having a main active region defined by an overlap between the bottom electrode, the piezoelectric layer, and the top electrode; and

a collar arranged outside the main active region, and at least a portion of the collar being arranged outside an outer edge of the top electrode, the collar defining a collar region having a cutoff frequency that is substantially the same as a cutoff frequency of the main active region,

wherein the collar is formed on one of a top surface of the bottom electrode and a first planarization layer adjacent the bottom electrode, or a top surface of the top electrode and a second planarization layer adjacent the top electrode.

18. A solidly mounted resonator (SMR) device, comprising:

a substrate;

a distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) disposed on a top surface of the substrate, the DBR comprising a plurality of acoustic reflector layer pairs;

an acoustic stack mounted on a top surface of the DBR, the acoustic stack comprising a piezoelectric layer sandwiched between bottom and top electrode layers, and having a main active region defined by an overlap between the bottom electrode, the piezoelectric layer, and the top electrode; and

at least one frame arranged inside the main active region, an outer edge of the at least one frame substantially aligned with the boundary of the main active region,

wherein the at least one frame is in at least one of the bottom and top electrode layers, and comprises an inside electrode layer adjacent the piezoelectric layer and an outside electrode layer adjacent the inside electrode layer, the outside electrode layer being formed of a first material and the inside electrode layer being formed of the first material and a second material, wherein the first material extends from the outside electrode layer through the second material of the inside electrode layer to provide the at least one frame.

19. The SMR device of claim 18 , wherein the second material has a higher sound velocity than the first material, such that the at least one frame comprises a low velocity frame.

20. The SMR device of claim 18 , wherein the second material has a lower sound velocity than the first material, such that the at least one frame comprises a high velocity frame.

Assignments (7)
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE EXECUTION DATE PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL: 047422 FRAME: 0464. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE MERGER. Recorded Mar 6, 2019
From: AVAGO TECHNOLOGIES GENERAL IP (SINGAPORE) PTE. LTD.
To: AVAGO TECHNOLOGIES INTERNATIONAL SALES PTE. LIMITED
Reel/Frame 048883/0702 →
MERGER Recorded Oct 5, 2018
From: AVAGO TECHNOLOGIES GENERAL IP (SINGAPORE) PTE. LTD.
To: AVAGO TECHNOLOGIES INTERNATIONAL SALES PTE. LIMITED
Reel/Frame 047422/0464 →
TERMINATION AND RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS Recorded Feb 3, 2017
From: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
To: AVAGO TECHNOLOGIES GENERAL IP (SINGAPORE) PTE. LTD.
Reel/Frame 041710/0001 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Feb 11, 2016
From: AVAGO TECHNOLOGIES GENERAL IP (SINGAPORE) PTE. LTD.
To: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 037808/0001 →
TERMINATION AND RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENT RIGHTS (RELEASES RF 032851-0001) Recorded Feb 2, 2016
From: DEUTSCHE BANK AG NEW YORK BRANCH, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
To: AVAGO TECHNOLOGIES GENERAL IP (SINGAPORE) PTE. LTD.
Reel/Frame 037689/0001 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded May 8, 2014
From: AVAGO TECHNOLOGIES GENERAL IP (SINGAPORE) PTE. LTD.
To: DEUTSCHE BANK AG NEW YORK BRANCH, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 032851/0001 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 14, 2014
From: BURAK, DARIUSZ
To: AVAGO TECHNOLOGIES GENERAL IP (SINGAPORE) PTE. LTD.
Reel/Frame 032220/0254 →
Continuity (6)
Continuation In Part 13955774 · Jul 31, 2013
Continuation In Part 13781491 · Feb 28, 2013
Continuation In Part 13663449 · Oct 29, 2012
Continuation In Part 13208883 · Aug 12, 2011
Continuation In Part 13074262 · Mar 29, 2011
Related Publication 20140232486A1 · Aug 21, 2014