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EP-4140033-B1 - HETEROGENEOUS INTEGRATED WIDEBAND HIGH ELECTRON MOBILITY TRANSISTOR POWER AMPLIFIER WITH A SINGLE-CRYSTAL ACOUSTIC RESONATOR/FILTER

EP4140033B1EP 4140033 B1EP4140033 B1EP 4140033B1EP-4140033-B1

Inventors

  • LAN, JE-HSIUNG
  • DUTTA, RANADEEP
  • KIM, JONGHAE

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20210416

Claims (15)

  1. A 3D integrated circuit, 3D IC, chip (400), comprising: a die (440) including a compound semiconductor high electron mobility transistor, HEMT, (410) active device comprising compound semiconductor layers (420) on a single crystal, compound semiconductor layer; a bulk acoustic wave, X-BAW, filter (432) integrated in the single crystal, compound semiconductor layer (442); an interlayer dielectric (444) on the single crystal, compound semiconductor layer and on the compound semiconductor HEMT active device; a reflector (434) in the interlayer dielectric and coupled to the X-BAW filter; and a passive device (460) integrated in back-end-of-line layers of the die on the single crystal, compound semiconductor layer.
  2. The 3D IC chip of claim 1, in which the compound semiconductor layers (420) comprise gallium nitride, GaN, and aluminum gallium nitride, AlGaN, layers.
  3. The 3D IC chip of claim 1, in which the single crystal, compound semiconductor layer (442) comprises a single crystal, X, aluminum nitride, X-AIN, layer.
  4. The 3D IC chip of claim 1, further comprising an air cavity (436) in the interlayer dielectric and surrounding a portion of the reflector and the X-BAW filter.
  5. The 3D IC chip of claim 1, further comprising: a substrate (402) coupled to the interlayer dielectric (444), being distal from the single crystal, compound semiconductor layer.
  6. The 3D IC chip of claim 5, further comprising a bond layer (446) between the substrate and the interlayer dielectric.
  7. The 3D IC chip of claim 5, in which the substrate comprises alumina, Al 2 O 3 .
  8. The 3D IC chip of claim 1, in which the compound semiconductor HEMT active device comprises a heterogeneous wideband HEMT power amplifier, PA.
  9. The 3D IC chip of claim 1, in which the passive device comprises a capacitor (470) coupled to an inductor (480), in which the capacitor comprises a metal-insulator-metal, MIM, capacitor and the inductor comprises redistribution layers of the back-end-of-line layers.
  10. A method (700) of making a 3D integrated circuit, 3D IC, chip, comprising: epitaxially (702) growing a single crystal, compound semiconductor layer on a semiconductor substrate; epitaxially (704) growing compound semiconductor layers on the single crystal, compound semiconductor layer; fabricating (706) a compound semiconductor high electron mobility transistor, HEMT, active device from the compound semiconductor layers on the single crystal, compound semiconductor layer on the semiconductor substrate; forming (708) a bulk acoustic wave, X-BAW, filter in the single crystal, compound semiconductor layer; depositing an interlayer dielectric on the single crystal, compound semiconductor layer and on the compound semiconductor HEMT active device; and forming a reflector in the interlayer dielectric and coupled to the X-BAW filter; and fabricating (710) a passive device in back-end-of-line layers of the 3D IC chip on the single crystal, compound semiconductor layer.
  11. The method of claim 10, in which epitaxially growing the single crystal, compound semiconductor layer comprises growing a single crystal, X, aluminum nitride, X-AlN, layer on the semiconductor substrate.
  12. The method of claim 11, in which epitaxially growing the compound semiconductor layers comprises growing gallium nitride, GaN, and aluminum gallium nitride, AlGaN, layers on the X-AlN layer.
  13. The method of claim 10, in which fabricating the passive device comprises: depositing a first electrode and a second electrode separated by a dielectric layer to form a metal insulator metal, MIM, capacitor in a first back-end-of-line, BEOL, interlayer dielectric, ILD, layer on a backside surface of the single crystal, compound semiconductor layer; depositing a redistribution layer on the first BEOL ILD layer to form an inductor; and interconnecting the MIM capacitor and the inductor to form the passive device.
  14. The method of claim 10, further comprising: removing the semiconductor substrate to expose a backside surface of the single crystal, compound semiconductor layer; and bonding a thermally conductive substrate to the interlayer dielectric on a front side surface of the single crystal, compound semiconductor layer and on the compound semiconductor HEMT active device.
  15. The method of claim 10, further comprising forming an air cavity in the interlayer dielectric and surrounding a portion of the reflector and the X-BAW filter.

