HIGH-SENSITIVITY PIEZOELECTRIC MICROPHONE
20220182767 · 2022-06-09
Inventors
- Chengliang SUN (Wuhan, CN)
- Bohao HU (Wuhan, CN)
- Binghui LIN (Wuhan, CN)
- Zhipeng Wu (Wuhan, CN)
- Wei ZHU (Wuhan, CN)
- Lei Wang (Wuhan, CN)
- Yu ZHOU (Wuhan, CN)
Cpc classification
H04R31/00
ELECTRICITY
International classification
H04R1/28
ELECTRICITY
Abstract
A piezoelectric microphone, includes: a wafer substrate including a cavity; a plurality of cantilever beams with a piezoelectric deck structure; a fixed column; a plurality of flexible elastic members; and a connecting section. The plurality of cantilever beams each includes a fixed end and a free end suspended above the cavity. The plurality of cantilever beams is of a structure in which one end is narrow and the other end is wide, and the fixed end is relatively narrow. The fixed column is disposed at the center of the bottom surface of the cavity. The fixed ends of the plurality of cantilever beams are all connected to the top surface of the fixed column. A gap is provided between every two adjacent cantilever beams. The plurality of flexible elastic members is connected to free ends of two adjacent cantilever beams to enable the cantilever beams to vibrate synchronously.
Claims
1. A piezoelectric microphone, comprising: a wafer substrate comprising a cavity; a plurality of cantilever beams with a piezoelectric deck structure; a fixed column; a plurality of flexible elastic members; and a connecting section; wherein: the plurality of cantilever beams each comprises a fixed end and a free end suspended above the cavity; the plurality of cantilever beams is of a structure in which one end is narrow and the other end is wide, and the fixed end is relatively narrow; the fixed column is disposed at a center of a bottom surface of the cavity; fixed ends of the plurality of cantilever beams are all connected to a top surface of the fixed column; a gap is provided between every two adjacent cantilever beams; the plurality of flexible elastic members is connected to free ends of two adjacent cantilever beams to enable the cantilever beams to vibrate synchronously; and the connecting section is disposed in one gap between every two adjacent cantilever beams for leading out an electric signal of the cantilever beams.
2. The microphone of claim 1, wherein the plurality of cantilever beams is in a shape of a sector or a trapezoid, and a formed sound pressure receiving region is circular or polygonal.
3. The microphone of claim 1, wherein operating electrodes of the cantilever beams are pattern etched into plate electrodes or arc interdigital electrodes.
4. The microphone of claim 2, wherein the plurality of cantilever beams has a trapezoidal structure and is four in number, and the four cantilever beams enclose a rectangular structure.
5. The microphone of claim 2, wherein the plurality of cantilever beams has a trapezoidal structure and is six in number, and the six cantilever beams enclose a hexagonal structure.
6. The microphone of claim 2, wherein the wafer substrate is a silicon on insulator (SOI) wafer substrate; a top surface of the wafer substrate, the top surface of the fixed column, and the plurality of cantilever beams are all an unimorph piezoelectric deck structure, and the piezoelectric deck structure sequentially comprises a bottom electrode, a piezoelectric film, and a top electrode from bottom to top.
7. The microphone of claim 6, wherein the plurality of cantilever beams has an unimorph structure and sequentially comprises a support layer, the bottom electrode, the piezoelectric film, and the top electrode from bottom to top.
8. The microphone of claim 6, wherein the connecting section connects the piezoelectric deck structure on the fixed column and the piezoelectric deck structure on the wafer substrate, and a bottom lead-out electrode used for leading out an electric signal of the bottom electrode and a top lead-out electrode used for leading out an electric signal of the top electrode are disposed on an outer side of the top surface of the wafer substrate.
9. The microphone of claim 8, wherein an insulating layer is disposed between the bottom lead-out electrode and the top electrode.
10. The microphone of claim 8, wherein bottom electrodes and top electrodes of the plurality of cantilever beams are all connected in parallel.
