Piezoelectric filter, antenna duplexer, and communications apparatus employing piezoelectric resonator

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a piezoelectric filter, an antenna duplexer, and a communications apparatus employing a piezoelectric resonator for use in a wireless circuit for mobile communications, such as a mobile telephone, a wireless LAN or the like.

2. Description of the Background Art

Smaller size and lighter weight are required for parts incorporated in electronic apparatuses, such as mobile apparatuses and the like. For example, a filter or an antenna duplexer for use in a mobile apparatus needs to have small size, fine adjustment of frequency characteristics, and low insertion loss. An example of a filter satisfying such requirements is a piezoelectric filter employing a piezoelectric resonator.

FIG. 10 shows an exemplary structure of a conventional piezoelectric filter 500 employing a piezoelectric resonator. A portion (a) of FIG. 10 shows the piezoelectric filter 500 as viewed from the top. A portion (b) of FIG. 10 shows a cross-sectional view of the piezoelectric filter 500 , taken along line E-E. A portion (c) of FIG. 10 shows the piezoelectric filter 500 as viewed from the bottom.

In FIG. 10 , a first piezoelectric resonator 501 and a second piezoelectric resonator 502 are formed on the same substrate 503 . The first piezoelectric resonator 501 is formed by successively providing a lower electrode layer 506 a , a piezoelectric material layer 507 a , an upper electrode layer 508 a , and a frequency adjustment layer 509 a via an insulating layer 505 on a first cavity 504 a provided in the substrate 503 . Similarly, the second piezoelectric resonator 502 is formed by successively providing a lower electrode layer 506 b , a piezoelectric material layer 507 b , an upper electrode layer 508 b , and a frequency adjustment layer 509 b via the insulating layer 505 on a second cavity 504 b which is provided in the substrate 503 . The second cavity 504 b has a larger diameter than that of the first cavity 504 a.

In each of the first piezoelectric resonator 501 and the second piezoelectric resonator 502 , by applying electric field between the upper electrode layer 508 and the lower electrode layer 506 , the piezoelectric material layer 507 is polarized and distorted, thereby producing mechanical resonance, which is electrically taken out (a function of the resonator). The resonance frequencies of the first piezoelectric resonator 501 and the second piezoelectric resonator 502 are mainly determined, depending on the material, film thickness, and mass loading effect of a vibration section comprised of the frequency adjustment layer 509 , the upper electrode layer 508 , the piezoelectric material layer 507 , the lower electrode layer 506 , and the insulating layer 505 . If the frequency adjustment layer 509 a corresponding to the first piezoelectric resonator and the frequency adjustment layer 509 b corresponding to the second piezoelectric resonator have different thicknesses, i.e., one of the frequency adjustment layers 509 is thinner than the other, two piezoelectric resonators having different resonance frequencies can be formed on the same substrate 503 .

Note that the different thicknesses of the frequency adjustment layers 509 are provided by using a photolithography technique which typically includes the steps of designing a mask having a portion to be removed and a portion to be left, applying resist, exposing using the designed mask, developing, etching, and removing the resist. See, for example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2002-359534.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an exemplary conventional piezoelectric filter circuit 900 employing a piezoelectric resonator.

In FIG. 11 , the conventional the piezoelectric filter circuit 900 comprises series piezoelectric resonators 904 a to 904 c , parallel piezoelectric resonators 903 a to 903 d , parallel inductors 905 a to 905 d , and series inductors 906 a and 906 b . The series piezoelectric resonators 904 a to 904 c are connected in series via the series inductors 906 a and 906 b between an input terminal 902 a and an output terminal 902 b . The parallel piezoelectric resonators 903 a to 903 d have first electrodes which are connected to respective connection points between each of the series inductors 906 a and 906 b and the series piezoelectric resonators 904 a to 904 c , which are connected in series. The parallel piezoelectric resonators 903 a to 903 d also have second electrodes which are grounded via the parallel inductors 905 a to 905 d , respectively.

A portion (a) of FIG. 12 is a diagram showing characteristics of a conventional piezoelectric resonator when used singly. A portion (b) of FIG. 12 is a diagram showing pass characteristics of a conventional piezoelectric filter. The parallel piezoelectric resonators 903 a to 903 d and the series piezoelectric resonators 904 a to 904 c theoretically have characteristics which have resonance points 1003 and 1005 where impedance is 0 and antiresonance points 1004 and 1006 where impedance is infinite, respectively. In the portion (a) of FIG. 10 , a solid line indicates the characteristics of the parallel piezoelectric resonators 903 a to 903 d when used singly, and a dashed line indicates the characteristics of the series piezoelectric resonators 904 a to 904 c when used singly. A difference Δf between the resonance frequency at the resonance point and the antiresonance frequency at the antiresonance point is typically substantially determined based on the piezoelectric material included in the piezoelectric resonator. The piezoelectric filter circuit 900 is configured as follows. The antiresonance point 1004 of the parallel piezoelectric resonators 903 a to 903 d and the resonance point 1005 of the series piezoelectric resonators 904 a to 904 c are caused to substantially coincide with each other. The piezoelectric resonators are arranged in a ladder pattern. The parallel inductors 905 and the series inductors 906 , which are connected to parasitic inductors and external circuits, are provided.

