Fabrication and analysis of ZnO thin film bulk acoustic resonators

This study employs RF magnetron sputter technique to deposit high C-axis preferred orientation ZnO thin film on silicon substrate, which is then used as the piezoelectric thin film for a thin film bulk acoustic resonator (FBAR). Electrical properties of the FBAR component were investigated by sputtering a ZnO thin film on various bottom electrode materials, as well as varying sputter power, sputter pressure, substrate temperature, argon and oxygen flow rate ratio, so that structural parameters of each layer were changed. The experimental results show that when sputter power is 200 W, sputter pressure is 10 mTorr, substrate temperature is 300 °C, and argon to oxygen ratio is 4:6, the ZnO thin film has high C-axis preferred orientation. The FBAR component made in this experiment show that different bottom electrode materials have great impact on components. In the experiment, the Pt bottom electrode resonant frequency was clearly lower than the Mo bottom electrode resonant frequency, because Pt has higher mass density and lower acoustic wave rate. The component resonant frequency will decrease as ZnO thin film thickness increases; when top electrode thickness is higher, its resonant frequency also drops, due to top electrode mass loading effect and increased acoustic wave path. Therefore, ZnO thin film and top/bottom electrode thickness can be fine-tuned according to the required resonant frequency.     

具有二氧化硅温度补偿层的薄膜体声波谐振器的建模与分析（英）

薄膜体声波谐振器(FBAR)的谐振频率会受到外界环境温度的影响而产生漂移,对于FBAR滤波器而言,这种温度-频率漂移特性会导致其中心频率、插入损耗、带内纹波等性能发生变化,降低其在电学应用中的可靠性。应用ANSYS有限元分析软件,对一个典型Mo-AlN-Mo三层结构的FBAR进行了温度-频率漂移特性的仿真,得到其在［－50 ℃, 150 ℃］温度范围内的频率温度系数(TCF)约为－3510－6/℃。在FBAR叠层薄膜结构中添加了一层具有正温度系数的二氧化硅温度补偿层,分析了该补偿层厚度对FBAR的温度-频率漂移特性、谐振频率和机电耦合特性的影响。设计了具有一层二氧化硅温度补偿层的FBAR叠层,由Mo/AlN/SiO2/Mo多层薄膜构成,仿真得到其频率温度系数为0.87210－6/℃;与没有温度补偿层的FBAR相比,温度稳定性得以显著改善。关键词: Abstract: Key words:     

Tunable Ba0.5Sr0.5TiO3 film bulk acoustic resonators using SiO2/Mo Bragg reflectors

Tunable and switchable Ba 0.5 Sr 0.5 TiO 3 film bulk acoustic resonators（FBARs） based on SiO 2 /Mo Bragg reflectors are explored,which can withstand high temperature for the deposition of Ba x Sr 1 x TiO 3（BST） films at 800 C.The dc bias-dependent resonance may be attributed to the piezoelectricity of the BST film induced by an electrostrictive effect.The series resonant frequency is strongly dc bias-dependent and shifts downwards with dc bias increasing,while the parallel resonant frequency is only weakly dc bias-dependent and slightly shifts upwards at low dc bias（ 45 V） while downwards at higher dc bias.The calculated relative tunability of shifts at series resonance frequency is around 2.3% and the electromechanical coupling coefficient is up to approximately 8.09% at 60-V dc bias,which can be comparable to AlN FBARs.This suggests that a high-quality tunable BST FBAR device can be achieved through the use of molybdenum（Mo） as the high acoustic impedance layer in a Bragg reflector,which not only provides excellent acoustic isolation from the substrate,but also improves the crystallinity of BST films withstanding higher deposition temperature.     

Effects of reflecting layers on resonance characteristics of a solidly mounted resonator with ¼ λ mode configuration

The solidly mounted resonator (SMR) is composed of a piezoelectric thin film sandwiched between two electrodes and a Bragg reflector that comprises alternating high and low acoustic impedance with a thickness of a quarter wavelength. In this study, the combination Mo/SiO₂ is chosen as high/low acoustic impedance materials to form a Bragg reflector; aluminum nitride (AlN) is utilized as the piezoelectric layer. The purpose of this study is to investigate the resonance characteristics of solidly mounted resonators with various pairs of reflecting layers. The experimental results yield an electromechanical coupling (k_eff²)(k_{\mathrm{eff}}^{2}) of 1.926% and quality factor (Q) of 254 with three pairs of Mo/SiO₂ layers. The figure of merit (FOM), which is defined as the product of electromechanical coupling and quality factor, has a maximum of 489 with three pairs of Mo/SiO₂ layers.     