Description

CLAIM OF PRIORITY UNDER 35 U.S.C. §119 The present Application for Patent claims priority to Non-provisional Application No. 16/854,313 entitled "HETEROGENEOUS INTEGRATED WIDEBAND HIGH ELECTRON MOBILITY TRANSISTOR POWER AMPLIFIER WITH A SINGLE-CRYSTAL ACOUSTIC RESONATOR/FILTER" filed April 21, 2020. BACKGROUND Field The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communications systems and, more specifically, to a heterogeneous integrated wideband high electron mobility (HEMT) power amplifier (PA) with a single-crystal acoustic resonator/filter. Background Design challenges for mobile radio frequency (RF) transceivers include performance considerations for meeting fifth generation (5G) and future sixth generation (6G) transmission frequency specifications. These 5G/6G performance specifications mandate a substantial transmission frequency increase over current standards for supporting future transmission frequency specifications. Transistors are generally selected to operate at substantially higher frequencies for supporting communications enhancements, such as millimeter wave. These transistors are commonly implemented using compound semiconductor transistors, such as heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs), high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs), pseudomorphic high-electron-mobility transistors (pHEMTs), and the like. High-electron-mobility transistors are excellent candidates for meeting 5G/6G transmission frequency specifications. In particular, high-electron-mobility transistors using a wide bandgap channel (e.g., nitride semiconductors) may significantly boost RF power density while supporting the substantially higher transmission frequencies. Attention is drawn to US 2004/173816 A1 describing a monolithic electronic device that includes a substrate, a semi-insulating, piezoelectric Group III-nitride epitaxial layer formed on the substrate, a pair of input and output interdigital transducers forming a surface acoustic wave device on the epitaxial layer and at least one electronic device (such as a HEMT, MESFET, JFET, MOSFET, photodiode, LED or the like) formed on the substrate. Isolation means are disclosed to electrically and acoustically isolate the electronic device from the SAW device and vice versa. In some examples, a trench is formed between the SAW device and the electronic device. Ion implantation is also disclosed to form a semi-insulating Group III-nitride epitaxial layer on which the SAW device may be fabricated. Absorbing and/or reflecting elements adjacent the interdigital transducers reduce unwanted reflections that may interfere with the operation of the SAW device. Further attention is drawn to CN 110 380 702 A describing an integrated device manufacturing method and a related product. The integrated device manufacturing method comprises the steps of providing a first epitaxial layer, a second epitaxial layer and an initial wafer for manufacturing an integrated device; executing a preset device frontside manufacturing process for the first epitaxial layer and the second epitaxial layer to form a filter and power amplifier front side assembly; performing wafer bonding on the filter, the power amplifier and the initial wafer, and completing a backside process to obtain a complete integrated device. The filter and the power amplifier are integrated on the same chip, the size of the device can be reduced, the manufacturing cost is reduced, and the performance of the device is improved. Attention is also drawn to a paper by Gokhale Vikrant J et al, "GaN-based Periodic High-Q RF Acoustic Resonator with Integrated HEMT", 2019 IEEE INTERNATIONAL ELECTRON DEVICES MEETING (IEDM), IEEE, (20191207), doi:10.1109/IEDM19573.2019.8993528, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/IEDM19573.2019.8993528. Attention is also drawn to US 2016/190206 A1 describing an integrated structure of power amplifier and acoustic wave device comprising: a compound semiconductor epitaxial substrate, a power amplifier upper structure formed on a first side of said compound semiconductor epitaxial substrate, and a film bulk acoustic resonator formed on a second side of said compound semiconductor epitaxial substrate; wherein forming an epitaxial structure on a compound semiconductor substrate to form said compound semiconductor epitaxial substrate; wherein said first side of said compound semiconductor epitaxial substrate and said power amplifier upper structure form a power amplifier; said second side of said compound semiconductor epitaxial substrate and said film bulk acoustic resonator form an acoustic wave device; the integrated structure of power amplifier and acoustic wave device on the same compound semiconductor epitaxial substrate is capable of reducing the component size, optimizing the impedance matching, and reducing the signal loss between power amplifier and acoustic wave device. Attention is also drawn to CN 105 141 278 B describing an amplification module formed by integration of transistor and film bul