Resonator with novel release structure and preparation method thereof
Technical Field
The invention relates to the field of resonators and filters, in particular to a resonator with a novel release structure and a preparation method thereof.
Background
The arrival of the 5G, Sub-6G era has required device performance in the communication field to be one-storey higher. At present, the frequency spectrum of the low frequency band is almost occupied, so the frequency spectrum of the high frequency band is to be developed and applied. The filter occupies an extremely critical position in a communication system, and is built by a plurality of resonators, and the resonators influence the performance of the filter. The surface acoustic wave resonator with mature technology at present is difficult to reach the working frequency of more than 2.5GHz due to the limit of photoetching limit and low sound velocity of lithium niobate piezoelectric materials; compared with the surface acoustic wave resonator, the bulk acoustic wave resonator has higher resonant frequency and higher quality factor, but because the resonant frequency is mainly determined by the thickness of the piezoelectric material, taking the aluminum nitride film bulk acoustic wave resonator as an example, a single crystal film below 600nm is extremely difficult to process, so that the frequency of the device is limited to be more than 5GHz, and in view of the above, the resonator for 5G ultrahigh frequency becomes a new round of research hotspot all over the world. The resonator is formed by interdigital electrodes with wide spacing arranged on piezoelectric material. Based on the preparation method of the resonator, no good solution exists at present.
The resonator facing 5G ultra-high frequency is mainly composed of a substrate, a piezoelectric layer and interdigital electrodes from bottom to top as shown in FIG. 1. At present, lithium niobate and lithium tantalate are taken as main materials for the piezoelectric material of the ultrahigh frequency resonator, an ion implantation method is adopted for preparing the two films, the films need to be attached to a substrate, the preparation processes of the silicon dioxide, the lithium niobate and the lithium tantalate films are shown in figure 1, and due to the existence of the silicon dioxide, when a device is released, the silicon dioxide in a non-working area of the resonator can be removed at the same time, so that the device is suspended and further collapsed.
At present, two ways of forming a cavity by releasing a device are provided, one way is a back etching process, an MEMS bulk silicon micro-manufacturing process is adopted, etching is carried out from the back of a silicon wafer, most of a silicon substrate below a resonator working area is hollowed out, and the cavity is formed. The method for etching the cavity at the back can seriously affect the stability of the substrate, and when the connecting surface of the piezoelectric layer and the substrate is etched, factors such as over-etching or under-etching, equipment instability and the like exist, so that the piezoelectric film generates defects, and the performance of the resonator is further affected.
The other formation mode of the cavity is that the cavity is etched on the upper surface of the substrate, then the cavity is filled with the sacrificial layer, then the sacrificial layer is subjected to chemical mechanical polishing, then the sandwich structure of the resonator is deposited, and finally the device is released. This structure can ensure the stability of the device, but the device can have a great influence on the material structure around the release hole during the release process, especially on the structure of the interlayer dielectric layer on the substrate, which is favorable for the growth of the piezoelectric layer.
Therefore, how to obtain a resonator with high stability, excellent performance and simple manufacturing process becomes a technical problem to be solved in the field.
Disclosure of Invention
Aiming at the problems in the prior art, the invention provides a resonator with a novel release structure and a preparation method thereof.
The invention relates to a resonator with a novel release structure, which comprises: the device comprises a substrate, an intermediate medium layer, a piezoelectric layer, an electrode, a sacrificial layer, a first release structure, a second release structure, an isolation layer and a cavity;
preferably, the substrate is provided with an intermediate medium layer on the upper part
Preferably, the piezoelectric layer is suspended over the substrate;
preferably, the interlayer dielectric layer is disposed between the substrate and the piezoelectric layer;
preferably, the sacrificial layer is positioned in the second release structure and is filled with the second release structure;
preferably, the isolation layer is attached to the middle medium layer and the inner side of the piezoelectric layer, and is in a shape of a closed-circle structure or a closed polygon.