Two-step sputtered ZnO piezoelectric films for film bulk acoustic resonators

This study investigates high-performance ZnO piezoelectric films used for thin film bulk acoustic resonators (TFBAR). The ZnO piezoelectric film was deposited on a Pt/Ti electrode using an RF magnetron sputter by a two-step method at room temperature. The Pt/Ti electrode was deposited by a DC sputtering system, on which, ZnO piezoelectric films were deposited in one step and in two steps to minimize roughness in the first step and produce the preferred orientation in the second. Both field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and atom force microscopy (AFM) revealed that ZnO piezoelectric film deposited by two-step sputtering exhibited favorable characteristics, such as a rigidly precise surface structure with surface roughness of 7.37 nm, even better than in one-step sputtering. Examining the ZnO thin film by X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed a much higher c-axis-preferring orientation than in one-step sputtering. The reflection coefficient of the resonator device was measured using an HP8720 network analyzer. The frequency response of the FBAR device exhibited a return loss of -25 dB at a resonant frequency of 2212 MHz with a high coupling coefficient of 6.7%. PACS 68.55.Jk; 43.35.Ns; 81.15.-z     

Influence of interfaces density and thermal processes on mechanical stress of PECVD silicon nitride

The paper focuses on a particular silicon nitride thin film (SiN_x) produced by plasma enahanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) technique with high deposition rate (26 nm/min) and low values of mechanical stress (<100 MPa). This was perfomed with mixed frequency procedure varying the modulation of high frequency at 13.56 MHz and low frequency at 308 kHz of RF power supply during the deposition, without changing the ratio of reaction gases. Low stress silicon nitride is commonly obtained by tailoring the thickness ratio of high frequency vs. low frequency silicon nitride layers.The attention of this work was directed to the influence of the number of interfaces per thickness unit on the stress characteristics of the deposited material. Two sets of wafer samples were deposited with low stress silicon nitride, with a thickness of 260 nm and 2 μm, respectively. Thermal annealing processes at 380 and 520 °C in a inert enviroment were also performed on the wafers.The Stoney–Hoffman model was used to estimate the stress values by wafer curvature measurement with a mechanical surface profilometer: the stress was calculated for the as-deposited layer, and after each annealing process.The thickness and the refractive index of the SiN_x were also measured and charaterized by variable angle spectra elliposometry (VASE) techinique.The experimental measurements were performed at the MT-LAB, IRST (Istituto per la Ricerca Scientifica e Tecnologica) of Bruno Kessler Foundation for Research in Trento.     

Electrode contact study for SiGe thin film operated at high temperature

A study on the electrode contact of the sputtered SiGe thin film is reported for application of devices working at high temperature. Surface morphological characterization with optical microscope and AFM (atomic force microscope) together with the electrical characterization by TLM measurements (transmission line method) were performed before and after aging at 500 °C for 24 h using various sputtered multilayer electrodes, Ti/Au/Ti, Ta/Pt/Ta and Ti/Pt/Ti, on 300-nm B-doped SiGe thin film deposited by magnetron sputtering and furnace crystallisation at high temperature. After aging at 500 °C for 24 h, the Ti/Au/Ti multilayer electrodes seriously degraded to be non-ohmic contact, showing rough surface morphology. The Ti/Pt/Ti metal layers showed the lowest specific contact, resistivity before and after aging, 1.46 × 10⁻³ Ω cm² and 1.68 × 10² Ω cm² respectively.     

The c-axis oriented AlN solidly mounted resonator operated in thickness shear mode using lateral electric field excitation

The AlN-based solidly mounted resonator operated in thickness shear mode using lateral field excitation is presented both in theory and experiment. The resonator configuration consists of the electrodes parallel to the surface, a highly c-oriented AlN film and an acoustic Bragg reflector. The theoretical analysis of the Christoffel equation predicts that the electric field in any direction normal to the c-axis can excite the shear mode wave along the thickness direction. The electric field characteristics are calculated by finite element modeling in order to design the electrode frame. The testing results of the finished devices show that the thickness shear mode wave can be excited by the lateral electric field in c-axis oriented AlN solidly mounted resonators. The experimental frequency corresponds well to the theoretical one. The resonators operated in thickness shear mode have resonant frequencies near 2 GHz with an average Q _s value of 323 and a K_eff²K_{\mathrm{eff}}^{2} value of 0.83%.     