Thereby, the piezoelectric filter circuit 900 operates as a filter having characteristics which have a lower attenuation pole 1009 (on the lower side of a pass band 1008 ) at a frequency corresponding to the resonance point 1003 of the parallel piezoelectric resonators 903 a to 903 d , and a higher attenuation pole 1010 (on the higher side of the pass band 1008 ) at a frequency corresponding to the antiresonance point 1006 of the series piezoelectric resonators 904 a to 904 c . See, for example, Japanese Patent No. 2800905.

Note that the first piezoelectric resonator 501 having a high resonance frequency of FIG. 10 corresponds to the series piezoelectric resonators 904 a to 904 c of FIG. 11 , while the second piezoelectric resonator 502 having a low resonance frequency corresponds to the parallel piezoelectric resonators 903 a to 903 d of FIG. 11 .

However, in the above-described conventional filter structure, the cavity 504 b of the second piezoelectric resonator 502 having a low impedance has a larger opening area than that of the cavity 504 a of the first piezoelectric resonator 501 having a high impedance. Therefore, in the step of etching the substrate 503 , reactive gas is more circulated in the cavity 504 b having the larger opening area, so that etching proceeds faster in the cavity 504 b than in the cavity 504 a . Therefore, when etching is performed until the resonance frequency of the first piezoelectric resonator 501 is secured, the cavity 504 b of the second piezoelectric resonator 502 penetrates through the substrate 503 to reach the insulating layer 505 (overetching). As a result, the resonance frequency of the second piezoelectric resonator 502 becomes higher than the desired resonance frequency (see FIG. 13 ).

Therefore, in order to secure the desired resonance frequency of the second piezoelectric resonator 502 , the frequency adjustment layer 509 b needs to be formed thicker by an amount corresponding to the influence of overetching (see the portion (b) of FIG. 10 ). However, an increase in the thickness of the frequency adjustment layer 509 b leads to a deterioration in a Q value representing the performance of the piezoelectric resonator, and further, a deterioration in the insertion loss of the piezoelectric filter.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a piezoelectric filter in which a high-impedance piezoelectric resonator and a low-impedance piezoelectric resonator are formed on the same substrate while a frequency adjustment layer has a reduced thickness, a high Q value is achieved, and insertion loss is reduced, and an antenna duplexer and a communications apparatus which employ the piezoelectric filter.

The present invention is directed to a piezoelectric filter comprising a substrate and a plurality of piezoelectric resonators provided on the same substrate. To achieve the above-described object, in the piezoelectric filter of the present invention, the plurality of piezoelectric resonators each comprises a cavity formed in the substrate, a lower electrode formed on the substrate, covering the cavity, a piezoelectric material layer formed on the lower electrode, and an upper electrode formed on the piezoelectric material layer. At least one of the plurality of piezoelectric resonators has a cavity formed of a plurality of cells.

Preferably, the plurality of cells have opening portions in a surface of the substrate, and the opening portions have all the same shape and dimensions. Particularly, the opening portion in the substrate surface of each of the plurality of cells may have the same shape and dimensions as those of the cavity of another piezoelectric resonator. Also, the piezoelectric resonator having the cavity formed of the plurality of cells desirably has a lower impedance than that of another piezoelectric resonator. Also, typically, the cavities each penetrate through the substrate. In this case, the cavity formed of the plurality of cells may be divided into n cells in a bottom surface of the substrate and may be divided into less than n cells in a surface closer to the lower electrode.

The above-described piezoelectric filter can be employed as at least one of a transmission filter and a reception filter. Also, a communications apparatus can be implemented by providing an antenna duplexer employing the piezoelectric filter provided between an antenna, and a transmission device and a reception device.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a piezoelectric filter in which a high-impedance piezoelectric resonator and a low-impedance piezoelectric resonator are formed on the same substrate while a frequency adjustment layer has a reduced thickness, a high Q value is achieved, and insertion loss is reduced, and an antenna duplexer and a communications apparatus which employ the piezoelectric filter.

