【0001】
【発明の属する技術分野】本発明は、弾性表面波フィルタに関し、特にSAWフィルタ素子の表面近傍に中空部を必要とする弾性表面波フィルタ及びその製造方法に関する。
【0002】
【従来の技術】近年、弾性表面波(Surface Acoustic Wave:以下、SAW)フィルタは移動体通信分野で幅広く用いられ、高性能、小型、量産性等の点で優れた特徴を有することから特に携帯電話等に多く用いられている。また、SAWフィルタは移動体通信機器の発展に伴い、小型化、低背化、高品質化が強く求められている。図4(a)は従来のワイヤボンディング構造のSAWフィルタを示したものであり、SAWフィルタ素子52は接着剤を介してパッケージ51の底面に接着固定され、SAWフィルタ素子52の主面上に設けられたボンディングパッド54とパッケージ51に設けられた端子電極55とを金やアルミニウムからなるワイヤにて接続することにより電気的導通をとり、金属製の蓋体56をシーム溶接等によりパッケージ51と接合封止することでパッケージ内を気密状態にしている。このようなワイヤボンディング構造においては、SAWフィルタ素子とパッケージ間の接着強度やパッケージ内の気密性は十分確保できるが、パッケージの内側面部にワイヤを接続するための端子電極を設けなければならないため、パッケージの小型化に関しては限界があった。
【0003】更なる小型化を図る為、近年、フリップチップボンディング工法によるSAWフィルタの製造方法が試みられてきた。図4(b)はフリップチップボンディング工法によるSAWフィルタの構造を示しており、SAWフィルタ素子62上に設けられたボンディングパッド63とパッケージ上に設けられた端子電極64とを金属バンプ65を介して導通固定し、金属製の蓋体66をシーム溶接等によりパッケージ61に接合封止することでパッケージ内を気密状態にしている。しかしながら、このようなフリップチップボンディング工法においては、数個の金属バンプのみでSAWフィルタ素子を支持するため、SAWフィルタ素子とパッケージ間の接合強度が弱く信頼性に欠けるという問題があった。
【0004】そこで、SAWフィルタ素子とパッケージ間の接合強度を高めるために、図4(c)に示すようなアルミナまたはガラスセラミックからなる基板71上にSAWフィルタ素子72を金属バンプ75にてフリップチップボンディング実装した後、SAWの励振に必要な中空部76を残してSAWフィルタ素子全体を封止樹脂77でコーティングすることでSAWフィルタ素子とパッケージの接合を強化した樹脂封止型SAWフィルタが知られている。
【発明が解決しようとする課題】
【0005】しかしながら、前記のような樹脂封止型SAWフィルタにおいて、パッケージとSAWフィルタ素子の接合強度を高めようとすると、どうしても中空部の容積を犠牲にして樹脂でSAWフィルタ素子を固定しなければならず、接合強度と中空部の確保はトレードオフの関係にあった。また、製造過程において樹脂がSAWの励振領域に侵入し易いため、IDTに樹脂が接触して特性不良を引き起こす可能性がある。
【0006】この問題を解決すべく、例えば、特開平10‐270975号公報にて、SAWの励振領域を取り囲むように支持枠を設けて、該支持枠の開口部に蓋体をのせて密閉空間を形成し中空部を設けたSAWフィルタとその製造方法が開示されている。図5は該特許発明によるSAWフィルタの形成方法を示したものである。まず、圧電基板81上にSAWを励振させるためのIDT82とボンディングパッド83を形成し(a)、圧電基板81の主面上のIDT82を取り囲むように合成樹脂膜で支持枠84を形成する(b)。また、SAWフィルタ素子を形成するのとは別に、基台85上に支持枠84と同材料の合成樹脂膜86を塗布し、該合成樹脂膜上にレジスト87を塗布する(c)。次にフォトマスク88を介して露光を行い(d)、現像、エッチング工程を経て蓋体89を形成する(e)。SAWフィルタ素子、蓋体のパターン形成が完了したら、前記SAWフィルタ素子に設けた支持枠84と蓋体89が対面するように基台85を反転させて貼り付け(f)、加熱加圧することによって蓋体89を支持枠84に転写して(g)、SAWフィルタ素子のSAWの励振領域上に中空部90を形成したSAWフィルタ及びその製造方法が知られている。