Texturing effects in molybdenum and aluminum nitride films correlated to energetic bombardment during sputter deposition

Molybdenum films sputter-deposited at low pressure show a (110) to (211) texture turnover with increasing film thickness, which is accompanied by a transition from a fiber texture to a mosaic-like texture. The degree of (002) texturing of sputtered aluminum nitride (AlN) films strongly depends on nitrogen pressure in Ar/N₂ or in a pure N₂ atmosphere. For the understanding of these phenomena, the power density at the substrate during sputter deposition was measured by a calorimetric method and normalized to the flux of deposited atoms. For the deposition of Mo films and various other elemental films, the results of the calorimetric measurements are well described by a model. This model takes into account the contributions of plasma irradiation, the heat of condensation and the kinetic energy of sputtered atoms and reflected Ar neutrals. The latter two were calculated by TRIM.SP Monte Carlo simulations. An empirical rule is established showing that the total energy input during sputter deposition is proportional to the ratio of target atomic mass to sputtering yield. For the special case of a circular planar magnetron the radial dependence of the Mo and Ar fluxes and related momentum components at the substrate were calculated. It is concluded that mainly the lateral inhomogeneous radial momentum component of the Mo atoms is the cause of the in-plane texturing. For AlN films, maximum (002) texturing appears at about 250 eV per atom energy input. Received: 23 June 2000 / Accepted: 12 December 2000 / Published online: 3 April 2001     

Fabrication and Frequency Response Characteristics of AlN-Based Solidly Mounted Resonator

Film bulk acoustic resonator (FBAR) with solidly mounted resonator (SMR)-type is carried out by rf magnetic sputtering. To fabricate SMR-type FBAR, alternative high and low acoustic impedance layers, Mo/Ti multilayer, are adopted as Bragg reflector deposited by dc magnetron sputtering. The influences of sputtering pressure, substrate temperature and sputtering power on the surface roughness of Bragg reflector layer are discussed. From the atom force microscopy (AFM) analysis, the surface roughness of the Bragg reflector is improved remarkably by controlling deposition conditions. Under the appropriate sputtering condition, AlN thin films with highly c-axis-preferred orientation are deposited by rf magnetron sputtering. The performance of fabricated Mo/Ti SMR shows that the electromechanical coupling coefficient is 3.89%, the series and parallel resonant frequencies appear at 2.49 and 2.53GHz, with their quality factors 134.2 and 97.6, respectively.     

Effect of film thickness on interface and electric properties of BiFeO3 thin films

Bismuth ferrite (BFO) thin films were fabricated by RF-magnetron sputtering deposition method on Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si(1 0 0) substrate. The effect of the thickness of BFO films varying from 85 to 280 nm on electrical properties was investigated. Saturated coercive fields were found to increase with the BFO film thickness. The dielectric constant of BFO thin films measured at 1 kHz decreased with decreasing thickness from 98 to 86, while tangent losses increased from 0.013 to 0.021. The presence of bismuth oxide at the interface between BFO films and Pt bottom electrodes was responsible for the high leakage currents in thin BFO thin films as was demonstrated by X-ray diffraction, grazing-incident X-ray diffraction, and secondary ion mass spectroscopy analysis.     

AlN thin films prepared by ArF plasma assisted PLD. Role of process conditions on electronic and chemical–morphological properties

Aluminium nitride thin films were deposited on n-Si <100> substrates by RF plasma activated reactive pulsed laser deposition (PLD). An ArF excimer pulsed laser, 10 Hz and 2.5 J/cm² energy fluence, has been used to ablate a pure Al target in a reactive atmosphere of N₂ plasma (generated by a RF source), at varying processing parameters (substrate temperature, time, and N₂ plasma configuration). We studied the dependence and correlation of structural and electronic properties with the experimental conditions. The chemical composition of deposited material has been determined by both Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Electrical resistivity has been evaluated by the sheet resistance method. Both spectroscopic characterizations (Raman and XPS) show a strong dependence in the formation of AlN on the deposition temperature. At low temperatures, there is little formation of nitride, with a prevalence of aluminium oxide, while at higher temperatures the N uptake increases, with AlN formation. Raman analysis also highlights the formation of nano-structures, for temperatures ≥400^°C. These material characteristics have a fundamental influence on the electronic properties. Indeed, electrical resistivity properties have been found to be strongly dependent on the film structure, nitrogen incorporation, and presence of mixed oxide compounds, closely related to deposition temperature.     