These and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a structure of a piezoelectric filter 100 employing a piezoelectric resonator according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 2A and 2B are diagrams schematically showing a method for producing the piezoelectric filter 100 ;

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing changes in a thickness of a substrate 103 and a resonance frequency of the piezoelectric filter 100 ;

FIGS. 4 and 5A to 5 D are diagrams showing structures of other piezoelectric filters 110 to 150 employing a piezoelectric resonator according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing changes in a thickness of a substrate 103 and a resonance frequency of the piezoelectric filter 120 ;

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a structure of a piezoelectric filter 200 employing a piezoelectric resonator according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 8A and 8B are diagrams schematically showing a method for producing the piezoelectric filter 200 ;

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an exemplary configuration of a communications apparatus employing the piezoelectric filter 100 or 200 ;

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an exemplary structure of a conventional piezoelectric filter 500 employing a piezoelectric resonator;

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an exemplary conventional piezoelectric filter circuit 900 employing a piezoelectric resonator;

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing characteristics of a conventional piezoelectric resonator when used singly, and pass characteristics of a conventional piezoelectric filter; and

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing changes in a thickness of a substrate 503 and a resonance frequency of the piezoelectric filter 500 .

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First Embodiment

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a structure of a piezoelectric filter 100 employing a piezoelectric resonator according to a first embodiment of the present invention. A portion (a) of FIG. 1 shows the piezoelectric filter 100 as viewed from the top. A portion (b) of FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of the piezoelectric filter 100 , taken along line A-A. A portion (c) of FIG. 1 shows the piezoelectric filter 100 as viewed from the bottom. FIGS. 2A and 2B are diagrams schematically showing a method for producing the piezoelectric filter 100 employing the piezoelectric resonator according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

The structure of the piezoelectric filter 100 of the first embodiment will be described in detail along with a production procedure thereof.

Initially, a substrate 103 made of silicon (Si) is prepared (portion (a) of FIG. 2A ). Note that the substrate 103 may be made of glass, sapphire or the like instead of silicon. Next, a flat insulating layer 105 made of silicon oxide (SiO 2 ), silicon nitride (Si 2 N 4 ) or the like is formed on the substrate 103 . Further, a lower electrode layer 106 made of molybdenum (Mo), aluminum (Al), silver (Ag), tungsten (W), platinum (Pt) or the like is formed on the insulating layer 105 (portion (b) of FIG. 2A ).

Next, a general photolithography technique is used to perform patterning with respect to the lower electrode layer 106 into a predetermined shape, thereby forming lower electrode layers 106 a and 106 b (portion (c) of FIG. 2A ). For example, the lower electrode layers 106 a and 106 b can be formed by dissolving and removing molybdenum from an unnecessary portion using a wet etching technique (with a nitric acid-based enchant (nitric acid-sulfuric acid-water), a dry etching technique or the like.

Next, a piezoelectric material layer 107 made of aluminum nitride (AlN), an upper electrode layer 108 made of molybdenum, and a frequency adjustment layer 109 made of aluminum nitride are successively formed on the insulating layer 105 and the lower electrode layers 106 a and 106 b (portion (d) of FIG. 2A ). For example, when a piezoelectric resonator having a 2-GHz band is formed, a thickness of the piezoelectric material layer 107 may be set to be about 1100 nm, and a thickness of the upper electrode layer 108 is set to be about 300 nm. Note that the piezoelectric material layer 107 may be made of zinc oxide (ZnO), lead zirconate titanate (PZT), lithium niobate (LiNbO 3 ), lithium tantalate (LiTaO 3 ), potassium niobate (KNbO 3 ) or the like instead of aluminum nitride. The frequency adjustment layer 109 may be made of silicon oxide, silicon nitride or the like instead of aluminum nitride.

Next, as in the lower electrode layer 106 , a general lithography technique is used to perform patterning with respect to the frequency adjustment layer 109 , the upper electrode layer 108 , and the piezoelectric material layer 107 successively into a predetermined shape. Finally, the frequency adjustment layer 109 is etched to obtain a desired thickness (portion (e) of FIG. 2B ). Thereby, a first vibration section including the lower electrode layer 106 a , a piezoelectric material layer 107 a , an upper electrode layer 108 a , and a frequency adjustment layer 109 a , and a second vibration section including the lower electrode layer 106 b , a piezoelectric material layer 107 b , an upper electrode layer 108 b , and a frequency adjustment layer 109 b , are formed. Finally, cavities 104 a and 104 b are formed in a bottom surface of the substrate 103 by dry etching (portion (f) of FIG. 2B ).

Thus, a first piezoelectric resonator 101 including the first vibration section and the cavity 104 a , and a second piezoelectric resonator 102 including the second vibration section and the cavity 104 b , are formed.