11. The microphone of claim 1, wherein the flexible elastic member is an elastic waveform structure.
12. The microphone of claim 2, wherein the wafer substrate is a Si wafer substrate, a top surface of the wafer substrate, the top surface of the fixed column, and the plurality of cantilever beams are all a bimorph piezoelectric deck structure, and the piezoelectric deck structure sequentially comprises a lower electrode, a first piezoelectric film, an intermediate electrode, a second piezoelectric film, and an upper electrode from bottom to top.
13. The microphone of claim 12, wherein the plurality of cantilever beams has a bimorph structure and sequentially comprises the lower electrode, the first piezoelectric film, the intermediate electrode, the second piezoelectric film, and the upper electrode from bottom to top.
14. The microphone of claim 1, wherein a mass block for reducing a resonance frequency of the plurality of cantilever beams is disposed at the free end.
15. The microphone of claim 14, wherein the mass block is disposed above, below, or at an end portion of the free end of the plurality of cantilever beams.
16. The microphone of claim 15, wherein the mass block disposed above the free end of the plurality of cantilever beams is formed by patterning a deposited material.
17. The microphone of claim 15, wherein the mass block disposed below the free end of the plurality of cantilever beams is formed by performing back cavity etching on a substrate layer.
18. The microphone of claim 14, wherein the gap is provided between every two adjacent cantilever beams, each cantilever beam comprises the fixed end fixedly connected to the wafer substrate and the free end, and the mass block is disposed at each free end.
19. The piezoelectric microphone of claim 14, further comprising a fixed framework, wherein the fixed framework is disposed on a periphery of the plurality of cantilever beams, a piezoelectric deck corresponding to the cantilever beams is disposed on the fixed framework, and a piezoelectric deck on the fixed end of the cantilever beams and the piezoelectric deck on the fixed framework are connected by a piezoelectric deck on the connecting section, to lead out an electric signal from the fixed framework.
20. A piezoelectric microphone apparatus, comprising a plurality of piezoelectric microphones of claim 1 connected in series or in parallel.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0031]
[0032]
[0033]
[0034]
[0035]
[0036]
[0037]
[0038]
[0039]
[0040]
[0041]
[0042]
[0043]
[0044] In the drawings: 1—SOI wafer substrate, 101—first insulating layer, 102—transition layer, 103—second insulating layer, 104—cavity, 105—SiO.sub.2 layer, 106—device substrate layer, 2—unimorph cantilever beam, 201—bottom electrode, 202—piezoelectric film, 203—top electrode, 204—gap, 3—fixed column, 4—connecting section, 5—flexible elastic member, 6—bottom lead-out electrode, 601—third insulating layer, 7—top lead-out electrode, 8—bimorph cantilever beam, 801—lower electrode, 802—first piezoelectric film, 803—intermediate electrode, 804—second piezoelectric film, 805—upper electrode, 806—first lead-out electrode, 807—second lead-out electrode, 808—fourth insulating layer, 9—Si wafer substrate, 10—fixed framework, 11—fixed region, 12—end having a relatively small area, 13—end having a relatively large area, 14—sound pressure receiving region, 15—mass block, 16—first signal end, and 17—second signal end.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0045] The implementation solution and principle of the disclosure will be further described below with reference to the drawings.
Embodiment 1
[0046] As shown in
[0047] As shown in
Embodiment 2
[0048] As shown in
[0049] However, it should be understood that in another embodiment, there is any required quantity of piezoelectric cantilever beams and the structure thereof is in any shape provided that the structure of the cantilever beams is narrow at one end and wide at the other end, and the narrow ends are uniformly connected to the fixed column 3 to cause the cantilever beams to form a regular shape.
Embodiment 3
[0050] An example in which six cantilever beams in a trapezoidal structure enclose a regular hexagonal structure is used for description.
[0051] In this embodiment, a method for manufacturing an unimorph cantilever beam 2 is as follows.
[0052] Step 1. Select a silicon on insulator (SOI) wafer substrate with a cavity 104 for the wafer substrate, where the wafer substrate includes a first insulating layer 101, a transition layer 102, and a second insulating layer 103, both materials of the first insulating layer 101 and the second insulating layer 103 are silicon, and a material of the transition layer 102 is silicon dioxide.