Tailoring resistive switching characteristics in WOx films using different metal electrodes

We have investigated the role of the metal/oxide junction interface on the resistive switching (RS) characteristics in WO_3+x films. The WO_x films are fabricated on Pt substrates by magnetron sputtering at room temperature. Top metal contact (Au or Al) is fabricated by using thermal evaporator. The thicknesses of WO_x films and top electrodes are 1 μm and 200 nm, respectively. It has been found that the bi-polar RS direction is dependent on the choice of top metal electrode, Au or Al. The sample with a Au top electrode shows clockwise (CW) RS mode whilst the sample with a Al top electrode shows counter-clockwise (CCW) RS mode. The on/off ratio is 10 times for Au/WO_x/Pt and 100 times for Al/WO_x/Pt. The bi-polar RS modes are modeled in terms of the difference in the electronegativity of the top and bottom electrodes.     

Poly(3-methylthiophene)-based porous silicon substrates as a urea-sensitive electrode

Poly(3-methylthiophene) (P3MT)-based porous silicon (PS) substrates were fabricated and characterized by cyclic voltammetry, scanning electron microscopy, and auger electron spectroscopy. After doping urease (Urs) into the polymeric matrix, sensitivity and physicochemical properties of the P3MT-based PS substrate was investigated compared to planar silicon (PLS) and bulk Pt substrates. PS substrate was formed by electrochemical anodization in an etching solution composed of HF, H₂O, and ethanol. Subsequently, Ti and Pt thin-films were sputtered on the PS substrate. Effective working electrode area (A_eff) of the Pt-deposited PS substrate was determined from a redox reaction of Fe(CN)₆³⁻/Fe(CN)₆⁴⁻ redox couple in which nearly reversible cyclic voltammograms were obtained. The i_p versus v^1/2 plots showed that A_eff of the PS-based Pt thin-film electrode was 1.62 times larger than that of the PLS-based electrode.Electropolymerization of P3MT on both types of electrodes were carried out by the anodic potential scanning under the given potential range. And then, urease molecules were doped to the P3MT film by the chronoamperometry. Direct electrochemistry of a Urs/P3MT/Pt/Ti/PS electrode in an acetonitrile solution containing 0.1 mol/L NaClO₄ was introduced compared to a P3MT/Pt/Ti/PS electrode at scan rates of 10 mV s⁻¹, 50 mV s⁻¹, and 100 mV s⁻¹.Amperometric sensitivity of the Urs/P3MT/Pt/Ti/PS electrode was ca. 1.67 μA mM⁻¹ per projected unit square centimeter, and that of the Urs/P3MT/Pt/Ti/PLS electrode was ca. 1.02 μA mM⁻¹ per projected unit square centimeter in a linear range of 1-100 mM urea concentrations. 1.6 times of sensitivity increase was coincident with the results from cyclic voltammetrc analysis.Surface morphology from scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of Pt-deposited PS electrodes before and after the coating of Urs-doped P3MT films showed that pore diameter and depth were 2 μm and 10 μm, respectively. Multilayered-film structures composed of metals and organics for both electrodes were also confirmed by auger electron spectroscopy (AES) depth profiles.     

Dielectric-breakdown-like forming process in the unipolar resistance switching of Ta2O5−x thin films

We report unipolar resistance switching (URS) in Ta₂O_5−x thin films. The current increased suddenly when we applied voltages up to 5-7 V to the pristine state of Pt/Ta₂O_5−x/Pt, Ni/Ta₂O_5−x/Pt, and Ti/Ta₂O_5−x/Pt cells. Just after this forming process, we observed a repetitive URS occurring independently of the electrodes. We found that the required voltages for the forming process did not depend on the top electrode type, but on the film thickness. These results suggest that the forming process is driven by a dielectric-breakdown-like phenomenon, and that URS occurs due to the formation and rupture of conducting channels inside the Ta₂O_5−x thin film.     

The characteristics of surface acoustic waves on AlN/LiNbO3 substrates

The characteristics of surface-acoustic-wave (SAW) devices on various substrates were measured by a network analyzer in the temperature range from 0 to 80 °C. Based on the structure of IDT/AlN/LiNbO₃, it was revealed that the magnitude of the temperature coefficient of frequency (TCF) of a SAW on a LiNbO₃ substrate was significantly decreased due to the thickness increase of AlN thin film deposited on the LiNbO₃ substrate. The TCF of a SAW on an AlN/LiNbO₃ device was measured to be about -51 ppm/°C at h/λ=0.1, where h is the thickness of the AlN film and λ is the wavelength of the SAW. This indicates that the deposition of an AlN film on a LiNbO₃ substrate could improve the temperature stability, as compared with that of a SAW on a LiNbO₃ substrate (-73 ppm/°C). The SAW device on the ST-X quartz is shown to have a positive TCF as the AlN thin film is deposited on the surface of the ST-X quartz. In addition, the phase velocity (V_p) of the SAW on an AlN/LiNbO₃ substrate was significantly increased by the increase of AlN thickness (h/λ). Received: 14 October 2002 / Accepted: 15 October 2002 / Published online: 29 January 2003 RID="*" ID="*"Corresponding author. Fax: +886-7/525-4199, E-mail: ycc@ee.nsysu.edu.tw     