【0007】しかしながら、特開平10−270975号公報にて開示されている中空部の形成方法においては、蓋体のパターン形成を支持枠に転写する前に行うため、蓋体と支持枠とを重ね合わせる際に精密に位置を合わせることが困難であり、支持枠と蓋体がずれて気密性が失われる可能性がある。本発明は、前記問題を解決するためになされたものであって、SAWフィルタ素子のSAWの励振領域を保護する中空部を容易に形成し、且つ、小型化、低背化されたSAWフィルタ及びその製造方法を提供することを目的とする。
【課題を解決するための手段】
【0008】上記目的を達成するために本発明に係るSAWフィルタとその製造方法の請求項1記載の発明は、 圧電基板の主面上にフィルタ機能部を形成し、該フィルタ機能部を取り囲むように樹脂を塗布して支持枠を形成し、該支持枠の開口部に蓋体を被せることでフィルタ機能部上に中空部を設けたSAWフィルタの製造方法において、該蓋体の外形形状を前記支持枠に貼り合わせた後に成形することを特徴としたSAWフィルタの製造方法である。請求項2記載の発明は、請求項1記載のSAWフィルタの製造方法において、前記蓋体は、透明基板上にレジスト、感光性樹脂の順に塗布して、該感光性樹脂と前記支持枠の開口部とを貼り合わせ、透明基板の上部からフォトマスクを介して露光し、蓋体を形成する感光性樹脂のみを硬化させることによって中空部の蓋体を形成したことを特徴とするSAWフィルタの製造方法である。請求項3記載の発明は、請求項2記載のSAWフィルタの製造方法において、前記透明基板は、紫外線を透過しうる材質からなることを特徴とするSAWフィルタの製造方法である。請求項4記載の発明は、請求項2記載のSAWフィルタの製造方法において、前記レジストはポジ型レジストからなることを特徴とするSAWフィルタの製造方法である。請求項5記載の発明は、請求項2記載のSAWフィルタの製造方法において、前記感光性樹脂はネガ型感光性樹脂からなることを特徴とするSAWフィルタの製造方法である。請求項6記載の発明は、請求項1乃至5のいずれかに記載の発明にて製造したSAWフィルタにおいて、SAWフィルタ素子上のボンディングパッドと回路基板上の電極パッドとを金属バンプ及び金属ワイヤ等の導通用部材で接続し、SAWフィルタ素子と回路基板とを樹脂で被覆して固定したことを特徴としたSAWフィルタである。
【発明の実施の形態】
【0009】以下、本発明を図面に図示した実施の形態例に基づいて詳細に説明する。図1は、本発明に係るSAWフィルタの製造方法を示したものである。まず、圧電基板1の主面上にAlあるいはAl合金の金属膜を成膜し、それぞれ互いに間挿し合う複数本の電極指を有する一対の櫛型電極により構成されたIDT2と電気的導通をとる為のボンディングパッド3を形成しフィルタ機能部10を構成する(a)。フィルタ機能部10は、例えばIDTの両側にグレーティング反射器を配置したSAW共振子を直列、並列、直列と接続した所謂ラダー型SAWフィルタ、あるいは、SAWの伝搬方向に対して平行(縦方向)にIDTを複数個配置して縦方向の振動モードを利用した所謂縦結合型SAWフィルタ、またSAWの伝搬方向に対して垂直(横方向)にIDTを複数個配置して横方向の振動モードを利用した所謂横結合型SAWフィルタ等、所望な特性が得られるように構成したものである。圧電基板1上にフィルタ機能部10を形成後、圧電基板1の主面上に支持枠4を形成する(b)。図2は圧電基板1上に支持枠4を形成した後の平面図を示したものであり、IDT2を取り囲むように樹脂を塗布して支持枠4を形成する。
【0010】フィルタ機能部を形成する工程とは別に、図1(c)から(d)に示すように蓋体を形成する工程を行う。透明基板5の主面上に露光すると感光するポジ型レジスト6を塗布し(c)、該ポジ型レジスト層の上に露光すると硬化するネガ型感光性樹脂7を塗布する(d)。なお、透明基板5は紫外線を透過しうる材質、例えばガラスや水晶などの基板を用いる。このように透明基板5の主面上の1層目にポジ型レジスト6、2層目にネガ型感光性樹脂7を塗布して蓋体部8を形成する。
