Resonators with different membrane thicknesses on the same die

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11949402-B2
Application number	US-202017125960-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 17, 2020
Priority date	Aug 31, 2020
Publication date	Apr 2, 2024
Grant date	Apr 2, 2024

Abstract

An acoustic resonator is fabricated by bonding a first piezoelectric plate to a substrate and spans locations for a first and second cavity in the substrate. A top surface of the first piezoelectric plate is planarized to a first thickness. A bonding layer is formed on the first piezoelectric plate and spans the first and second cavity locations. A second piezoelectric plate is bonded to the bonding layer and spans the first and second cavity locations. A portion of the second piezoelectric plate spanning the second cavity location is etched away to form a first membrane over the first cavity location and a second membrane over the second cavity location. Interdigital transducers are formed on the first and second membranes over the first and second cavity location to form a first and second resonator on the same die.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A filter device comprising:
a substrate having at least a first cavity and a second cavity on a single die;
a first piezoelectric plate spanning the first cavity and the second cavity;
a bonding layer spanning the first cavity and the second cavity; and
a second piezoelectric plate spanning the first cavity but not the second cavity;
a first interdigital transducer (IDT) on a front surface of the second piezoelectric plate over the first cavity; and
a second IDT on a front surface of the bonding layer over the second cavity.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein a first resonator of an XBAR has the first piezoelectric plate, the bonding layer, the second piezoelectric plate and the first IDT over the first cavity; and a second resonator of the XBAR has the first piezoelectric plate, the bonding layer and the second IDT over the second cavity.

3. The device of claim 2 , wherein the first and the second resonators are configured such that a radio frequency signal applied to the first and second IDTs excite different first and second primary shear acoustic modes in the first and second resonators.

4. The device of claim 3 , wherein a thickness of the first piezoelectric plate and a thickness of the second piezoelectric plate are selected to tune the first and the second shear primary acoustic waves.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein the bonding layer is one of Al2O3 or SiO2.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein the bonding layer is an etch stop for etching the second piezoelectric plate.

7. The device of claim 1 , wherein
the second piezoelectric plate is a first material capable of being etched by a first process; and
the bonding layer is a second material that is substantially impervious to the first process.

8. The device of claim 1 , wherein the first and second piezoelectric plates are both either lithium niobate or lithium tantalate.

9. The device of claim 1 , further comprising one or more openings through the piezoelectric plates and bonding layer.

10. The device of claim 1 , wherein the first piezoelectric plate and the second piezoelectric plate have different thicknesses.

11. An acoustic resonator comprising:
a back surface of a first piezoelectric plate bonded to a top surface of a substrate having at least a first cavity and a second cavity;
a planarized top surface of the first piezoelectric plate forming a first thickness of the first piezoelectric plate;
the first piezoelectric plate spanning the first cavity and the second cavity;
a bonding layer bonded on a top surface of the first piezoelectric plate;
the bonding layer spanning the first cavity and the second cavity;
a back surface of a second piezoelectric plate bonded to a top surface of the bonding layer;
the second piezoelectric plate spanning the first cavity; and
a planarized top surface of the second piezoelectric plate forming a second thickness of the second piezoelectric plate;
wherein the second thickness is less than the first thickness.

12. The resonator of claim 11 , wherein a first membrane has the first piezoelectric plate, the bonding layer, and the second piezoelectric plate over the first cavity; and a second membrane has the first piezoelectric plate and the bonding layer over the second cavity; and further comprising:
a first interdigital transducer (IDT) on a front surface of the first piezoelectric plate of the first membrane such that interleaved fingers of the first IDT are disposed over the first cavity;
a second IDT on a front surface of the second piezoelectric plate of the second membrane such that interleaved fingers of the second IDT are disposed over the second cavity.

13. The resonator of claim 12 , wherein the first and second membranes and the first and second IDTs are configured such that a radio frequency signal applied to the first and second IDTs excite different first and second primary shear acoustic modes in first and second membranes of the first piezoelectric plate.

14. The resonator of claim 11 , wherein the bonding layer is one of Al2O3 or SiO2.

15. The resonator of claim 11 , wherein the bonding layer is an etch stop for the etching the second plate.

16. The resonator of claim 11 , wherein the first piezoelectric plate and the second piezoelectric plate have different thicknesses.

17. The resonator of claim 11 , wherein
the second piezoelectric plate is a first material capable of being etched by a first process; and
the bonding layer is a second material that is substantially impervious to the first process.

18. The resonator of claim 11 , wherein the first and second piezoelectric plates are both either lithium niobate or lithium tantalate.

19. The resonator of claim 11 , further comprising one or more openings through the piezoelectric plates and bonding layer for etching the first and second cavities through the opening.

20. A filter system comprising:
a substrate wafer having at least a first cavity and a second cavity on a single die;
a first piezoelectric plate wafer spanning the first cavity and the second cavity;
a bonding layer spanning the first piezoelectric plate wafer;
a second piezoelectric plate wafer spanning the first cavity but not the second cavity,
a first interdigital transducer (IDT) on a front surface of the first piezoelectric plate wafer over the first cavity; and
a second IDT on a front surface of the bonding layer over the second cavity;
wherein the first piezoelectric plate wafer and the second piezoelectric plate wafer have different thicknesses.

21. The system of claim 20 , wherein a first resonator of the substrate wafer has the first piezoelectric plate wafer, the bonding layer, the second piezoelectric plate wafer and the first IDT over the first cavity; and a second resonator of the substrate wafer has the first piezoelectric plate wafer, the bonding layer and the second IDT over the second cavity.

22. The system of claim 21 , wherein the first and the second resonators are configured such that a radio frequency signal applied to the first and second IDTs excite different first and second primary shear acoustic modes in the first and second resonators.

23. The device of claim 22 , wherein the thickness of the first piezoelectric plate wafer and the thickness of the second piezoelectric plate wafer are selected to tune the first and the second shear primary acoustic modes.

Assignees

• Murata Manufacturing Co

Inventors

• Turner Patrick
• Jachowski Doug
• Garcia Bryant

Classifications

• H03H9/205 Primary

  having multiple resonators (crystal tuning forks H03H9/21) · CPC title

• H03H3/02

  for the manufacture of piezoelectric or electrostrictive resonators or networks (H03H3/08 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H03H9/02015

  Characteristics of piezoelectric layers, e.g. cutting angles · CPC title

• H03H9/02157

  Dimensional parameters, e.g. ratio between two dimension parameters, length, width or thickness · CPC title

• H03H9/02228 Primary

  Guided bulk acoustic wave devices or Lamb wave devices having interdigital transducers situated in parallel planes on either side of a piezoelectric layer · CPC title