Further, the first release structure is a closed groove structure and is used for defining a working area and a non-working area, the working area is an area covered by the piezoelectric layer and the electrode, and the closed structure is a rectangular groove, a circular groove or a polygonal groove;
further, the isolation layer is used for protecting the intermediate dielectric layer in the non-working area when the device is released, and the material of the isolation layer is different from that of the intermediate dielectric layer;
furthermore, the second release structure is located in a middle transition region between the isolation layer and the working region, and is a slotted hole structure, specifically, M polygonal grooves or N circular holes, where M >0, N >0, and M, N are integers.
Further, the substrate is preferably a silicon substrate and also comprises a sapphire material;
the material of the intermediate dielectric layer is preferably SiO2And also includes Si3N4And a SiC material;
the material of the isolating layer is preferably Si3N4SiC, and also AlN and the like;
the material of the piezoelectric layer is preferably LiNbO3,LiTaO3And also include AlN, ZnO, etc.;
the material of the electrode is preferably a metal material, preferably any one of Mo, Pt, Au and Al or a combination of a plurality of metal materials.
The preparation method of the resonator with the novel release structure comprises the following steps:
step 1: forming a middle medium layer above the substrate, and forming a piezoelectric layer above the middle medium layer;
step 2: forming an annular closed groove or a polygonal closed groove on the piezoelectric layer and the middle medium layer so as to form a first release structure;
and step 3: filling an isolation layer in the first release structure;
and 4, step 4: forming M polygonal grooves or N circular holes on the isolation layer to form a second release structure, wherein the M polygonal grooves or the N circular holes form the second release structure, and M is more than 0, N is more than 0, and M, N are integers;
and 5: filling a sacrificial layer in the second release structure, wherein the material of the sacrificial layer is consistent with that of the intermediate dielectric layer;
step 6: forming electrodes on the piezoelectric layer, wherein the electrodes can be distributed on the upper surface and the lower surface of the piezoelectric layer simultaneously, or only on the upper surface or the lower surface of the piezoelectric layer
And 7: and releasing the intermediate medium layer in the isolation layer through the second release structure to form a cavity.
The substrate of the resonator is provided with an intermediate medium layer which is beneficial to the growth of the piezoelectric layer or is bonded with the substrate, when the device is released, in order to protect the piezoelectric layer and the intermediate medium layer of the non-working area, a first release structure, an isolation layer and a second release structure are designed on the substrate, the first release structure, the isolation layer and the second release structure completely isolate the working area and the non-working area of the resonator, and finally the device is released through the second release structure. The stability of the resonator can be effectively ensured by the innovative preparation method.
Drawings
One or more preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings, wherein like designations denote like elements, and wherein:
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a process for preparing lithium niobate and lithium tantalate films;
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the present invention in which a plate electrode resonator is used;
FIG. 3 is a top view of an embodiment of the present invention with a plate electrode resonator;
FIG. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a substrate after sequentially forming an interlayer dielectric layer and a piezoelectric layer thereon;
FIG. 5 is a schematic view after etching a first release structure;
FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a first release structure filled with an isolation layer;
FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a second release structure etched;
FIG. 8 is a schematic view of a second release structure filled with a sacrificial layer;
FIG. 9 is a schematic illustration after forming electrodes on the piezoelectric layer;
fig. 10 is a top view after forming electrodes on a piezoelectric layer;
FIG. 11 is a sectional view of the present embodiment with a plate-shaped electrode resonator;
fig. 12 is a plan view of the present embodiment with a plate-shaped electrode resonator.
The parts in the drawings are numbered as follows: 101-substrate, 102-intermediate dielectric layer, 103-piezoelectric layer, 104-first release structure, 105-isolation layer, 106-second release structure, 107-sacrificial layer, 108-electrode, 109-cavity.
Detailed Description
In order to more clearly illustrate the present invention and/or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following will describe embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some examples of the invention, and that for a person skilled in the art, other drawings and embodiments can be derived from them without inventive effort.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a process for preparing lithium niobate and lithium tantalate films; fig. 2 to fig. 3 are schematic diagrams of a resonator manufacturing method provided by the present invention, which specifically include: a substrate 101, an intermediate dielectric layer 102, a piezoelectric layer 103, a sacrificial layer 107, an electrode 108, a first release structure 104, a second release structure 106, an isolation layer 105, and a cavity 109.