[0053] Step 2. Generate an unimorph piezoelectric deck structure sequentially including a bottom electrode 201, a piezoelectric film 202, and a top electrode 203 from bottom to top on a top surface of the SOI wafer substrate 1 and a top surface of a fixed column 3 by deposition sputtering or the like, where a material of the bottom electrode 201 is molybdenum, a material of the piezoelectric film 202 is aluminum nitride, and a material of the top electrode 203 is molybdenum.
[0054] Step 3. Further pattern the top electrode 203, to retain the top electrode 203 close to a fixed end.
[0055] Step 4. Spin-coat photoresist on an upper surface of a device, clean and remove the photoresist of a part required to be etched after exposure, and sequentially etch the top electrode 203, the piezoelectric film 202, the bottom electrode 201, the second insulating layer 103, and the transition layer 102, to form a gap 204 between an unimorph cantilever beam 2 and an adjacent unimorph cantilever beam 2.
[0056] As shown in
[0057] As shown in
[0058] As shown in
Embodiment 4
[0059] As shown in
[0060] According to the technical solution, the sensitivity and the signal-to-noise ratio of the piezoelectric microphone can be effectively improved, a manufacturing process of the provided new structure is simple and is compatible with a complement metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) process, which is convenient for mass production of mini microphones.
[0061] After an area of a microphone is reduced, a resonance frequency is increased significantly. In the disclosure, a mass block 15 is disposed above, below, or at an end portion of the free end of the cantilever beam, and the mass block 15 affects a stiffness k and an equivalent mass m of a vibration system. By adjusting the mass block 15, a resonance frequency of the vibration system can be reduced to a suitable range, a voltage output within a working frequency range can be increased, and the microphone after the area is reduced can maintain the same resonance frequency and sensitivity as the microphone with the original area, and even has a better effect.
Embodiment 5
[0062] This embodiment discloses a structure of a high-sensitivity piezoelectric microphone. As shown in
[0063] According to the principle and the purpose of disposing the mass block 15, it is obvious that the mass block 15 may not only be disposed below the free end, but also may be disposed above or at an end portion of the free end of the cantilever beam. The mass block 15 disposed above the free end of the cantilever beam may be made by patterning a deposited material. The mass block 15 disposed below the free end of the cantilever beam arm may be made by performing back cavity etching on the SOI wafer substrate 1.
[0064] Further, the cantilever beam may have an unimorph structure and sequentially includes a support layer, a bottom electrode 201, a piezoelectric film 202, and a top electrode 203 from bottom to top, or the cantilever beam may have a bimorph structure and sequentially includes a lower electrode 801, a first piezoelectric film 802, an intermediate electrode 803, a second piezoelectric film 804, and an upper electrode 805 from bottom to top.
[0065] Further, the structure further includes a fixed framework 10. The fixed framework 10 is disposed on an outer periphery of the cantilever beam, and a piezoelectric deck corresponding to the cantilever beam is disposed on the fixed framework 10. A piezoelectric deck on the fixed end of the cantilever beam is connected to the piezoelectric deck of the fixed framework 10, and an electric signal generated by the cantilever beam is led out from the fixed framework 10.
Embodiment 6
[0066] In this embodiment, this embodiment discloses a structure of a high-sensitivity piezoelectric microphone, including an SOI wafer substrate 1 provided with a back cavity and an unimorph cantilever beam 2 fixed to the SOI wafer substrate 1. The unimorph cantilever beam 2 includes a fixed end fixedly connected to the SOI wafer substrate 1 and a free end connected to the fixed end and suspended above the back cavity. A mass block 15 is disposed below the free end, and a resonance frequency of a device is reduced by adjusting parameters of the mass block 15, thereby improving the sensitivity of the piezoelectric microphone. Generally, a plurality of substrates such as an SOI substrate, a Si substrate, and a sapphire substrate may be selected for the substrate of the piezoelectric microphone, and is suitable for microphones with various structures. A type of the substrate may be determined according to a structural form of the beam.
[0067] According to the principle and the purpose of disposing the mass block 15, it is obvious that the mass block 15 may not only be disposed below the free end, but also may be disposed above or at an end portion of the free end of the cantilever beam. The mass block 15 disposed above the free end of the cantilever beam may be made by patterning a deposited material. The mass block 15 disposed below the free end of the cantilever beam arm may be made by performing back cavity etching on the SOI wafer substrate 1.