In the present invention, the cavity 104 b having a large opening area which is included in the second piezoelectric resonator 102 having a low impedance has the following feature.

The cavity 104 b of the second piezoelectric resonator 102 is formed of a plurality of cells. In the example of FIG. 1 , two semilunar cells having the same shape and the same dimensions (the two semilunar shapes are obtained by dividing a circle into two) are used to form the cavity 104 b . When the cavity 104 b is formed of a plurality of cells in this manner, an opening area per cell is reduced. Therefore, the circulation rate of reactive gas in each cell can be suppressed during an etching step for the substrate 103 , thereby making it possible to eliminate or reduce an amount by which the insulating layer 105 closer to the cavity 104 b is overetched, so as to secure the resonance frequency of the first piezoelectric resonator 101 having a high impedance. Since the overetching amount is eliminated or reduced, the thickness of the frequency adjustment layer 109 b can be reduced. Therefore, a Q value representing the performance of the second piezoelectric resonator 102 can be improved and the insertion loss of the piezoelectric filter 100 employing the second piezoelectric resonator 102 can be reduced. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing changes in a thickness of the substrate 103 and a resonance frequency of the piezoelectric filter 100 .

Note that the above-described semilunar cells are only for illustrative purposes. Various shapes, such as quadrangles, polygons, ellipses and the like, may be used. Note that a plurality of cells preferably have all the same shape and dimensions of an opening section in a surface of the substrate. In this case, the cells have the same etching rate and amount, thereby making it possible to prevent occurrence of a plurality of different resonance frequencies. In addition, since the shape of the cavity is not a circle which is vertically and horizontally symmetrical, an effect of reducing spurious (unnecessary) resonance is obtained.

It has also been described that the substrate 103 is dry-etched from the bottom surface so that the cavity 104 b of the second piezoelectric resonator 102 obtains a vertical wall. However, as in a piezoelectric filter 110 shown in FIG. 4 , the substrate 103 may be dry-etched from the bottom surface so that a cavity 114 b of a piezoelectric resonator 112 obtains a wall which gradually expands from the opening portion (reverse taper). In this structure, whereas there are two semilunar shapes as viewed from the bottom surface of the substrate 103 , there is a single circular cavity as viewed from the insulating layer 105 . Note that a portion (a) of FIG. 4 shows the piezoelectric filter 110 as viewed from the top, a portion (b) of FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the piezoelectric filter 110 , taken along line B-B, and a portion (c) of FIG. 4 shows the piezoelectric filter 110 as viewed from the bottom.

Further, as in a piezoelectric filter 120 shown in FIG. 5A , a plurality of circular cells each having the same dimensions as that of the cavity 104 a of the first piezoelectric resonator 101 may be provided as a cavity 124 b of a second piezoelectric resonator 122 . With this structure, all the cavities have the same overetching rate and amount. Therefore, it is possible to achieve piezoelectric resonators having the same resonance frequency without depending on an impedance which is designed when frequency adjustment using a frequency adjustment layer is not performed, i.e., without depending on the electrode area. Thereby, it is possible to accurately adjust the frequency adjustment layer, thereby achieving a piezoelectric resonator having a highly accurate resonance frequency. Note that a portion (a) of FIG. 5A shows the piezoelectric filter 120 as viewed from the top, a portion (b) of FIG. 5A shows a cross-sectional view of the piezoelectric filter 120 , taken along line C-C, and a portion (c) of FIG. 5A shows the piezoelectric filter 120 as viewed from the bottom. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing changes in a thickness of the substrate 103 and a resonance frequency of the piezoelectric filter 120 . Note that cells having other shapes may be used instead of the circular cell as long as the cells have the same dimensions, and in this case, a similar effect can be obtained ( FIGS. 5B to 5D ).

Second Embodiment

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional view of a structure of a piezoelectric filter 200 employing a piezoelectric resonator according to a second embodiment of the present invention. A portion (a) of FIG. 7 shows the piezoelectric filter 200 as viewed from the top. A portion (b) of FIG. 7 shows a cross-sectional view of the piezoelectric filter 200 , taken along line D-D. A portion (c) of FIG. 7 shows the piezoelectric filter 200 as viewed from the bottom. FIGS. 8A and 8B schematically show a method for producing the piezoelectric filter 200 employing the piezoelectric resonator according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in which the cavities 104 a and 104 b penetrating through the substrate 103 is replaced with concave cavities 204 a and 204 b . The concave cavity 204 b included in a piezoelectric resonator 202 having a low impedance is formed of a plurality of cells as in the first embodiment.

