1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitors including a lower metal-insulator-upper metal structure. More particularly, the present invention relates to a technique for manufacturing a non-sintered MIM capacitor which has a high dielectric constant and can reduce manufacturing costs while solving a problem of volume shrinkage.
2. Description of the Related Art
A metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitor includes two metals consisting of an upper metal and a lower metal, and an insulator interposed therebetween.
For good performance, the MIM capacitor must have a good electric charge storage capacity at an interface between the metal and the insulator, which can be ensured by increasing a dielectric constant of the insulator.
In a conventional method of forming an insulator for the MIM capacitor, a film is formed on the metal or between the metals using a paste containing highly dielectric ceramic powder and an organic or inorganic binder, and is then subjected to sintering.
However, sintering inevitably entailed in the conventional method causes an increase in manufacturing cost, volume shrinkage, and embrittlement of ceramic.
The present invention is conceived to solve the above problems, and an aspect of the invention is to provide a method of manufacturing a non-sintered MIM capacitor, which includes a process of forming an insulator in a non-sintering manner in formation of an MIM capacitor including a lower metal-insulator-upper metal structure.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a non-sintered MIM capacitor which has a high dielectric constant and can reduce manufacturing costs while solving a problem of volume shrinkage, which is caused by the conventional MIM manufacturing method.
In accordance with an aspect, the present invention provides a method of manufacturing a non-sintered MIM capacitor, including manufacturing a lower metal-insulator-upper metal structure, wherein the insulator is formed by a non-sintering process comprising: preparing a ceramic-polymer composition comprising a highly dielectric ceramic powder, a polymer resin, and a solvent, the highly dielectric ceramic powder comprising small powder and large powder having a larger average particle size than the small powder; forming a ceramic-polymer film by depositing the ceramic-polymer composition on the lower metal; and curing the polymer resin in the ceramic-polymer film.
In accordance with another aspect, the present invention provides a method of manufacturing a non-sintered MIM capacitor, including manufacturing a lower metal-insulator-upper metal structure, wherein the insulator is formed by a non-sintering process comprising: preparing a ceramic composition comprising a highly dielectric ceramic powder and a solvent, the highly dielectric ceramic powder comprising small powder and large powder having a larger average particle size than the small powder; preparing a polymer composition comprising a polymer resin and a solvent; forming a ceramic film by depositing the ceramic composition on the lower metal; forming a ceramic-polymer film by depositing the polymer composition on the ceramic film and penetrating the polymer composition into the ceramic film; and curing the polymer resin in the ceramic-polymer film.
In accordance with a further aspect, the present invention provides a method of manufacturing a non-sintered MIM capacitor, including manufacturing a lower metal-insulator-upper metal structure, wherein the insulator is formed by a non-sintering process comprising: preparing a ceramic-polymer composition comprising a highly dielectric ceramic powder, a polymer resin, and a solvent, the highly dielectric ceramic powder having an average particle size of 400 nm˜800 nm; forming a ceramic-polymer film by depositing the ceramic-polymer composition on the lower metal; and curing the polymer resin in the ceramic-polymer film.
In accordance with yet another aspect, the present invention provides a method of manufacturing a non-sintered MIM capacitor, including manufacturing a lower metal-insulator-upper metal structure, wherein the insulator is formed by a non-sintering process comprising: preparing a ceramic composition comprising a highly dielectric ceramic powder and a solvent, the highly dielectric ceramic powder having an average particle size of 400 nm˜800 nm; preparing a polymer composition comprising a polymer resin and a solvent; forming a ceramic film by depositing the ceramic composition on the lower metal; forming a ceramic-polymer film by depositing the polymer composition on the ceramic film and penetrating the polymer composition into the ceramic film; and curing the polymer resin in the ceramic-polymer film.
In accordance with yet another aspect, the present invention provides a non-sintered MIM capacitor including a lower metal-insulator-upper metal structure, wherein the insulator is formed of a highly dielectric ceramic powder having a polymer resin impregnated therein, the highly dielectric ceramic powder comprising small powder and large powder having a larger average particle size than the small powder.
In accordance with yet another aspect, the present invention provides a non-sintered MIM capacitor including a lower metal-insulator-upper metal structure, wherein the insulator is formed of a highly dielectric ceramic powder having a polymer resin impregnated therein, the highly dielectric ceramic powder having an average particle size of 400 nm˜800 nm.
The above and other aspects and features of the invention will become apparent from the following embodiments described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the following embodiments and may be embodied in different ways, and that the embodiments are given to provide complete disclosure of the invention and to provide thorough understanding of the invention to those skilled in the art. The scope of the invention is limited only by the accompanying claims and equivalents thereof. Like elements are denoted by like reference numerals throughout the specification.
Embodiments of the invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The present invention relates to metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitors including a lower metal-insulator-upper metal structure. A method of manufacturing an MIM capacitor according to the invention may generally include processes, such as deposition of a lower metal, formation of an insulator, deposition of an upper metal, and the like, which are well known in the art of manufacture of the MIM capacitors. Herein, a method of forming the insulator interposed between the lower metal and the upper metal and determining performance of the MIM capacitor will be mainly described.
Referring to
In the preparation of the ceramic-polymer composition (S110), the ceramic-polymer composition comprises a highly dielectric ceramic powder, a polymer resin, and a solvent.
In this invention, an essential material for the insulator to be interposed between the lower metal and the upper metal is the highly dielectric ceramic powder. An example of the highly dielectric ceramic powder includes BaTiO3.
In the MIM capacitor, the dielectric constant of the insulator is closely related to the average particle size of the highly dielectric ceramic powder.
Referring to
On the other hand, the highly dielectric ceramic powder may comprise small powder and large powder having a larger average particle size than the small powder.
Referring to
The polymer resin is impregnated in a void between the highly dielectric ceramic particles. The polymer resin releases inherent brittleness of the ceramic by reducing stress of the highly dielectric ceramic powder. Examples of the polymer resin include, but are not limited to, polyacrylic resins, epoxy resins, phenolic resins, polyamide resins, polyimide resins, non-saturated polyester resins, and the like. Additionally, a thermocurable resin or a photocurable resin may be used as the polymer resin without limitation.
In the ceramic-polymer composition, the polymer resin may be contained in an amount of 10˜150 parts by weight with respect to 100 parts by weight of the highly dielectric ceramic powder. If the amount of polymer resin is less than 10 parts by weight, the effect of polymer impregnation becomes insufficient. On the contrary, if the amount of polymer resin exceeds 150 parts by weight, the MIM capacitor undergoes a reduction in dielectric characteristics of the insulator.
Examples of the solvent for the ceramic-polymer composition include water, ethanol, acetone, and formaldehyde, but are not limited thereto as long as the selected solvent is able to disperse the highly dielectric ceramic powder and the polymer resin.
Further, the ceramic-polymer composition may further comprise a dispersant for controlling surface tension and enhancing dispersibility. Examples of the dispersant include a non-ionic surfactant, an anionic surfactant, a cationic surfactant, octyl-alcohol and acrylic polymer, and the like. These compositions may be used alone or in a combination of two or more thereof.
If the dispersant is excessively added in the composition, it can deteriorate solution stability and the dielectric characteristics of the insulator in the MIM capacitor. Thus, the dispersant may be added in an amount of 5 parts by weight or less with respect to 100 parts by weight of the ceramic-polymer composition.
Next, in the formation of the ceramic-polymer film (S120), the ceramic-polymer composition is deposited and dried on the lower metal to form the ceramic-polymer film.
Here, the ceramic-polymer composition may be deposited thereon by ink-jet printing, which permits uniform deposition of the composition.
Next, in curing the polymer resin (S130), the polymer resin contained in the ceramic-polymer film is cured by applying heat or ultraviolet light to the film, thereby finally forming the insulator of the MIM capacitor.
With the combined structure of the highly dielectric ceramic powder and the polymer resin, the insulator of the MIM capacitor can be formed without sintering, that is, in a non-sintering manner. As a result, it is possible to reduce overall manufacturing costs.
Particularly, the insulator is formed in the non-sintering manner, so that shrinkage of the insulator caused by sintering can be overcome, thereby improving reliability in performance of the MIM capacitor.
Referring to
The MIM capacitor manufacturing method shown in
In the preparation of the ceramic composition and the polymer composition (S210), the ceramic composition comprises a highly dielectric ceramic powder and a solvent. Here, the highly dielectric ceramic powder may comprise small powder and large powder having a larger average particle size than the small powder. Further, the highly dielectric ceramic powder may have an average particle size in the range of about 400˜800 nm.
Further, the polymer composition may comprise a polymer resin and a solvent.
Since such a ceramic composition and a polymer composition are prepared by separating the ceramic-polymer composition of
In other words, the highly dielectric ceramic powder of the ceramic composition may comprise BaTiO3. Further, in the polymer composition, a thermocurable resin or a photocurable resin may be used as the polymer resin without limitation. Examples of the solvent for each of the compositions include water, ethanol, and the like. Each of the compositions may further comprise a dispersant, such as a non-ionic surfactant, an anionic surfactant, a cationic surfactant, octyl-alcohol and acrylic polymer, and the like.
Further, the polymer resin may be contained in an amount of 10˜150 parts by weight with respect to 100 parts by weight of the highly dielectric ceramic powder. In this embodiment, the highly dielectric ceramic powder is contained in the ceramic composition and the polymer resin is contained in the polymer composition in the amounts of these ranges, respectively.
The ceramic composition or the polymer composition may be deposited by ink-jet printing.
In the formation of the ceramic film (S220), the ceramic composition is deposited on the lower metal to form the ceramic film.
In the formation of the ceramic-polymer film (S230), the polymer composition is deposited on the ceramic film formed on the lower metal, and penetrated into the ceramic film to form the ceramic-polymer film.
In curing the polymer resin (S240), the polymer resin in the ceramic-polymer film is cured to form the insulator of the MIM capacitor in the non-sintering manner.
Referring to
Referring to
As compared with the case where the large powder or the small powder is used alone in the insulator, the highly dielectric ceramic powder comprising about 70˜80 vol % of the large powder and 20˜30 vol % of the small powder may exhibit good dielectric characteristics for the insulator of the MIM capacitor.
In theory, assuming the large powders have a complete close packed structure, a regular triangle is formed when connecting the centers of three large powders adjoining to one another on a plane. Thus, according to the Pythagorean Theorem, voids between the large particles can be filled with the small powders when the average particle size of the large powder is about 6.5 times or more that of the small powder.
In other words, in the case of using the large powder alone or in the case where the average particle size of the large powder was 6.5 times or less that of the small powder, the packing density was relatively low. On the contrary, the packing density could be increased by increasing the average particle size of the large powder as compared with that of the small powder. The test results shown in
Referring to
Further, referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Considering these results, it is desirable that the highly dielectric ceramic powder comprising large powder and small powder to satisfy all of the following conditions relating to the average particle size and the volume fraction be applied to the insulator of the MIM capacitor. For the average particle size condition, the large powder has an average particle size of about 490˜510 nm, and the small powder has an average particle size of about 25˜35 nm. Further, for the volume fraction condition, the large powder has a volume fraction of about 70˜80 vol % and the small powder has a volume fraction of about 20˜30 vol %.
The MIM capacitor manufactured by the embodiment shown in
For the MIM capacitor according to the invention, the insulator is formed of the highly dielectric ceramic powder having the polymer resin impregnated therein.
As described previously, when the polymer resin is contained in an amount of 10˜150 parts by weight with respect to 100 parts by weight of the highly dielectric ceramic powder, it is possible to obtain a sufficient effect of polymer impregnation without deteriorating the dielectric characteristics.
Here, the highly dielectric ceramic powder may comprise small powder and large powder having a larger particle size than the small powder. The small powder may be added in an amount of 20˜30 vol % and the large powder may be added in an amount of 70˜80 vol %.
Further, when the average particle size of the large powder is 6.5 times or more that of the small powder, the insulator may have a high dielectric constant. Specifically, the large powder may have an average particle size of 490˜510 nm and the small powder may have an average particle size of 25˜35 nm.
Further, as the average particle size of the highly dielectric ceramic powder increases, the dielectric constant also increases. Thus, considering the dielectric constant and the application of ink-jet printing, the highly dielectric ceramic powder may have an average particle size of 400˜800 nm.
In the MIM capacitor, the highly dielectric ceramic powder may comprise BaTiO3. Further, in the insulator of the MIM capacitor, the polymer resin may be a thermocurable resin or a photocurable resin. Further, the lower and upper metals of the MIM capacitor may be formed of silver (Ag).
In the method according to the embodiments, the insulator is formed using a highly dielectric ceramic powder and a polymer resin by ink jet printing or the like without sintering. Thus, the method can reduce manufacturing costs while solving the problems relating to volume shrinkage and brittleness of ceramic per se.
Further, the non-sintered MIM capacitor according to the embodiments employs highly dielectric ceramic powders having different average particle sizes in a proper ratio. Thus, the non-sintered MIM capacitor has improved packing density, which leads to an effect of increasing the dielectric constant. As a result, it is possible to provide a capacitor having high performance.
Although some embodiments have been provided to illustrate the invention in conjunction with the drawings, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the embodiments are given by way of illustration only, and that that various modifications, changes, alterations, and equivalent embodiments can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The scope of the invention should be limited only by the accompanying claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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10-2010-0031580 | Apr 2010 | KR | national |