[0068] Further, the cantilever beam has a unimorph structure and sequentially includes a support layer, a bottom electrode 201, a piezoelectric film 202, and a top electrode 203 from bottom to top.
[0069] Further, the structure further includes a fixed framework 10. The fixed framework 10 is disposed on an outer periphery of the cantilever beam, and a piezoelectric deck corresponding to the cantilever beam is disposed on the fixed framework 10. A piezoelectric deck on the fixed end of the cantilever beam is connected to the piezoelectric deck of the fixed framework 10, and an electric signal generated by the cantilever beam is led out from the fixed framework 10.
[0070] Further, a shape of the unimorph cantilever beam 2 is an isosceles trapezoid, a thickness of the support layer is 5 μm, a thickness of the bottom electrode 201 is 0.2 μm, a thickness of the piezoelectric film 202 is 1 μm, a thickness of the top electrode 203 is 0.2 μm, a width of the fixed end is 80 μm, a width of the free end is 740 μm, a length of the unimorph cantilever beam 2 is 330 μm, and a resonance frequency thereof is about 90 kHz. A Si mass block 15 is added below the free end of the unimorph cantilever beam 2. The mass block 15 is a trapezoidal platform with a bottom width of 740 μm, an upper width of 680 μm, and a height and a thickness of 30 μm, a resonance frequency of a newly formed piezoelectric cantilever beam is reduced to about 55 kHz, and the sensitivity within an audible range (20 Hz to 20 kHz) is improved by about 2 dB.
Embodiment 7
[0071] This embodiment discloses a piezoelectric microphone with four trapezoidal cantilever beams. As shown in
[0072] In this embodiment, an SOI wafer substrate is selected for the substrate, and the substrate includes a device substrate layer 106, a transition layer 102, and a second insulating layer 103. A piezoelectric deck is above the SOI wafer substrate 1. As shown in
[0073] A sound wave signal is transmitted to a microphone through media such as air, to cause vibration of the cantilever beam at the sound pressure receiving region 14. Due to a positive piezoelectric effect, heterocharges are generated on an upper surface and a lower surface of the piezoelectric film 202, and the electric signals are led out by using the bottom electrode 201 and the top electrode 203. The piezoelectric film 202 close to the fixed region 11 is subjected to a larger stress and has a larger surface polarization charge density, so that patterning etching is performed on the top electrode 203, and an electric signal is led out by using the top electrode 203 close to the fixed region 11. As shown in
[0074] Further, a fixed framework 10 may be further disposed on a periphery of the sound pressure receiving region 14 for receiving a sound pressure and formed by the unimorph cantilever beams 2, and as shown in
[0075] When the bottom electrode 201 and the top electrode 203 on the fixed framework 10 are led out, a third insulating layer 601 may similarly be deposited on an upper surface of the top electrode 203, where SiO.sub.2 may be selected for a material of the third insulating layer. Holes with a specific depth are respectively etched on the fixed framework 10, to expose the bottom electrode 201 and the top electrode 203, then a metal layer is deposited, where Al, Au, or the like may be selected for a material, and a top lead-out electrode 7 and a bottom lead-out electrode 6 are further formed by patterning etching.
Embodiment 8
[0076] This embodiment discloses a piezoelectric microphone with four sector cantilever beams. In this embodiment, a sector is selected for the shape of the cantilever beam, and a sound pressure receiving region formed by the four sector cantilever beams is circular. Other structures are the same as Embodiment 7.
Embodiment 9
[0077] Referring to
Embodiment 10
[0078] Referring to
[0079] In particular, according to the technical solution provided by the disclosure, it can ensure that the device has a good signal output when a size of a single microphone component is reduced, thereby improving the integration level of micro-nano manufacturing. By optimizing the size of the mass block 15, a higher electric signal can be generated under a unit area of a sound pressure receiving region, thereby improving the performance of the microphone. The selected embodiment of the disclosure is a microphone in consumer electronics with a working frequency of 20 Hz to 20 kHz. The working frequency of the microphone applied to the remaining fields will be adjusted.
[0080] It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made, and therefore, the aim in the appended claims is to cover all such changes and modifications.