The structure of the piezoelectric filter 200 of the second embodiment will be described along with a production procedure thereof.

Initially, a substrate 203 made of silicon is prepared. A general photolithography technique is used to dissolve and remove silicon to form the concave cavities 204 a and 204 b (portion (a) of FIG. 8A ). Next, the concave cavities 204 a and 204 b are buried by forming sacrifice layers 214 a and 214 b made of a readily-soluble material, such as phosphosilicate glass (PSG), organic resist or the like, on the substrate 203 , and thereafter, removing excesses of the sacrifice layers 214 a and 214 b extending out of the concave cavities 204 a and 204 b by CMP or the like to flatten surfaces thereof (portion (b) of FIG. 8A ). Next, a flat insulating layer 205 made of silicon oxide, silicon nitride or the like is formed on the substrate 203 . Further, a lower electrode layer 206 made of molybdenum, aluminum, silver, tungsten, platinum or the like is formed on the insulating layer 205 (portion (c) of FIG. 8A ).

Next, a general photolithography technique is used to perform patterning with respect to the lower electrode layer 206 into a predetermined shape, thereby forming lower electrode layers 206 a and 206 b (portion (d) of FIG. 8A ). Next, a piezoelectric material layer 207 made of aluminum nitride, an upper electrode layer 208 made of molybdenum, and a frequency adjustment layer 209 made of aluminum nitride are successively formed on the insulating layer 205 and the lower electrode layer 206 a and 206 b (portion (e) of FIG. 8A ). Next, as in the lower electrode layer 206 , a general photolithography technique is used to perform patterning with respect to the frequency adjustment layer 209 , the upper electrode layer 208 , and the piezoelectric material layer 207 successively into a predetermined shape, so that portions of the sacrifice layers 214 a and 214 b are exposed. Further, the frequency adjustment layer 209 is etched to obtain a desired film thickness (portion (f) of FIG. 8B ). Finally, the sacrifice layers 214 a and 214 b formed in the concave cavities 204 a and 204 b are removed by etching using a solvent, such as hydrofluoric acid, an organic solvent or the like to form the concave cavities 204 a and 204 b again. Thus, piezoelectric resonators 201 and 202 are formed (portion (g) of FIG. 8B ).

Thus, a first vibration section including the lower electrode layer 206 a , a piezoelectric material layer 207 a , an upper electrode layer 208 a , and a frequency adjustment layer 209 a , and a second vibration section including the lower electrode layer 206 b , a piezoelectric material layer 207 b , an upper electrode layer 208 b , and a frequency adjustment layer 209 b , are formed.

The concave cavity 204 b having a large opening area, which is included in the second piezoelectric resonator 202 having a low impedance, is formed of a plurality of cells, so that the circulation rate of reactive gas in each cell can be suppressed during the step of etching the sacrifice layers 214 a and 214 b . Thereby, it is possible to eliminate or reduce the overetching amount of the insulating layer 205 on the concave cavity 204 b so as to secure the resonance frequency of the first piezoelectric resonator 201 having a high impedance. Since the overetching amount is eliminated or reduced, the thickness of the frequency adjustment layer 209 b can be reduced. Therefore, a Q value representing the performance of the second piezoelectric resonator 202 can be improved and the insertion loss of the piezoelectric filter 200 employing the second piezoelectric resonator 202 can be reduced.

(Exemplary Communications Apparatus Employing Piezoelectric Filter)

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an exemplary configuration of a communications apparatus employing the piezoelectric filter 100 or 200 which has been described in the first or second embodiment above. The communications apparatus comprises a baseband section 302 , a power amplifier (PA) 303 , an antenna duplexer 304 , an antenna 305 , and a low-noise amplifier (LNA) 306 .

A signal input to a transmission terminal 301 is passed through the baseband section 302 , is amplified by the power amplifier 303 , is subjected to filtering by the antenna duplexer 304 , and is transmitted with radio waves from the antenna 305 . A signal received by the antenna 305 is subjected to filtering by the antenna duplexer 304 , is amplified by the low-noise amplifier 306 , and is passed and transferred through the baseband section 302 to a reception terminal 307 . If the piezoelectric filter 100 or 200 described in the first and second embodiments is employed in the antenna duplexer 304 , the communications apparatus can exhibit the useful effect of the present invention. Note that, if the piezoelectric filter 100 or 200 is employed as at least one of a transmission filter and a reception filter included in an antenna duplexer, the insertion loss of the antenna duplexer can be reduced.

While the invention has been described in detail, the foregoing description is in all aspects illustrative and not restrictive. It is understood that numerous other modifications and variations can be devised without departing from the scope of the invention.