Patent Grant
11367829
This application claims the benefit of priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2016-245758 filed on Dec. 19, 2016. The entire contents of this application are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to an elastic wave device, a high-frequency front end circuit, and a communication apparatus.
An existing elastic wave device has been widely used for a filter of a cellular phone or the like. International Publication No. 2011/158445, which will be described below, discloses an example of the elastic wave device. The elastic wave device includes a piezoelectric substrate made of LiNbO3. An IDT (interdigital transducer) electrode is provided on the piezoelectric substrate. The IDT electrode includes a multilayer metal film formed by laminating a Mo layer and an Al layer in this order from the piezoelectric substrate side. The IDT electrode has low electrical resistance because it includes the Al layer. A dielectric film made of SiO2 is provided on the piezoelectric substrate so as to cover the IDT electrode. Frequency temperature characteristics are improved by including the above-described dielectric film.
When the film thickness of the dielectric film made of silicon oxide, such as SiO2, is increased, the frequency temperature characteristic (TCV) is improved but a fractional bandwidth is narrowed. On the other hand, when the film thickness of the dielectric film made of silicon oxide is decreased, the fractional bandwidth is increased but the frequency temperature characteristic is deteriorated. In this manner, the frequency temperature characteristic and the fractional bandwidth have a trade-off relationship.
As disclosed in International Publication No. 2011/158445, in the elastic wave device in which the dielectric film made of silicon oxide is provided, it is considered that the film thickness of the Al layer is increased in order to further lower the electrical resistance of the IDT electrode for reducing insertion loss of a filter. However, the inventors of the present invention have discovered that there is a problem of deterioration in the trade-off relationship between the frequency temperature characteristic and the fractional bandwidth because, as the film thickness of the Al layer is increased, the frequency temperature characteristic is deteriorated and the fractional bandwidth is not increased substantially.
Preferred embodiments of the present invention provide elastic wave devices, high-frequency front end circuits, and communication apparatuses that are capable of improving a trade-off relationship between a frequency temperature characteristic and a fractional bandwidth while lowering an electrical resistance of an IDT electrode.
An elastic wave device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a piezoelectric substrate, an IDT electrode including a first electrode layer which is provided on the piezoelectric substrate and includes one of Mo and W as a main component and a second electrode layer which is laminated on the first electrode layer and includes Cu as a main component, and a dielectric film that is provided on the piezoelectric substrate and covers the IDT electrode, wherein the piezoelectric substrate is made of lithium niobate, the dielectric film is made of silicon oxide, and the elastic wave device utilizes Rayleigh waves propagating along the piezoelectric substrate.
In an elastic wave device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first electrode layer includes Mo as the main component, and when a wave length which is defined by an electrode finger pitch of the IDT electrode is λ and a film thickness of the first electrode layer and a film thickness of the second electrode layer, which are normalized by the wave length λ, are hMo/λ(%) and hCu/λ(%), respectively, an equation is satisfied:
hMo/λ≤−0.8×hCu/λ+1.8.
In this case, a fractional bandwidth is able to be effectively and stably increased. Therefore, a trade-off relationship between a frequency temperature characteristic and the fractional bandwidth can be further improved.
In an elastic wave device according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first electrode layer includes Mo as the main component, and when a wave length which is defined by an electrode finger pitch of the IDT electrode is λ and a film thickness of the first electrode layer, which is normalized by the wave length λ, is hMo/λ(%), the film thickness hMo/λ of the first electrode layer is equal to or lower than about 30%. In this case, an increase in a stress of the first electrode layer is able to be reduced or prevented and the piezoelectric substrate will not be easily damaged.
In an elastic wave device according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first electrode layer includes Mo as the main component, Euler Angles (ϕ, θ, ψ) of the piezoelectric substrate are Euler Angles (0°±5°, θ, 0°±5°), and when a wave length which is defined by an electrode finger pitch of the IDT electrode is λ and a film thickness of the first electrode layer and a film thickness of the second electrode layer, which are normalized by the wave length λ, are hMo/λ(%) and hCu/λ(%), respectively, a combination of the film thickness hMo/λ of the first electrode layer, the film thickness hCu/λ of the second electrode layer, and θ in the Euler Angles (ϕ, θ, ψ) of the piezoelectric substrate is any one of combinations indicated in Table 1 to Table 6. In this case, a spurious SH (Shear Horizontal) wave is able to be reduced or prevented.
In an elastic wave device according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first electrode layer includes W as the main component, and when a wave length which is defined by an electrode finger pitch of the IDT electrode is λ and a film thickness of the first electrode layer and a film thickness of the second electrode layer, which are normalized by the wave length λ, are hW/λ(%) and hCu/λ(%), respectively, an equation is satisfied:
hW/λ≥−0.3343×hCu/λ+0.7879.
In this case, the fractional bandwidth is able to be effectively and stably increased. Therefore, a trade-off relationship between the frequency temperature characteristic and the fractional bandwidth is able to be further improved.
In an elastic wave device according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first electrode layer includes W as the main component, and when a wave length which is defined by an electrode finger pitch of the IDT electrode is λ and a film thickness of the first electrode layer, which is normalized by the wave length λ, is hW/λ(%), the film thickness hW/λ of the first electrode layer is equal to or lower than about 30%. In this case, an increase in a stress of the first electrode layer is able to be reduced or prevented and the piezoelectric substrate will not be easily damaged.
In an elastic wave device according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first electrode layer includes W as the main component, Euler Angles (ϕ, θ, ψ) of the piezoelectric substrate are Euler Angles (0°±5°, θ, 0°±5°), and when a wave length which is defined by an electrode finger pitch of the IDT electrode is λ and a film thickness of the first electrode layer and a film thickness of the second electrode layer, which are normalized by the wave length λ, are hW/λ(%) and hCu/λ(%), respectively, a combination of the film thickness hW/λ of the first electrode layer, the film thickness hCu/λ of the second electrode layer, and θ in the Euler Angles (ϕ, θ, ψ) of the piezoelectric substrate is any one of combinations indicated in Table 7 to Table 12. In this case, a spurious SH wave is able to be reduced or prevented.
In an elastic wave device according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, when a wave length which is defined by an electrode finger pitch of the IDT electrode is λ and a film thickness of the second electrode layer, which is normalized by the wave length λ, is hCu/λ(%), the film thickness hCu/λ of the second electrode layer is equal to or lower than about 15%. In this case, productivity is able to be improved.
A high-frequency front end circuit according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes an elastic wave device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention and a power amplifier.
A communication apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes the high-frequency front end circuit according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention and an RF (Radio Frequency) signal processing circuit.
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.
Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained by describing specific preferred embodiments of the present invention with reference to the drawings.
It should be noted that respective preferred embodiments which are described in the specification are exemplary and partial replacement or combination of components between different preferred embodiments may be made.
An elastic wave device 1 illustrated in
An IDT electrode 3 is provided on the piezoelectric substrate 2. The IDT electrode 3 includes a plurality of electrode fingers 3a. A dielectric film 4 is provided on the piezoelectric substrate 2 so as to cover the IDT electrode 3. In the present preferred embodiment, the dielectric film 4 is preferably made of SiO2, for example.
It should be noted that silicon oxide other than SiO2 may also be used as the material of the dielectric film 4. The above-described silicon oxide is not limited to SiO2 and is expressed by SiOx (x is an integer).
As illustrated in
When a wave length which is defined by an electrode finger pitch of the IDT electrode 3 is λ and the film thickness of the metal layer is hM, the film thickness of the metal layer, which is normalized by the wave length λ, is TM. In this case, TM=hM/λ(%)×100 is satisfied. In the specification, the film thickness of the metal layer, which is normalized by the wave length λ, is hM/λ(%). The film thickness of the first electrode layer 3a1, the film thickness of the second electrode layer 3a2, and the film thickness of the dielectric film 4, which are normalized by the wave length λ, are hMo/λ(%), hCu/λ(%), and hS/λ(%), respectively. In the present preferred embodiment, the film thickness hMo/λ of the first electrode layer is preferably about 5%, for example. It should be noted that the film thickness hMo/λ is not limited to the above-described one.
The present preferred embodiment preferably has the characteristics that the IDT electrode 3 includes the first electrode layer 3a1 made of Mo and the second electrode layer 3a2 made of Cu. Therefore, a trade-off relationship between a frequency temperature characteristic (TCV) and a fractional bandwidth is able to be improved while lowering an electrical resistance of the IDT electrode.
The improvement in the trade-off relationship between the frequency temperature characteristic (TCV) and the fractional bandwidth indicates that the TCV becomes preferable when the fractional bandwidth is the same. On the other hand, deterioration in the trade-off relationship between the frequency temperature characteristic (TCV) and the fractional bandwidth indicates that the TCV is deteriorated when the fractional bandwidth is the same.
The above-described effect will be described below by comparing the present preferred embodiment and first and second comparative examples. In the present preferred embodiment, the electrical resistance of the IDT electrode 3 is able be lowered because the second electrode layer 3a2 made of Cu with a low resistance is used. Furthermore, the fractional bandwidth is able to be efficiently improved by arranging the second electrode layer 3a2 made of Cu on the first electrode layer 3a1 made of Mo.
The first comparative example is different from the first preferred embodiment in that the second electrode layer in the IDT electrode is made of Al. The second comparative example is different from the first preferred embodiment in that the second electrode layer is made of Mg.
In the first comparative example, the film thickness of the second electrode layer, which is normalized by the wave length λ, is hAl/λ(%). In the second comparative example, the film thickness of the second electrode layer, which is normalized by the wave length λ, is hMg/λ(%).
A plurality of elastic wave devices according to the first preferred embodiment and according to the first and second comparative examples were produced while varying the film thicknesses of the second electrode layers and the film thicknesses of the dielectric films. The frequency temperature characteristics (TCV) and the fractional bandwidths of the plurality of elastic wave devices described above were measured.
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
In the first preferred embodiment, the trade-off relationship between the frequency temperature characteristic (TCV) and the fractional bandwidth is improved because the second electrode layer is preferably made of Cu. This effect is described with reference to
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
A second preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described below.
An elastic wave device according to the second preferred embodiment is different from that according to the first preferred embodiment in a relationship between the film thickness hMo/λ of the first electrode layer and the film thickness hCu/λ of the second electrode layer. The elastic wave device in the second preferred embodiment preferably has the same or substantially the same configurations as those of the elastic wave device 1 in the first preferred embodiment illustrated in
To be more specific, in the present preferred embodiment, the film thickness hMo/λ of the first electrode layer and the film thickness hCu/λ of the second electrode layer have a relationship of the following equation 1.
hMo/λ≥−0.8×hCu/λ+1.8 (Equation 1).
Energy of elastic waves is able to be effectively confined in the surface of the piezoelectric substrate by satisfying the above-described equation 1. This confinement effectively increases the fractional bandwidth to further improve the trade-off relationship between the frequency temperature characteristic (TCV) and the fractional bandwidth. This effect will be described below.
As illustrated in
In order to provide the film thickness hMo/λ of the first electrode layer with which the increased fractional bandwidth is stably provided, relationships between the film thickness hMo/λ of the first electrode layer and the fractional bandwidth when the frequency temperature characteristic (TCV) was about −20 ppm/° C. in the cases in which the film thickness hCu/λ of the second electrode layer was about 0.25%, about 0.5%, about 0.75%, about 1%, and about 1.5% were respectively calculated from
As illustrated in
The relationship between the film thickness hCu/λ of the second electrode layer and the film thickness hMo/λ of the first electrode layer with which the fractional bandwidth is stably increased was obtained from
As illustrated in
It is preferable that the film thickness hMo/λ of the first electrode layer be equal to or lower than about 30%, for example. In this case, an increase in a stress of the first electrode layer is reduced or prevented and the piezoelectric substrate will not be easily damaged. As will be described in detail later, when the first electrode layer is formed, a metal layer made of Mo is subjected to dry etching. In the dry etching, a resist is simultaneously subjected to etching. Therefore, it is difficult to form the first electrode layer having a desired shape unless patterning of the above-described metal layer is completed before the resist is completely removed. The first electrode layer is able to be formed to have a desired shape more reliably by setting the film thickness hMo/λ of the first electrode layer to be equal to or lower than about 30%. With this, the IDT electrode is able to be more reliably formed to have a desired shape.
It is preferable that the film thickness hCu/λ of the second electrode layer be equal to or lower than about 15%, for example. Also in this case, the IDT electrode is able to be easily formed in a manufacturing process of the elastic wave device, so as to improve productivity.
A third preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described below.
An elastic wave device according to the third preferred embodiment is different from that according to the first preferred embodiment in a relationship among the film thickness hMo/λ of the first electrode layer, the film thickness hCu/λ of the second electrode layer, and the Euler Angles (ϕ, θ, ψ) of the piezoelectric substrate. The elastic wave device according to the third preferred embodiment preferably has the same or substantially the same configurations as those of the elastic wave device 1 in the first preferred embodiment illustrated in
To be more specific, in the present preferred embodiment, the Euler Angles (ϕ, θ, ψ) of the piezoelectric substrate are preferably Euler Angles (0°, θ, 0°), for example. A combination of the film thickness hMo/λ of the first electrode layer, the film thickness hCu/λ of the second electrode layer, and θ in the Euler Angles (ϕ, θ, ψ) of the piezoelectric substrate is any one of combinations indicated in Table 1 to Table 6.
The film thickness hMo/λ of the first electrode layer, the film thickness hCu/λ of the second electrode layer, and the Euler Angles (ϕ, θ, ψ) of the piezoelectric substrate have the above-described relationship, which reduces or prevents a spurious SH wave. This effect will be described below.
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
On the other hand, in the third preferred embodiment indicated by the solid line, the fractional bandwidth of the ripple due to the SH wave is reduced to be about 0.15%. In the third preferred embodiment indicated by the alternate long and short dash line, the above-mentioned ripple reduced to be about 0.002%. In this manner, in the third preferred embodiment, the fractional bandwidth of the spurious SH wave is effectively reduced to be equal to or lower than about 0.15%.
In addition, in the third preferred embodiment indicated by the solid line, the ripple caused by the SH wave is reduced to be about 5 dB. In the third preferred embodiment indicated by the alternate long and short dash line, the above-described ripple is reduced to be extremely low. In this manner, in the third preferred embodiment, the ripple caused by the SH wave is reduced to be equal to or lower than about 5 dB.
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
The effect that is the same as that described above is able to be provided even when the Euler Angles (ϕ, θ, ψ) of the piezoelectric substrate are Euler Angles (0°±5°, θ, 0°±5°). In the specification, 0°±5° indicates within a range of about 0°±5°.
A fourth preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described below.
An elastic wave device according to the fourth preferred embodiment is different from that according to the first preferred embodiment in that the first electrode layer is preferably made of W and the film thickness of the first electrode layer is different from that of the first preferred embodiment. The elastic wave device according to the fourth preferred embodiment preferably has the same or substantially the same configurations as those of the elastic wave device 1 in the first preferred embodiment illustrated in
The film thickness of the first electrode layer, which is normalized by the wave length λ, is hW/λ(%). In this case, in the present preferred embodiment, the film thickness hW/λ of the first electrode layer is preferably about 2%, for example. It should be noted that the film thickness hW/λ is not limited to the above-described one.
Also in the present preferred embodiment, the trade-off relationship between the frequency temperature characteristic (TCV) and the fractional bandwidth is improved. The above-described effect will be described below by comparing the present preferred embodiment and third and fourth comparative examples.
Also in the present preferred embodiment, the electrical resistance of the IDT electrode is able to be reduced because the second electrode layer made of Cu with a low resistance is used. Furthermore, the fractional bandwidth is able to be efficiently improved by arranging the second electrode layer made of Cu on the first electrode layer made of W.
The third comparative example is different from the fourth preferred embodiment in that the second electrode layer in the IDT electrode is made of Al. The fourth comparative example is different from the fourth preferred embodiment in that the second electrode layer is made of Mg.
In the third comparative example, the film thickness of the second electrode layer, which is normalized by the wave length λ, is hAl/λ(%), as in the first comparative example. In the fourth comparative example, the film thickness of the second electrode layer, which is normalized by the wave length λ, is hMg/λ(%), as in the second comparative example.
A plurality of elastic wave devices in the fourth preferred embodiment and the third and fourth comparative examples were produced while varying the film thicknesses of the second electrode layers and the film thicknesses of the dielectric films. The frequency temperature characteristics (TCV) and the fractional bandwidths of the plurality of elastic wave devices described above were measured.
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
By contrast, in the fourth preferred embodiment, the trade-off relationship between the frequency temperature characteristic (TCV) and the fractional bandwidth is improved because the second electrode layer is made of Cu as in the first preferred embodiment. This effect is described with reference to
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
Furthermore, the second electrode layer is made of Cu and has the electrical resistance which is sufficiently lower than that of the first electrode layer made of W. Therefore, the above-described trade-off relationship is improved and the electrical resistance of the IDT electrode is effectively lowered by increasing the film thickness hCu/λ of the second electrode layer.
A fifth preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described below.
An elastic wave device according to the fifth preferred embodiment is different from that according to the fourth preferred embodiment in a relationship between the film thickness hW/λ of the first electrode layer and the film thickness hCu/λ of the second electrode layer. The elastic wave device according to the fifth preferred embodiment preferably has the same or substantially the same configurations as those of the elastic wave device in the fourth preferred embodiment other than the above-described point.
To be more specific, in the present preferred embodiment, the film thickness hW/λ of the first electrode layer and the film thickness hCu/λ of the second electrode layer have a relationship of the following equation 2:
hW/λ≥−0.3343×hCu/λ+0.7879 (Equation 2).
Energy of elastic waves is effectively confined in the surface of the IDT electrode by satisfying the above-described equation 2. This confinement effectively increases the fractional bandwidth to further improve the trade-off relationship between the frequency temperature characteristic (TCV) and the fractional bandwidth. This effect will be described below.
As illustrated in
In order to provide the film thickness hW/λ of the first electrode layer with which the increased fractional bandwidth is able to be stably provided, relationships between the film thickness hW/λ of the first electrode layer and the fractional bandwidth when the frequency temperature characteristic (TCV) was about −20 ppm/° C. in the cases in which the film thickness hCu/λ of the second electrode layer was about 0.15%, about 0.25%, about 0.5%, about 0.75%, and about 1% were respectively calculated from
As illustrated in
The relationship between the film thickness hCu/λ of the second electrode layer and the film thickness hW/λ of the first electrode layer with which the fractional bandwidth is able to be stably increased was obtained from
As illustrated in
It is preferable that the film thickness hW/λ of the first electrode layer be equal to or lower than about 30%, for example. In this case, an increase in a stress of the first electrode layer is reduced or prevented and the piezoelectric substrate will not be damaged easily. The first electrode layer is able to be formed to have a desired shape more reliably by setting the film thickness hW/λ of the first electrode layer to be equal to or lower than about 30% as in the first preferred embodiment. With this, the IDT electrode is able to be formed to have a desired shape more reliably.
It is preferable that the film thickness hCu/λ of the second electrode layer be equal to or lower than about 15%, for example. Also in this case, the IDT electrode is able to be easily formed in a manufacturing process of the elastic wave device, so as to improve the productivity.
A sixth preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described below.
