Ferroelectric thin-film capacitors and piezoelectric switches for mobile communication applications.

Thin-film ferroelectric capacitors have been integrated with resistors and active functions such as ESD protection into small, miniaturized modules, which enable a board space saving of up to 80%. With the optimum materials and processes, integrated capacitors with capacitance densities of up to 100 nF/mm2 for stacked capacitors combined with breakdown voltages of 90 V have been achieved. The integration of these high-density capacitors with extremely high breakdown voltage is a major accomplishment in the world of passive components and has not yet been reported for any other passive integration technology.

Integrated ferroelectric stacked MIM capacitors with 100 nF/mm(2) and 90 V breakdown as replacement for discretes.

This paper shows for the first time integrated thin film ferroelectric metal-insulator-metal capacitors on silicon with a record high capacitance density above 100 nF/mm(2) combined with a breakdown voltage of 90 V and a lifetime exceeding 10 years at 85 degrees C and 5 V. The high capacitance density was obtained by a combination of material optimizations resulting in a dielectric constant of 1600, and stacking of capacitors. The reliability of these ferroelectric capacitors was studied in detail with accelerated lifetime testing.