The present invention relates to an acoustic wave device in which a dielectric film is laminated between an IDT electrode and a piezoelectric film.
In the acoustic wave device described in International Publication No. 2018/146883, a high acoustic-velocity material layer, a low acoustic-velocity film, and a piezoelectric film are laminated on a support substrate. Further, a dielectric film is laminated on the piezoelectric film and an IDT electrode is provided on the dielectric film.
The structure including the high acoustic-velocity material layer and the low acoustic-velocity film can increase a Q value.
In acoustic wave devices, transverse modes that are spurious to acoustic waves used sometimes occur. As a structure for suppressing such a transverse mode, a structure is known in which a low acoustic-velocity region, in which an acoustic velocity is lower than that in a central region, is provided in an intersecting region of an IDT electrode.
However, when the low acoustic-velocity region is provided in an acoustic wave device such as the one described in International Publication No. 2018/146883, it becomes difficult to effectively suppress transverse modes and characteristics may deteriorate.
Preferred embodiments of the present invention provide acoustic wave devices each with characteristics that are less likely to deteriorate.
An acoustic wave device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a high acoustic-velocity material layer made of a high acoustic-velocity material, a piezoelectric film directly or indirectly provided on the high acoustic-velocity material layer, and an IDT electrode on the piezoelectric film. The high acoustic-velocity material is a material in which an acoustic velocity of a bulk wave propagating therethrough is higher than an acoustic velocity of an acoustic wave propagating through the piezoelectric film. The acoustic wave device further includes a dielectric film between the IDT electrode and the piezoelectric film. The IDT electrode includes a first electrode finger and a second electrode finger that are interdigitated. A direction orthogonal or substantially orthogonal to an extending direction of the first electrode finger and the second electrode finger is an acoustic wave propagating direction. A region in which the first electrode finger and the second electrode finger overlap with each other when viewed in the acoustic wave propagating direction is an intersecting region. The intersecting region includes a central region, which is positioned in a center in the extending direction of the first electrode finger and the second electrode finger, and first and second low acoustic-velocity regions provided on both respective sides of the central region in the extending direction of the first electrode finger and the second electrode finger. The dielectric film is made of silicon nitride, silicon oxide, tantalum pentoxide, alumina, titanium oxide, or amorphous silicon. A film thickness of the dielectric film is set in a range shown in Table 1 below depending on a material of the dielectric film:
The film thickness in Table 1 is a film thickness (%) normalized by a wavelength A determined based on an electrode finger pitch of the IDT electrode.
According to preferred embodiments of the present invention, acoustic wave devices each with characteristics that are less likely to deteriorate are able to be provided.
The above and other elements, features, steps, characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments with reference to the attached drawings.
The present invention will be clarified below by describing preferred embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Each of the preferred embodiments described in the present specification is exemplary and configurations can be partially exchanged or combined with each other between different preferred embodiments.
In an acoustic wave device 1, a high acoustic-velocity material layer 3, a low acoustic-velocity film 4, and a piezoelectric film 5 are laminated on a support substrate 2. That is, the support substrate 2 is laminated on a surface, which is opposite to a surface on a piezoelectric film 5 side, of the high acoustic-velocity material layer 3. The support substrate 2 is made of Si, for example, but the material of the support substrate 2 is not particularly limited. Various insulators and semiconductors can be used as the material of the support substrate 2.
The high acoustic-velocity material layer 3 is made of a high acoustic-velocity material. The high acoustic-velocity material is a material in which an acoustic velocity of a bulk wave propagating through this material is higher than an acoustic velocity of an acoustic wave propagating through the piezoelectric film 5. Examples of the high acoustic-velocity material may include various materials such as aluminum oxide, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, silicon, sapphire, lithium tantalate, lithium niobate, crystal, alumina, zirconia, cordierite, mullite, steatite, forsterite, magnesia, diamond-like carbon (DLC) film, or diamond, a medium including the above-described material as a main component, and a medium including a mixture of the above-described materials as a main component. In the present preferred embodiment, the high acoustic-velocity material layer 3 is made of silicon nitride, for example.
The low acoustic-velocity film 4 is made of a low acoustic-velocity material. The low acoustic-velocity material is a material in which an acoustic velocity of a bulk wave propagating through this material is lower than an acoustic velocity of an acoustic velocity of a bulk wave propagating through the piezoelectric film 5. Examples of the low acoustic-velocity material may include various materials such as silicon oxide, glass, silicon oxynitride, tantalum oxide, a compound obtained by adding fluorine, carbon, boron, hydrogen, or a silanol group to silicon oxide, and a medium including the above-described material as a main component. In the present preferred embodiment, the low acoustic-velocity film 4 is made of silicon oxide, for example.
The piezoelectric film 5 is made of lithium tantalate, for example. However, the piezoelectric film 5 may be made of other piezoelectric single crystals such as lithium niobate, for example.
The piezoelectric film 5 is laminated on the high acoustic-velocity material layer 3 and the low acoustic-velocity film 4 and therefore, a Q value can be increased in the acoustic wave device 1.
Meanwhile, a dielectric film 6 is laminated on the piezoelectric film 5. The dielectric film 6 is made of, for example, silicon nitride (SiN) in the present preferred embodiment. However, the material of the dielectric film 6 is not limited to silicon nitride and may be, for example, silicon oxide, alumina, tantalum pentoxide, amorphous silicon, titanium oxide, or the like.
The IDT electrode 7 and reflectors 8 and 9 are provided on the dielectric film 6.