An elastic wave device according to the sixth preferred embodiment is different from that according to the fourth preferred embodiment in a relationship among the film thickness hW/λ of the first electrode layer, the film thickness hCu/λ of the second electrode layer, and the Euler Angles (ϕ, θ, ψ) of the piezoelectric substrate. The elastic wave device according to the sixth preferred embodiment preferably has the same or substantially the same configurations as those of the elastic wave device in the fourth preferred embodiment other than the above-described point.
To be more specific, in the present preferred embodiment, the Euler Angles (ϕ, θ, ψ) of the piezoelectric substrate are preferably Euler Angles (0°, θ, 0°), for example. A combination of the film thickness hW/λ of the first electrode layer, the film thickness hCu/λ of the second electrode layer, and θ in the Euler Angles (ϕ, θ, ψ) of the piezoelectric substrate is any one of combinations indicated in Table 7 to Table 12.
The film thickness hW/λ of the first electrode layer, the film thickness hCu/λ of the second electrode layer, and the Euler Angles (ϕ, θ, ψ) of the piezoelectric substrate have the above-described relationship, which reduces or prevents a spurious SH wave. This effect will be described below.
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
The effect that is the same or similar as that described above is able to be provided even when the Euler Angles (ϕ, θ, ψ) of the piezoelectric substrate are Euler Angles (0°±5°, θ, 0°±5°).
A non-limiting example of a method for manufacturing the elastic wave device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is described below.
As illustrated in
Then, as illustrated in
Then, as illustrated in
Subsequently, the second resist pattern 16 is separated together with the second metal film 13a2 on the second resist pattern 16. With these processes, the IDT electrode 3 in which the first electrode layer 3a1 and the second electrode layer 3a2 are laminated is obtained as illustrated in
As described above, it is preferable that the film thickness hMo/λ or hW/λ of the first electrode layer 3a1 be equal to or lower than about 30%, for example. With this film thickness, the second resist pattern 16 illustrated in
It is preferable that the film thickness hCu/λ of the second electrode layer 3a2 be equal to or lower than about 15%, for example. Also in this case, the second resist pattern 16 is able to be easily separated and the productivity is improved.
Thereafter, as illustrated in
It should be noted that a layer other than the first electrode layer 3a1 and the second electrode layer 3a2 may be laminated in a range without impairing the effect of preferred embodiments of the present invention. Furthermore, a frequency adjusting film made of SiN or other suitable material may be formed on the dielectric film 4. With this frequency adjusting film, the frequency is able to be easily adjusted.
The above-described elastic wave devices according to preferred embodiments of the present invention may be used, for example, as a duplexer of a high-frequency front end circuit, or other suitable device. This example will be described below.
The high-frequency front end circuit 230 includes a switch 225, duplexers 201A and 201B, filters 231 and 232, and power amplifier circuits 234a, 234b, 244a, and 244b. The high-frequency front end circuit 230 and the communication apparatus 240 in
The duplexer 201A includes filters 211 and 212. The duplexer 201B includes filters 221 and 222. The duplexers 201A and 201B are connected to the antenna element 202 with the switch 225 interposed therebetween. The above-described elastic wave devices according to preferred embodiments of the present invention may define the duplexers 201A and 201B or the filters 211, 212, 221, and 222. The above-described elastic wave devices according to preferred embodiments of the present invention may be elastic wave resonators defining the duplexers 201A and 201B or the filters 211, 212, 221, and 222. Moreover, the above-described elastic wave devices according to preferred embodiments of the present invention may also be applied to a multiplexer including three filters or more filters, such as a triplexer in which an antenna terminal is common to three filters and a hexaplexer in which an antenna terminal is common to six filters.
That is to say, the above-described elastic wave devices according to preferred embodiments of the present invention includes the elastic wave resonator, the filter, the duplexer, and the multiplexer including equal to or more than three filters. The multiplexer is not limited to a configuration including both of a transmission filter and a reception filter and may have a configuration including only the transmission filter or only the reception filter.
The switch 225 connects the antenna element 202 and a signal path corresponding to a predetermined band in accordance with a control signal from a controller (not illustrated), and is preferably defined by, for example, an SPDT (Single Pole Double Throw)-type switch. The signal path that is connected to the antenna element 202 is not limited to one and a plurality of signal paths may be connected to the antenna element 202. That is to say, the high-frequency front end circuit 230 may be compatible with carrier aggregation.
The low noise amplifier circuit 214 is a reception amplification circuit that amplifies a high-frequency signal (high-frequency reception signal in this example) after passing through the antenna element 202, the switch 225, and the duplexer 201A, and outputs it to the RF signal processing circuit 203. The low noise amplifier circuit 224 is a reception amplification circuit that amplifies a high-frequency signal (high-frequency reception signal in this example) after passing through the antenna element 202, the switch 225, and the duplexer 201B, and outputs it to the RF signal processing circuit 203.
The power amplifier circuits 234a and 234b are transmission amplification circuits that amplify a high-frequency signal (high-frequency transmission signal in this example) output from the RF signal processing circuit 203 and output it to the antenna element 202 through the duplexer 201A and the switch 225. The power amplifier circuit 244a and 244b are transmission amplification circuits that amplify a high-frequency signal (high-frequency transmission signal in this example) output from the RF signal processing circuit 203 and output it to the antenna element 202 through the duplexer 201B and the switch 225.
The RF signal processing circuit 203 performs signal processing on the high-frequency reception signal input from the antenna element 202 while passing through the reception signal path by down conversion or other suitable process, and outputs a reception signal generated by the signal processing. The RF signal processing circuit 203 performs signal processing on the input transmission signal by up-conversion or other suitable process, and outputs a high-frequency transmission signal generated by the signal processing to the power amplifier circuits 234b and 244b. The RF signal processing circuit 203 is preferably, for example, an RFIC. The signal provided by processing by the RF signal processing circuit 203 is input to a baseband signal processing circuit. The signal provided by processing by the baseband signal processing circuit is used, for example, as an image signal for image display or as an audio signal for telephone call. It should be noted that the high-frequency front end circuit 230 may include another circuit element between the above-described components. The high-frequency front end circuit 230 may include duplexers according to a variation on the duplexers 201A and 201B, instead of the above-described duplexers 201A and 201B.
The filters 231 and 232 in the communication apparatus 240 are preferably connected between the RF signal processing circuit 203 and the switch 225 with no low noise amplifier circuit and no power amplifier circuit interposed therebetween. The filters 231 and 232 are preferably connected to the antenna element 202 with the switch 225 interposed therebetween in the same or similar manner as the duplexers 201A and 201B.
The high-frequency front end circuit 230 and the communication apparatus 240 configured as described above improves the trade-off relationship between the frequency temperature characteristic (TCV) and the fractional bandwidth by including the elastic wave resonator, the filter, the duplexer, the multiplexer including three or more filters, or other suitable components as the elastic wave device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
Hereinbefore, the elastic wave devices, the high-frequency front end circuits, and the communication apparatuses according to the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described using the above-described preferred embodiments and variations thereon. The present invention also encompasses other preferred embodiments that are implemented by combining desired components in the above-described preferred embodiments and variations, variations obtained by adding various changes to the above-described preferred embodiments, which are conceived by those skilled in the art, without departing from the gist of the present invention, and various apparatuses incorporating the high-frequency front end circuit or the communication apparatus according to the present invention.
Preferred embodiments of the present invention are able to be widely used for communication equipment, such as a cellular phone, as the elastic wave resonator, the filter, the duplexer, the multiplexer capable of being applied to a multiband system, the front end circuit, or the communication apparatus.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| JP2016-245758 | Dec 2016 | JP | national |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20090152982 | Miura | Jun 2009 | A1 |
| 20110133600 | Kimura | Jun 2011 | A1 |
| 20130026881 | Okamoto et al. | Jan 2013 | A1 |
| 20140232239 | Iwasaki | Aug 2014 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 2011158445 | Dec 2011 | WO |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20180175282 A1 | Jun 2018 | US |
