Membrane substrate structure for single crystal acoustic resonator device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9917568-B2
Application number	US-201414469503-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 26, 2014
Priority date	Aug 26, 2014
Publication date	Mar 13, 2018
Grant date	Mar 13, 2018

Abstract

A substrate structure for an acoustic resonator device. The substrate has a substrate member comprising a plurality of support members configured to form an array structure. In an example, the substrate member has an upper region, and optionally, has a plurality of recessed regions configured by the support members. The substrate has a thickness of single crystal piezo material formed overlying the upper region. In an example, the thickness of single crystal piezo material has a first surface region and a second surface region opposite of the first surface region.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for manufacturing a single crystal acoustic resonator device, the method comprising:
providing a silicon substrate member having a surface region configured in a <111> surface orientation and a backside region, the silicon substrate being single crystal silicon;
placing the silicon substrate member into a processing chamber configured with a temperature controlled surface containing the silicon substrate;
increasing a temperature of the surface region;
maintaining the surface region between 900C and 1200C to oblate the surface region having a silicon material and oblate any other unintentional species residing on the surface region;
introducing at least nitrogen (N 2 ) and trimethyl aluminum (TMA) entities into the process chamber at a flow rate of 1 cubic-centimeter (cc) per minute; dissociating an aluminum species from the TMA to react with the silicon substrate to create a meta-stable surface layer of aluminum-rich species; introducing at least an ammonia (NH 3 ) entity into the process chamber with a minimum flow rate of 0.33 liters per minute;
dissociating a nitrogen species form the ammonia entity;
causing formation of a first thickness of aluminum nitride material, using at least the nitrogen species and the aluminum species, overlying the surface region to form a strained state from a lattice mismatch between the surface region of the silicon substrate material and the first thickness of aluminum nitride material;
maintaining the silicon substrate member at a temperature greater than about 900 Degrees Celsius to 1200 Degrees Celsius during the formation of the first thickness of aluminum nitride material;
subjecting the backside region to a thinning process to remove a thickness of the substrate member to a thickness ranging from 30 microns to about 300 microns;
forming a plurality of patterns formed on the backside region to form a patterned silicon carrier member configured to expose a plurality of backside portions of the aluminum nitride material; and
causing the first thickness of aluminum nitride material in the strained state to relax the first thickness of aluminum nitride material to form a supported membrane structure configured on the patterned carrier member.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the ammonia entity to TMA entity is provided at a ratio ranging between 300 to 5000 measured in a first volume flow of ammonia to a second volume flow of TMA.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising subjecting a surface region with a cleaning process; wherein the surface region is configured in an off-axis angle ranging from 0.2 to 7 Degrees parallel to the <111> crystal orientation.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising subjecting a surface region with a cleaning process; wherein the aluminum nitride material is deposited by LPCVD; whereupon the cleaning process, prior to the introducing of the TMA entities, comprises using dichlorosilane (DCS), provided with or without ammonia, to clean and prepare the surface region.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the first thickness of aluminum nitride material has a thickness of 0.5 microns and less.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the processing chamber is a deposition chamber.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the processing chamber is a MOCVD or LPCVD chamber.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the TMA gas entities are produced by flowing nitrogen (N 2 ) gas into a liquid TMA bubbler source having a temperature controlled between 0 and +100 Degrees Celsius and the TMA gas entities are injected into the processing chamber alongside the N 2 gas provided to produce the TMA gas entities from the liquid TMA bubbler source.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the aluminum nitride material ranges in thickness from about 0.03 microns to about 0.50 microns; and wherein the first thickness of aluminum nitride material is characterized by X-ray diffraction with clear peak at a detector angle (2-θ) associated with single crystal film and whose Full Width Half Maximum (FWHM) is measured to be less than 1.0°.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the patterned carrier member is configured in as a plurality of hexagonal structures, a plurality of square structures, or a plurality of rectangular structures, or a plurality of other structures.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising forming a second thickness of aluminum nitride material.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising forming a second thickness of aluminum nitride material; and forming an acoustic resonator device on at least the second thickness of aluminum nitride material.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising forming a second thickness of aluminum nitride material; forming a third thickness of aluminum nitride material on an opposite side of the first thickness having overlying the second thickness; and forming an acoustic resonator device using at least a portion of the second thickness of aluminum nitride material and third thickness of aluminum nitride material.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the first thickness of aluminum nitride material produces an electrical capacitance characteristic verses voltage that shows the electrical capacitance characteristic being flat for an electric measurement frequency between 100 Hz and 1 MHz and a sweep voltage between −30 C and +30V.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the first thickness of aluminum nitride material produces an electrical conductance characteristic verses voltage that is less than 100 mS that shows the electrical conductance being flat for an electric measurement frequency between 100 Hz and 1 MHz and a sweep voltage between −30 C and +30V.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the first thickness has a surface region characterized by a surface smoothness having an RMS characteristic of less than 100 nm.

Assignees

• Akoustis Inc

Inventors

• Shealy Jeffrey B

Classifications

• H03H2003/023

  the resonators or networks being of the membrane type · CPC title

• H03H3/02

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

• H03H9/174 Primary

  Membranes · CPC title