Radio frequency (RF) switches having phase-change material (PCM) and heat management for increased manufacturability and performance

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11050022-B2
Application number	US-201916247156-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 14, 2019
Priority date	Aug 14, 2018
Publication date	Jun 29, 2021
Grant date	Jun 29, 2021

Abstract

A radio frequency (RF) switch includes a heating element and a thermally resistive material adjacent to sides of the heating element. A thermally conductive and electrically insulating material is situated on top of the heating element. A phase-change material (PCM) is situated over the thermally conductive and electrically insulating material. The PCM has an active segment overlying the thermally conductive and electrically insulating material, and passive segments underlying input/output contacts of the RF switch. The RF switch may include a bulk substrate heat spreader, a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) handle wafer heat spreader, or an SOI top semiconductor heat spreader under the heating element.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A radio frequency (RF) switch comprising:
a heating element;
a thermally resistive material adjacent to first and second sides of said heating element;
a thermally conductive and electrically insulating material situated on top of said heating element;
a phase-change material (PCM) situated over said thermally conductive and electrically insulating material, said PCM having an active segment overlying said heating element and passive segments underlying input/output contacts of said RF switch;
a bulk substrate heat spreader under said heating element;
a heat valve between said heating element and said bulk substrate heat spreader.

2. The RF switch of claim 1 , wherein said heat valve is selected from the group consisting of silicon oxide (SiO 2 ) and silicon nitride (Si X N Y ).

3. The RF switch of claim 1 , wherein said thermally conductive and electrically insulating material is a sheet of material selected from the group consisting of aluminum nitride (AlN), aluminum oxide (Al X O Y ), beryllium oxide (Be X O Y ), silicon carbide (SiC), silicon nitride (Si X N Y ), diamond, and diamond-like carbon.

4. The RF switch of claim 1 , wherein said thermally conductive and electrically insulating material is a nugget of material selected from the group consisting of aluminum nitride (AlN), aluminum oxide (Al X O Y ), beryllium oxide (Be X O Y ), silicon carbide (SiC), silicon nitride (Si X N Y ), diamond, and diamond-like carbon.

5. The RF switch of claim 4 , further comprising a conformability support layer over said nugget and said thermally resistive material, and under said PCM.

6. The RF switch of claim 1 , wherein said heat valve is distinct from said thermally resistive material.

7. The RF switch of claim 6 , wherein said heat valve comprises a liner around said heating element.

8. A radio frequency (RF) switch comprising:
a heating element;
a thermally resistive material adjacent to first and second sides of said heating element, wherein said thermally resistive material is an SOI insulator;
a thermally conductive and electrically insulating material situated on top of said heating element;
a phase-change material (PCM) situated over said thermally conductive and electrically insulating material, said PCM having an active segment overlying said heating element and passive segments underlying input/output contacts of said RF switch;
an SOI handle wafer heat spreader under said heating element, wherein said SOI handle wafer heat spreader is configured to perform as a heat spreader for said heating element.

9. The RF switch of claim 8 , wherein said thermally conductive and electrically insulating material is situated in an SOI top semiconductor.

10. The RF switch of claim 8 , further comprising a heat valve between said heating element and said SOI handle wafer heat spreader.

11. The RF switch of claim 10 , wherein said heat valve is selected from the group consisting of silicon oxide (SiO 2 ) and silicon nitride (Si X N Y ).

12. The RF switch of claim 10 , wherein said heat valve is distinct from said thermally resistive material.

13. The RF switch of claim 12 , wherein said heat valve comprises a liner around said heating element.

14. The RF switch of claim 8 , wherein said thermally conductive and electrically insulating material is a sheet of material selected from the group consisting of aluminum nitride (AlN), aluminum oxide (Al X O Y ), beryllium oxide (Be X O Y ), silicon carbide (SiC), silicon nitride (Si X N Y ), diamond, and diamond-like carbon.

15. The RF switch of claim 8 , wherein said thermally conductive and electrically insulating material is a nugget of material selected from the group consisting of aluminum nitride (AlN), aluminum oxide (Al X O Y ), beryllium oxide (Be X O Y ), silicon carbide (SiC), silicon nitride (Si X N Y ), diamond, and diamond-like carbon.

16. A radio frequency (RF) switch comprising:
a heating element;
a thermally resistive material adjacent to first and second sides of said heating element;
a thermally conductive and electrically insulating material situated on top of said heating element;
a phase-change material (PCM) situated over said thermally conductive and electrically insulating material, said PCM having an active segment overlying said heating element and passive segments underlying input/output contacts of said RF switch;
an SOI top semiconductor heat spreader under said heating element;
a heat valve between said heating element and said SOI top semiconductor heat spreader.

17. The RF switch of claim 16 , wherein said heat valve is selected from the group consisting of silicon oxide (SiO 2 ) and silicon nitride (Si X N Y ).

18. The RF switch of claim 16 , wherein said thermally conductive and electrically insulating material is a sheet of material selected from the group consisting of aluminum nitride (AlN), aluminum oxide (Al X O Y ), beryllium oxide (Be X O Y ), silicon carbide (SiC), silicon nitride (Si X N Y ), diamond, and diamond-like carbon.

19. The RF switch of claim 16 , wherein said thermally conductive and electrically insulating material is a nugget of material selected from the group consisting of aluminum nitride (AlN), aluminum oxide (Al X O Y ), beryllium oxide (Be X O Y ), silicon carbide (SiC), silicon nitride (Si X N Y ), diamond, and diamond-like carbon.

20. The RF switch of claim 16 , wherein said heat valve is distinct from said thermally resistive material.

Assignees

• Newport Fab Llc

Inventors

• El-Hinnawy Nabil
• Slovin Gregory P
• Rose Jefferson E
• Howard David J

Classifications

• H10W44/20

  at high-frequency [HF] or radio frequency [RF] · CPC title

• H10W40/22 Primary

  characterised by their shape, e.g. having conical or cylindrical projections · CPC title

• H01L45/1226

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L45/144

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L45/1286 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic