High current handling capacity multilayer inductors for RF and microwave circuits

We present test data for several spiral inductors with improved quality factor fabricated on GaAs substrates using the ITT MSAG (multifunction self aligned gate) multilayer process. It is shown experimentally that the quality factor of spiral inductors can be enhanced by using thick metallization and placing inductors on a thick polyimide layer which is placed on top of the GaAs substrate. Using this technique we observed up to 68% improvement in the quality factor of spiral inductors as compared to standard spiral inductors. Inductors having thick metallization can also handle DC currents as large as 0.5 A. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J RF and Microwave CAE 10: 139–146, 2000.     

Oxide engineering of ZnO thin‐film transistors for flexible electronics

Abstract— In this paper, we show that ZnO thin‐film transistors (TFTs) are potentially a higher performance alternative to organic and amorphous‐Si TFTs for macroelectronics on plastic substrates. Specifically, we fabricated nanocrystalline ZnO thin‐film transistors using low‐temperature processing, compatible with flexible electronics on plastic substrates. The ZnO semiconductor was rf magnetron sputtered, and the Al₂O₃ gate dielectric was deposited either by electron‐beam evaporation or atomic layer deposition. By controlling the partial pressure of oxygen pO₂) during ZnO sputtering, we could engineer the field‐effect mobility of ZnO transistors to be between 2 and 42 cm²/V‐sec, attractive for high‐performance electronic applications. We contend that pO₂ controls the oxygen‐vacancy content or stoichiometry of ZnO, and that allows control of transistor field‐effect mobility. Although most of the devices described here were fabricated on Si substrates, devices we made on a thin (50 μm thick) polyimide substrate had about equivalent performance, affirming the compatibility of our processes with plastic substrates. Finally, we show that properties of our nanocrystalline ZnO transistors can be explained by transport models that account for grain‐boundary trapping of mobile carriers.     

High Q, high frequency, high overtone bulk acoustic resonator with ZnO films

Bulk acoustic wave resonators with piezoelectric films have been widely explored for the small size and high quality factor (Q) at GHz. This paper describes a high overtone bulk acoustic resonator (HBAR) based on Al/ZnO/Al sandwich layers and c-axis sapphire substrate. ZnO film with high quality c-axis orientation has been obtained using DC magnetron sputtering. The fabricated HBAR presents high Q at the multiple resonances from a 0.5–4.0 GHz wide band with a total size (including the contact pads) of 0.6 mm×0.3 mm×0.4 mm. The device exhibits the best acoustic coupling at around 2.4 GHz, which agrees with the simulation results based on the one-dimensional Mason equivalent circuit model. The HBAR also demonstrates Q values of 30 000, 25 000, and 6500 at 1.49, 2.43, and 3.40 GHz, respectively. It is indicated that the HBAR has potential applications for the low phase noise high frequency oscillator or microwave signal source.     

Wafer-level multilayer integration of RF passives with thick BCB/metal interlayer connection in silicon-based SiP

This paper presents an integration technology for RF passives using benzocyclobutene (BCB)/metal multilayer interconnection for system-in-package applications. This technology has been specially developed for RF subsystem packages in which a thick polymer, BCB (more than 15 μm thick), is adopted as dielectric with lossy silicon as substrate for its excellent characteristics. Both dry-etch BCB and photosensitive BCB are applied in this work, and their processes are briefly introduced and compared. An RF power divider, an MIM capacitor, different types of RF inductors as well as a coupled microstrip based band-pass filter are fabricated and measured at wafer level. The results show good electrical performances, and accordingly the passives are well applicable in RF band. Moreover, the subsystem models including monolithic chips connected with passives are presented.     

A new design for rotational, tunable wideband RF MEMS capacitors

Wide range tunable components are a key point for high frequency performances. We have developed a novel RF MEMS rotational capacitor based on surface variation and high displacement. This paper will present multiple designs with physical parameter variations for comparative test with fabricated device measurements. The goal of this work is to prove the proper operation of the devices according to fulfill target performances. The main parameters will be tunability, capacitance value, resonance frequency and finally maximal actuation voltage allowed.     

