US 11,895,920 B2
Methods of forming group III piezoelectric thin films via removal of portions of first sputtered material
Craig Moe, Penfield, NY (US); Jeffrey B. Shealy, Cornelius, NC (US); Mary Winters, Webster, NY (US); Dae Ho Kim, Cornelius, NC (US); and Abhay Saranswarup Kochhar, Charlotte, NC (US)
Assigned to Akoustis, Inc., Huntersville, NC (US)
Filed by Akoustis, Inc., Huntersville, NC (US)
Filed on Jul. 7, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/811,222.
Application 17/811,222 is a division of application No. 16/742,202, filed on Jan. 14, 2020, granted, now 11,411,169.
Application 16/742,202 is a continuation in part of application No. 16/513,143, filed on Jul. 16, 2019, granted, now 11,411,168.
Application 16/513,143 is a continuation in part of application No. 15/784,919, filed on Oct. 16, 2017, granted, now 10,355,659, issued on Jul. 16, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/887,126, filed on Aug. 15, 2016.
Prior Publication US 2022/0352456 A1, Nov. 3, 2022
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. H10N 30/076 (2023.01); H03H 3/02 (2006.01); H10N 30/06 (2023.01); H10N 30/053 (2023.01); H10N 30/85 (2023.01)
CPC H10N 30/076 (2023.02) [H03H 3/02 (2013.01); H10N 30/053 (2023.02); H10N 30/06 (2023.02); H10N 30/85 (2023.02); Y10T 29/42 (2015.01); Y10T 29/49005 (2015.01)] 8 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of forming an acoustic resonator device, the method comprising:
sputtering onto a first surface of a substrate to provide a piezoelectric thin film comprising AlN, AlScN, AlCrN, HfMgAlN, or ZrMgAlN on the first surface of the substrate while the first surface of the substrate is at a temperature in a range between 350 degrees Centigrade to 850 degrees Centigrade;
processing a second surface of the substrate that is opposite the first surface of the substrate to provide an exposed surface of the piezoelectric thin film from beneath the second surface of the substrate, wherein the exposed surface of the piezoelectric thin film comprises a first crystalline quality portion of the piezoelectric thin film;
removing a portion of the exposed surface of the piezoelectric thin film to access a second crystalline quality portion of the piezoelectric thin film that is covered by the first crystalline quality portion of the piezoelectric thin film, wherein the second crystalline quality portion of the piezoelectric thin film has a crystallinity of less than 1.0 degree at Full Width Half Maximum (FWHM) to 10 arcseconds at FWHM measured using X-ray diffraction (XRD); and
processing the second crystalline quality portion of the piezoelectric thin film to provide an acoustic resonator device on the second crystalline quality portion of the piezoelectric thin film.