The IDT electrode 7 will be described in detail with reference to
The IDT electrode 7 includes a first comb electrode 11 and a second comb electrode 12. The first comb electrode 11 includes a plurality of first electrode fingers 13. The second comb electrode 12 includes a plurality of second electrode fingers 14. The first electrode fingers 13 and the second electrode fingers 14 are interdigitated. A direction orthogonal or substantially orthogonal to an extending direction of the first electrode fingers 13 and the second electrode fingers 14 is an acoustic wave propagating direction. A region in which the first electrode fingers 13 and the second electrode fingers 14 overlap with each other when viewed in the acoustic wave propagating direction is an intersecting region K. The intersecting region K includes a central region C and first and second low acoustic-velocity regions E1 and E2. The central region C is positioned at the center in the extending direction of the first and second electrode fingers 13 and 14. The first and second low acoustic-velocity regions E1 and E2 are provided on both respective sides of the central region C in the extending direction of the first and second electrode fingers 13 and 14.
In the first and second low acoustic-velocity regions E1 and E2, dielectric films 17 and 18 are laminated between the first and second electrode fingers 13 and 14 and the dielectric film 6. This lowers acoustic velocities in the first and second low acoustic-velocity regions E1 and E2. The dielectric films 17 and 18 are made of, for example, silicon oxide, but other dielectrics may be used.
The first and second low acoustic-velocity regions E1 and E2 are regions in which an acoustic velocity is lower than that in the central region C.
In the first comb electrode 11, one end of each of the plurality of first electrode fingers 13 is connected to a first busbar 15. In the second comb electrode 12, one end of each of the plurality of second electrode fingers 14 is connected to a second busbar 16.
The first busbar 15 includes an inner busbar 15a, an outer busbar 15b, and a coupling portion 15c, which couples the inner busbar 15a with the outer busbar 15b. Further, a plurality of openings 15d are provided along the acoustic wave propagating direction. In a similar manner, the second busbar 16 also includes an inner busbar 16a, an outer busbar 16b, a coupling portion 16c, and openings 16d. However, the first busbar 15 and the second busbar 16 are not limitedly structured to include inner busbars, outer busbars, and openings, and may be busbars that do not include these, such as busbars illustrated in
In the IDT electrode 7, first and second gap regions G1 and G2 are positioned on respective outer sides, in the extending direction of the first and second electrode fingers 13 and 14, of the first and second low acoustic-velocity regions E1 and E2. Further, first and second busbar regions B1 and B2 are positioned on respective outer sides, in the extending direction of the first and second electrode fingers 13 and 14, of the first and second gap regions G1 and G2. An acoustic velocity in the first and second gap regions G1 and G2 is V3 and the acoustic velocity V3 is higher than the acoustic velocity V2 in the first and second low acoustic-velocity regions E1 and E2. Further, an acoustic velocity in the first and second busbar regions B1 and B2 is V4 and the acoustic velocity V4 is lower than the acoustic velocity V3 in the first and second gap regions G1 and G2.
V1>V2 and V3>V2 are satisfied and therefore, reduction or prevention of transverse modes can be achieved. Such a transverse mode reduction or prevention structure utilizing an acoustic velocity difference has been conventionally known.
In order to effectively reduce or prevent the above-described transverse modes, an acoustic velocity difference needs to be increased between the acoustic velocity V1 in the central region C and the acoustic velocity V2 in the first and second low acoustic-velocity regions E1 and E2.
The inventor of preferred embodiments of the present application has discovered that a sufficient acoustic velocity difference, described above, sometimes cannot be obtained and accordingly transverse modes sometimes cannot be sufficiently reduced or prevented in the acoustic wave device 1 having the laminated structure illustrated in
As is clear from
The reason why an acoustic velocity ratio changes depending on the film thickness of the dielectric film 6 as described above is as follows.
As can be seen from
As is clear from
On the other hand, in the region where the dielectric film thickness is greater than about 1.2%, the inclination in the first and second low acoustic-velocity regions is larger, indicating that the acoustic velocity difference tends to become smaller.
The acoustic velocity change tendency depending on the film thickness change of the dielectric film 6 is different between the central region C and the first and second low acoustic-velocity regions E1 and E2 as described above, and therefore, the acoustic velocity ratio depending on the film thickness of the dielectric film 6 changes as shown in
A sufficient acoustic velocity ratio can be achieved if the film thickness of the dielectric film 6 is greater than 0% and is less than or equal to about 3.125%, as shown in
Although
Thus, if the film thickness of the dielectric film 6 is set in film thickness ranges shown in Table 2 below depending on a kind of each material of the dielectric film 6, transverse modes can be effectively reduced or prevented.
As illustrated in
In the IDT electrode 51, the provision of the dielectric films 52 and 53 in addition to the wider portions 32 and 33 can more effectively lower the acoustic velocity in the first and second low acoustic-velocity regions.
In the IDT electrode 61, the above-described mass addition films 62 and 63 are provided in addition to the wider portions 32 and 33. Accordingly, the acoustic velocity in the first and second low acoustic-velocity regions can be more effectively lowered.
As illustrated in
While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it is to be understood that variations and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. The scope of the present invention, therefore, is to be determined solely by the following claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2021-070466 | Apr 2021 | JP | national |
This application claims the benefit of priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-070466 filed on Apr. 19, 2021 and is a Continuation application of PCT Application No. PCT/JP2022/017509 filed on Apr. 11, 2022. The entire contents of each application are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | PCT/JP2022/017509 | Apr 2022 | US |
Child | 18229203 | US |