Tunable Ba_0.5 Sr_0.5 TiO₃ film bulk acoustic resonators using SiO₂ /Mo Bragg reflectors

Tunable and switchable Ba 0.5 Sr 0.5 TiO 3 film bulk acoustic resonators(FBARs) based on SiO 2 /Mo Bragg reflectors are explored,which can withstand high temperature for the deposition of Ba x Sr 1 x TiO 3(BST) films at 800 C.The dc bias-dependent resonance may be attributed to the piezoelectricity of the BST film induced by an electrostrictive effect.The series resonant frequency is strongly dc bias-dependent and shifts downwards with dc bias increasing,while the parallel resonant frequency is only weakly dc bias-dependent and slightly shifts upwards at low dc bias(< 45 V) while downwards at higher dc bias.The calculated relative tunability of shifts at series resonance frequency is around 2.3% and the electromechanical coupling coefficient is up to approximately 8.09% at 60-V dc bias,which can be comparable to AlN FBARs.This suggests that a high-quality tunable BST FBAR device can be achieved through the use of molybdenum(Mo) as the high acoustic impedance layer in a Bragg reflector,which not only provides excellent acoustic isolation from the substrate,but also improves the crystallinity of BST films withstanding higher deposition temperature.     

Surface chemical states of barium zirconate titanate thin films prepared by chemical solution deposition

Ba(Zr_0.05Ti_0.95)O₃ (BZT) thin films grown on Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si(1 0 0) substrates were prepared by chemical solution deposition. The structural and surface morphology of BZT thin films has been studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results showed that the random oriented BZT thin film grown on Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si(1 0 0) substrate with a perovskite phase. The SEM surface image showed that the BZT thin film was crack-free. And the average grain size and thickness of the BZT film are 35 and 400 nm, respectively. Furthermore, the chemical states and chemical composition of the films were determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) near the surface. The XPS results show that Ba, Ti, and Zr exist mainly in the forms of BZT perovskite structure.     

Effects of interface on the dielectric properties of Ba0.6Sr0.4TiO3 thin film capacitors

Ba_0.6Sr_0.4TiO₃ thin films were deposited on Pt/SiO₂/Si substrate by radio frequency magnetron sputtering. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) observation shows that there is a transition layer at BST/Pt interface, and the layer is about 7-8 nm thickness. It is found that the transition layer was diminished to about 2-3 nm thickness by reducing the initial RF sputtering power. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) depth profiles show that high Ti atomic concentration results in a thick interfacial transition layer. Moreover, the symmetry ν of ?_r-V curve of BST thin film is enhanced from 52.37 to 95.98%. Meanwhile, the tunability, difference of negative and positive remanent polarization (P_r), and that of coercive field (E_C) are remarkably improved.     

Study of field emission and dielectric properties of AlN films prepared by DC sputtering technique at different substrate temperatures

Nanocrystalline AlN thin films were prepared via DC sputtering technique at different substrate temperature. The crystal orientation and particle size of aluminum nitride thin films were investigated by XRD analysis. Study indicated that the sample contained pure phase hexagonal AlN nanoparticles with a single peak corresponding to the (100) planes. The peak at 665 cm⁻¹ in the FTIR spectrum of film was assigned to the LO phonon of hexagonal AlN. The particle size of the film, prepared at substrate temperature 200°C was about 9.5 nm, as investigated by atomic force microscope. Field emission study indicated that it can be used as a good field emitter. Turn-on field (E_to) of 15.02 V/μm was observed for the AlN films synthesized at substrate temperature 200°C. Dielectric constant of the AlN film was found nearly independent of frequencies in the measured frequency range 1 KHz to 1 MHz, i.e. in the audio frequency range. The values of dielectric constant (ε) were 10.07, 9.46 and 8.65 for the film prepared at 70°C, 150°C and 200°C, respectively, at frequency 1 KHz.