【0011】フィルタ機能部及び蓋体部を各々形成した後、蓋体部8の感光性樹脂7とフィルタ機能部10上に設けた支持枠4が対面するように、蓋体部8を反転させて支持枠4の開口部にのせる(e)。蓋体部8を支持枠4にのせた後、フォトマスク9を介して露光を行い(f)、支持枠4の外周縁の内側に相当する領域のポジ型レジスト6が感光してネガ型感光性樹脂7が硬化する。また同時に蓋体部8と支持枠4は完全に固着される。露光工程終了後、硬化していない感光性樹脂をエッチング除去し、現像液を浸すことにより感光レジストを除去した後、透明基板5を取り外す(g)。以上の工程を経てSAWの励振領域を保護する中空部11が完成する。
【0012】本発明は以上のような製造方法で、SAWの励振領域を保護する中空部11を形成したものであって、蓋体部8と支持枠4とを貼り合わせた後に中空部11の蓋体のパターン形成を行ったので、蓋体部と支持枠とを重ね合わせる際に精密な位置合わせをする必要がなく、容易に中空部を形成することができる。
【0013】以上に述べた製造方法にて製造したSAWフィルタ素子を、回路基板に実装した時の実施例を図3に示す。図3(a)はSAWフィルタ素子21の中空部25の上面と回路基板31を対面させるようにSAWフィルタ素子21を回路基板31にフェイスダウン実装し、SAWフィルタ素子21のボンディングパッド23と回路基板の端子電極32とを金属バンプ等の導通用部材24を介して導通固定し、少なくともSAWフィルタ素子21の中空部25と回路基板31とを樹脂35で封止した構造である。また、他の実装実施例として、図3(b)に示すように、SAWフィルタ素子21と回路基板31とを接着剤で固定し、SAWフィルタ素子21上に設けたボンディングパッド23と回路基板31上に設けた端子電極32を金属ワイヤ34にて接続することにより両者の電気的導通をとり、樹脂35でSAWフィルタ素子21、金属ワイヤ34をコーティングする。図3(a)、(b)に示すような構造にすることにより、SAWフィルタ素子と回路基板とを樹脂で固定しているので良好な接着強度が得られ、また、SAWの励振領域を中空部で完全に保護しているので樹脂の流れ込みを防止でき、且つ、小型化、低背化されたSAWフィルタを提供できる。
【0014】
【発明の効果】本発明は以上のように構成したものであって、SAWの励振領域を保護する中空部を有したSAWフィルタ素子において、フィルタ機能部上に設けた支持枠に蓋体部を貼り合わせた後に中空部の蓋体のパターン形成を行ったので容易に中空部の形成が可能であり、且つ、小型化、低背化されたSAWフィルタを提供できるという優れた効果を奏する。
【図面の簡単な説明】
【図1】本発明に係るSAWフィルタの製造方法を示す図である。
【図2】本発明に係るSAWフィルタの支持枠形成後の平面図である。
【図3】本発明に係るSAWフィルタを回路基板に実装した時の図であって、図3(a)はフリップチップボンディング実装したときの断面図、図3(b)はワイヤボンディング実装したときの断面図である。
【図4】従来のSAWフィルタの構造を示した図であって、図4(a)はワイヤボンディング構造のSAWフィルタの断面図、図4(b)はフリップチップボンディング構造のSAWフィルタの断面図、図4(c)は樹脂封止構造のSAWフィルタの断面図である。
【図5】従来のSAWフィルタの製造方法を示した図である。
【符号の説明】
1…圧電基板
2…IDT
3、23…ボンディングパッド
4…支持枠
5…透明基板
6…ポジ型レジスト
7…ネガ型感光性樹脂
8…蓋体部
9…フォトマスク
10…フィルタ機能部
11…中空部
21…SAWフィルタ素子
24…導通用部材
31…回路基板
32…端子電極
34…金属ワイヤ
35…封止樹脂[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a surface acoustic wave filter, and more particularly to a surface acoustic wave filter requiring a hollow portion near the surface of a SAW filter element and a method of manufacturing the same.
