DocumentCode :
309598
Title :
High-frequency SAW devices fabricated by reactive ion etch technology
Author :
Subramanian, Rajan ; Welter, Jason ; Chang, Rudolfo E. ; Wright, Peter V.
Author_Institution :
RF Monolithics Inc., Dallas, TX, USA
Volume :
1
fYear :
1996
fDate :
3-6 Nov 1996
Firstpage :
271
Abstract :
A Reactive Ion Etch (RIE) process selected to fabricate high-frequency SAW devices is presented in this paper. RIE is commonly used in semiconductor IC fabrication to achieve very large scale integration because of its control of metal line width and profile as well as high yield. In this work, BCl3/Cl2 chemistry is used to pattern aluminum electrodes on quartz substrates. Various process parameters such as rf power, system pressure, etch time and gas flow are investigated. Finally, an optimized etch process is established for certain critical submicron geometries down to 0.5 μm. The RIE process produces SAW devices having electrodes with steep sidewalls. This increases sidewall reflectivity. The SAW devices are plasma etched to achieve desired center frequency, bandwidth (BW), and insertion loss (IL) with high production yield. An aluminum etch rate of 1000-2000 Å/min. is observed. A controlled etch rate is accomplished at low rf powers (<150 Watts). Higher rf power settings lead to resist damage and reflow. This paper also details a wet etch vs. RIE etch process comparison
Keywords :
interdigital transducers; losses; sputter etching; surface acoustic wave transducers; 0.5 micron; Al-SiO2; RF power; SAW device fabrication; SiO2; bandwidth; center frequency; controlled etch rate; critical submicron geometries; etch time; gas flow; high-frequency SAW devices; insertion loss; optimized etch process; process parameters; production yield; reactive ion etch technology; resist damage; sidewall reflectivity; steep sidewalls; system pressure; Aluminum; Chemistry; Electrodes; Etching; Fabrication; Fluid flow; Geometry; Substrates; Surface acoustic wave devices; Very large scale integration;
fLanguage :
English
Publisher :
ieee
Conference_Titel :
Ultrasonics Symposium, 1996. Proceedings., 1996 IEEE
Conference_Location :
San Antonio, TX
ISSN :
1051-0117
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-3615-1
Type :
conf
DOI :
10.1109/ULTSYM.1996.583972
Filename :
583972
Link To Document :
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