High aspect ratio air core solenoid inductors using an improved UV-LIGA process with contrast enhancement material

In this paper, we investigate the application of a contrast enhancement material (CEM388SS^®, Shin-Etsu MicroSi, Inc., AZ, USA) on thick SU-8 negative photoresist (Microchem Corp., MA, USA) and its use in the construction of a high aspect ratio on-chip solenoid inductor. Various SU8 test microstructures (with aspect ratio of 10:1 and 20:1) were first constructed by utilizing this improved UV-LIGA process to demonstrate the clear difference before and after the application of CEM. It was found that this material dramatically reduced the “T-topping” effect and improved the structural profile angle; and higher aspect ratio microstructures could be achieved without modification/upgrades of any kind on the existing lithography tool. Furthermore, we implemented this process in the fabrication work of high aspect ratio air core solenoid inductor and obtained a very high quality (Q) factor of 72.8 at 9.7 GHz from a 3-turn inductors and a high inductance of 28 nH from a 20-turn inductor. Experimental data showed that inductors with taller via structures (higher aspect ratio) had better radio frequency (RF) characteristics than those of lower via structures, which are highly desirable in many communication applications.     

Long-term stability of Ag and Cu thin films on glass, LTCC and alumina substrates

Silver (Ag) and copper (Cu) are regarded as advanced material for metallization systems in microelectronic devices because of their high electrical conductivity and enhanced electromigration resistance. Typically, organic circuit boards as well as ceramic and glass–ceramic substrates use galvanic deposited Cu films or screen-printed metallization for this purpose. When applying the latter approach, however, the lateral resolution in the μm-region being required e.g. for novel high frequency applications can not be guaranteed. Hence, sputter deposition is envisaged for the realization of thin film metallization systems. The reliability of 300?nm thick Cu and Ag thin films is comparatively investigated under accelerated aging conditions, utilizing a test structure which consists of parallel lines stressed with current densities up to 2.5?×?10^6?A?cm^?2 at temperatures up to 300°C on Si/SiO₂, glass, LTCC (low temperature co-fired ceramics) and alumina substrates. To detect the degradation via the temporal characteristics of the current signal a constant voltage is applied according to the overall resistance of the test structure. Knowing the mean time to failure (MTF) and the activation energy at elevated temperatures conclusions on the migration mechanism can be drawn. Whereas on LTCC substrates the activation energy E_a is about 0.75?eV for both Ag and Cu thin films, the higher activation energies of about E_a?~?1?eV measured for Cu on glass and alumina indicate a suppression of back diffusion especially at enhanced temperature levels. This effect is predominantly caused by a stable oxide layer which is formed at high temperatures and which acts as passivation layer. Therefore, the overall electromigration resistance is lower compared to Ag.     

A novel bandpass filter based on TEM‐SIW cavity

A novel microstrip filter based on transverse electromagnetic (TEM)‐substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) cavities is firstly proposed in this letter. Compared to the traditional SIW cavities, the TEM‐SIW cavities have more compact size and higher Q value. Then, two bandpass filter adopting TEM‐SIW cavities is designed and one of it is fabricated. Both simulated and measured results are presented. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J RF and Microwave CAE, 2012.     

A Gap Reduction and Manufacturing Technique for Thick Oxide Mask Layers With Multiple-Size Sub-$mu$m Openings

This paper introduces a technique for the fabrication of thick oxide hard masks on top of a substrate with adjustable opening sizes in the sub-$mu$m regime, while the only lithography step involved has$mu$m-scale resolution. This thick oxide mask layer with sub-$mu$m openings is suitable for etching deep narrow trenches in silicon using deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) tools. Openings of less than 100 nm are realized in a 1.5-$mu$m-thick oxide layer, while the original lithographically defined feature sizes are larger than 1$mu$m in width. This method, combined with modified high aspect ratio DRIE recipes, shows a great potential for single-mask batch-fabrication of high frequency low-impedance single crystalline resonators on silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrates. Dry-etched trenches with aspect ratios as high as 60:1 are fabricated in silicon using the gap reduction technique to realize 200 nm opening sizes in an oxide mask layer. Various resonator structures with sub-$mu$m capacitive gaps are also fabricated on a SOI substrate using a single-mask process. Measurement results from high-frequency and high-quality factor (Q) all single crystal silicon resonators are presented.1684     

A novel CMOS process compatible high performance parallel-stacked RF spiral inductor

In this study, a deep-submicron CMOS process compatible parallel-stacked inductor has been successfully developed. We use the mature CMOS compatible technology and air gap structure to reduce substrate losses and parallel-stacked structure to reduce the resistance, thus can promote the Q factor. Experimental results evidence that by using the parallel-stacked structure, the chip area can be reduced significantly for the issue of continuing reduction of the chip size. Furthermore, the resistance can be reduced by using the parallel-stacked structure and thus results in an obviously improving of the Q at low frequency. The measured peak Q and peak-Q frequency with the parallel metal layer of M8//M7//M6//M5 are 7.06 and 1.8 GHz, thus enhancing its applications for higher frequency RF IC. Therefore, the developed deep-submicron CMOS process compatible parallel-stacked inductor is suitable for CMOS RF integrated circuit applications.     

The effect of a metal PGS on the Q‐factor of spiral inductors for RF and mm‐wave applications in a 28‐nm CMOS technology

In this paper, the effect of a metal patterned ground shield (PGS) on the performance of monolithic inductors is investigated. To this aim, three spiral inductors integrated in a 28‐nm fully depleted (FD) silicon‐on‐insulator (SOI) CMOS technology are analyzed by means of a 3‐D FEM‐based commercial software. The inductors have been designed at different operating frequencies in the RF and mm‐wave ranges to better explore the effect of the PGS. Extensive analysis revealed that the shield is able to improve the quality factor (Q‐factor) only of the inductor operated at the lowest frequency (ie, K‐band). On the contrary, it has a detrimental effect on the Q‐factor of the inductors working at higher frequencies. This is mainly due to induced losses in the PGS itself, which are so high to frustrate the substrate loss reduction. This result gives a different perspective to the adoption of the PGS for CMOS integrated inductors, which is largely recommended to improve inductor performance in the current state of the art.     

Lightweight electrowetting display on ultra‐thin glass substrate

Mobile display devices that use ultra‐thin (≤100 µm) glass substrates offer a combination of attractive characteristics: lightweight, high quality device fabrication process, thermal and dimensional stability, and mechanical flexibility. Electrowetting (EW) devices fabricated on ultra‐thin glass are demonstrated in this paper. Water contact angle, which is the most critical parameter of EW devices, changes from ~165° to 80° when a 20 V direct current (or alternating current) voltage is applied. EW devices on ultra‐thin glass show negligible hysteresis (~2°) and fast switching time of ~10 ms. EW device operation is maintained when the glass substrate is mechanically flexed. These results indicate the promise of narrow profile EW devices on ultra‐thin glass substrate for mobile and other devices, including video rate flexible electronic paper.     

Temporary bond—debond technology for high‐performance transistors on flexible substrates

Abstract— A processing technology based upon a temporary bond—debond approach has been developed that enables direct fabrication of high‐performance electronic devices on flexible substrates. This technique facilitates processing of flexible plastic and metal‐foil substrates through automated standard semiconductor and flat‐panel tool sets without tool modification. The key to processing with these tool sets is rigidifying the flexible substrates through temporary bonding to carriers that can be handled in a similar manner as silicon wafers or glass substrates in conventional electronics manufacturing. To demonstrate the power of this processing technology, amorphous‐silicon thin‐film‐transistor (a‐Si:H TFT) backplanes designed for electrophoretic displays (EPDs) were fabricated using a low‐temperature process (180°C) on bonded‐plastic and metal‐foil substrates. The electrical characteristics of the TFTs fabricated on flexible substrates are found to be consistent with those processed with identical conditions on rigid silicon wafers. These TFTs on plastic exhibit a field‐effect mobility of 0.77 cm²/V‐sec, on/off current ratio >10⁹ at Vds = 10 V, sub‐threshold swing of 365 mV/dec, threshold voltage of 0.49 V, and leakage current lower than 2 pA/μm gate width. After full TFT‐array fabrication on the bonded substrate and subsequent debonding, the flexible substrate retains its original flexibility; this enables bending of the EPD display without loss in performance.     

适用于RF MEMS能量耦合传输的高Q值电感

利用MEMS微电镀工艺技术制作了一种新型的适用于RF MEMS能量耦合传输的高Q值电感,采用ANSOFT公司的HFSS优化平面螺旋电感的结构。在具有高电阻率的玻璃衬底上溅射0.5μm的铜层作为下电极;PECVD淀积厚度为1μmSiO2作为中间介质层;在介质层上结合厚胶光刻技术电镀厚为22μm的铜作为电感线圈。这套电感制作工艺流程简单、易于与IC制备工艺集成。本文制备的微机械电感在微型植入系统中具有广阔的应用前景。测量结果表明:当工作频率在1GHz左右时,微电感的电感值达到55nH,Q值最大可达到25。     

Effects of the binder material on the mechanical properties of thick-film magnetostrictive materials

This paper presents research carried out at the University of Southampton into the development of a magnetostrictive thick-film material suitable for use with silicon micromachined devices. This form of magnetostrictive material has previously been deposited onto alumina substrates and this paper reports further work on migrating the technology onto silicon. The evaluation of two alternative glass frits for use as the binder within the thick film is reported. The correct choice of the binder material is important in a thick-film material because it is responsible for binding the active material within the thick film into a composite material and also adhering the film to the substrate. A series of tests have been applied to samples fabricated using various glass frits to assess their mechanical properties and suitability for the micro-actuator applications.     

Vibration sensitivity analysis of the ‘Butterfly-gyro’ structure

The ‘Butterfly-gyro’ is simple to manufacture with single sided electrostatic excitation and capacitive detection, and it is considered as one kind of the microgyroscope with high sensitivity due to its unique structure. This paper provides the sensitivity analytical model by solving the dynamic equations of motion and the design guidelines for microgyroscope with high sensitivity. Using Coriolis Effect and Newton’s second law, the dynamic equations are built. The sensitivity analytical model, including the denotations of Q factors and the resonant frequencies, is built. The approximate analytical expressions of Q factors and the resonant frequencies are derived by rational assumptions. Based on the sensitivity analytical model, the parametric analysis is carried out, and the design guidelines of high sensitivity are also deduced. Finally, Q factor, frequency split and other factors influencing the sensitivity are discussed in details to enhance its sensitivity. Results presented are valuable in the design and parameters optimization of the microgyroscope with high sensitivity.     

Quality factor of micro cantilevers transduced by piezoelectric lead zirconate titanate film

The quality factors (Q-factor) of micro cantilevers transduced by piezoelectric lead zirconate titanate (PZT) film under atmospheric pressure conditions were investigated and discussed. It was found that Q-factors increased with thicker PZT film. Due to air damping, shorter cantilevers resulted in preferred larger Q-factors. The Q-factor was found to be as high as 450 for a 150-μm long PZT cantilever when using 1.04-μm thick PZT film as the electromechanical conversion medium. Differences in the measured Q-factors when using integrated PZT film self-excitation and external PZT vibrator actuation indicate that energy dissipation induced by the electromechanical coupling in PZT thin films was noteworthy even under atmospheric pressure conditions. Moreover, the mechanical properties of the PZT film were found contribute significantly to decreases of the Q-factor.     

Piezocomposite ultrasonic transducer for high-frequency wire-bonding of microelectronics devices

Piezocomposite ultasonic transducers for high-frequency microelectronics wire bonding have been developed to alleviate the intrinsic mode coupling and high mechanical quality factor (Q_m) in piezoceramic transducers. In this paper, a 136 kHz transducer fabricated using lead zirconate titanate (PZT)/epoxy 1–3 piezocomposite rings with 77 μm epoxy width and 0.89 PZT volume fraction is presented, together with a PZT piezoceramic transducer of similar structure. With the guide of a finite-element modal analysis, the nature of most experimental resonance modes in the transducers is identified. The low lateral coupling of the composite rings effectively suppresses the non-axial and many other spurious resonances in the composite transducer, retaining only the axial-mode resonances. Due to the effect of epoxy damping, the composite transducer exhibits a 2.4-times reduction in Q_m to a desired low value of 296. This transducer has good potential to be used in commercial wire bonders for enabling high-frequency wire-bonding technology.     

Support loss for beam undergoing coupled vibration of bending and torsion in rocking mass resonator

Rocking mass resonator is widely used to design various sensors and actuators, which is a dual-axial symmetry resonator with high sensitivity. Q_support is the dominant energy loss mechanism influencing its high sensitivity. The anchor types and support loads applied to attachment points of rocking mass resonator are analyzed. Then support loss is simplified as a model with a beam attached to a finite thickness plate at its end. The general formulations for power radiated into support structure are given. An accurate analytical model of support loss for rocking mass resonator has been developed and verified by experiments. When the thickness of resonator is 240 μm, the measured Q can achieve a value of 589.1; while the thickness of resonator is reduced to 60 μm, the measured Q can achieve a value more than 8500. The derived model is general and might be applicable to various micro beam resonators and anchor types, providing significant insight to design of high-Q rocking mass devices.