The piezoelectric layer 103 is suspended over the substrate 101;
the middle medium layer 102 is arranged between the substrate 101 and the piezoelectric layer 103;
the first release structure 104 is formed in the middle dielectric layer 102 and the piezoelectric layer 103, can be in the shape of a circular groove, a square groove, a hexagonal groove, and other structural shapes, is a closed structure, and is used for defining an operating area and a non-operating area, wherein the operating area is an area covered by the piezoelectric layer and an electrode;
the isolation layer 105 is located inside the first release structure 104, and is a closed structure for protecting the middle dielectric layer 102 in the non-working region when the device is released, and the material of the isolation layer 105 is different from that of the middle dielectric layer 102;
the second release structure 106 is located in a middle transition region between the isolation layer 105 and the working region, and is a slotted hole structure, specifically, M polygonal grooves or N circular holes, where M >0, N >0, and M, N are integers.
The sacrificial layer 107 is located in the second release structure 106 and fills the second release structure 106;
the substrate 101 is preferably a silicon substrate, and also comprises a sapphire material;
the material of the intermediate dielectric layer 102 is preferably SiO2And also includes Si3N4And a SiC material;
the material of the isolation layer 105 is preferably Si3N4SiC, and also AlN and the like;
the material of the piezoelectric layer 103 is preferably LiNbO3,LiTaO3And also include AlN, ZnO, etc.;
the electrodes 108 can be distributed on the upper and lower surfaces of the piezoelectric layer 103 at the same time, or only on one surface of the piezoelectric layer 103; the electrode 108 can be patterned, and the material is preferably a metal material, preferably any one of Mo, Pt, Au, Al or a combination of multiple metal materials.
Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a plate-shaped electrode resonator according to an embodiment of the present invention, and fig. 3 is a top view of the plate-shaped electrode resonator according to an embodiment of the present invention, and the following method for manufacturing a resonator with a novel release structure is described with reference to fig. 4 to 12, and includes the following steps:
step 1: as shown in fig. 4, a substrate 101 required for preparing a resonator is provided, said substrate being silicon. An intermediate dielectric layer 102, preferably SiO2, is formed on the substrate 101.
A piezoelectric layer, preferably LiNbO3, is formed on the middle dielectric layer 102.
Step 2: as shown in fig. 5, a first release structure 104 is etched on the piezoelectric layer 103 and the middle dielectric layer 102, wherein the first release structure is a rectangular groove;
and step 3: as shown in fig. 6, the first release structure 104 is filled with an isolation layer 105, which completely isolates the active region and the non-active region of the resonator, and is a closed structure, and the isolation layer is preferably Si3N 4;
and 4, step 4: as shown in fig. 7, M polygonal grooves or N circular holes are formed on the spacer 105, and a second release structure 106 is formed, where M ═ 1 polygonal grooves and N ═ 10 circular holes form the second release structure;
and 5: as shown in fig. 8, a sacrificial layer 107 is filled in the second release structure 106, and the material of the sacrificial layer is the same as that of the intermediate dielectric layer;
step 6: as shown in fig. 9, electrodes 108 are formed on the piezoelectric layer 103, and the electrodes 108 may be distributed on both the upper surface and the lower surface of the piezoelectric layer 103, or only on the upper surface or the lower surface of the piezoelectric layer 103, and the electrodes may be patterned, and the material is preferably Mo.
And 7: as shown in fig. 10, the intermediate dielectric layer 102 and the sacrificial layer 107 inside the isolation layer 105 are released by the second release structure 106 to form a cavity 109;
as shown in fig. 11 and 12, the resonator structure of the present invention is embodied in a block electrode as a cross-sectional view and a top view.
It should be understood that parts of the specification not set forth in detail are well within the prior art.
It should be understood that the above description of the preferred embodiments is given for clarity and not for any purpose of limitation, and that various changes, substitutions and alterations can be made herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.