[0002]
2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, surface acoustic wave (SAW) filters have been widely used in the field of mobile communication and have excellent characteristics in terms of high performance, small size, mass productivity and the like. It is often used for telephones and the like. Further, with the development of mobile communication devices, SAW filters are strongly required to be reduced in size, height, and quality. FIG. 4A shows a conventional SAW filter having a wire bonding structure. The SAW filter element 52 is bonded and fixed to the bottom surface of the package 51 via an adhesive, and is provided on the main surface of the SAW filter element 52. The electrical connection is established by connecting the bonding pad 54 provided and the terminal electrode 55 provided on the package 51 with a wire made of gold or aluminum, and the metal lid 56 is joined to the package 51 by seam welding or the like. The inside of the package is made airtight by sealing. In such a wire bonding structure, although the adhesive strength between the SAW filter element and the package and the airtightness in the package can be sufficiently ensured, a terminal electrode for connecting a wire must be provided on the inner side surface of the package. There was a limit to miniaturization of packages.
[0003] In order to further reduce the size, in recent years, a method of manufacturing a SAW filter by a flip chip bonding method has been attempted. FIG. 4B shows the structure of a SAW filter by a flip-chip bonding method, in which a bonding pad 63 provided on a SAW filter element 62 and a terminal electrode 64 provided on a package are connected via a metal bump 65. The inside of the package is made airtight by conducting and fixing it and joining and sealing the metal lid 66 to the package 61 by seam welding or the like. However, in such a flip-chip bonding method, since the SAW filter element is supported by only a few metal bumps, there has been a problem that the bonding strength between the SAW filter element and the package is weak and the reliability is lacking.
Therefore, in order to increase the bonding strength between the SAW filter element and the package, the SAW filter element 72 is flip-chip mounted on a substrate 71 made of alumina or glass ceramic as shown in FIG. A resin-sealed SAW filter is known in which the SAW filter element and the package are reinforced by coating the entire SAW filter element with a sealing resin 77 after bonding and mounting, leaving a hollow portion 76 necessary for exciting the SAW. ing.
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
[0005] However, in the resin-sealed SAW filter as described above, in order to increase the bonding strength between the package and the SAW filter element, the SAW filter element must be fixed with resin at the expense of the volume of the hollow portion. However, there was a trade-off between joining strength and securing the hollow portion. Also, since the resin easily enters the excitation region of the SAW during the manufacturing process, the resin may come into contact with the IDT and cause a characteristic defect.
In order to solve this problem, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 10-270975, a support frame is provided so as to surround a SAW excitation region, and a lid is placed on an opening of the support frame to form a closed space. And a method of manufacturing the SAW filter having a hollow portion formed therein. FIG. 5 shows a method of forming a SAW filter according to the present invention. First, an IDT 82 and a bonding pad 83 for exciting the SAW are formed on the piezoelectric substrate 81 (a), and a support frame 84 is formed of a synthetic resin film so as to surround the IDT 82 on the main surface of the piezoelectric substrate 81 (b). ). Separately from the formation of the SAW filter element, a synthetic resin film 86 of the same material as the support frame 84 is applied on the base 85, and a resist 87 is applied on the synthetic resin film (c). Next, exposure is performed through a photomask 88 (d), and a lid 89 is formed through development and etching steps (e). When the pattern formation of the SAW filter element and the lid is completed, the base 85 is turned upside down so that the support frame 84 and the lid 89 provided on the SAW filter element face each other, and the base 85 is attached (f) and heated and pressed. A SAW filter in which a cover 89 is transferred to a support frame 84 (g) to form a hollow portion 90 on a SAW excitation region of a SAW filter element and a method of manufacturing the SAW filter are known.
However, in the method of forming a hollow portion disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-270975, the lid and the support frame are overlapped because the pattern formation of the lid is performed before the transfer to the support frame. It is difficult to precisely adjust the position when aligning, and there is a possibility that the support frame and the lid are displaced and airtightness is lost. The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, and a SAW filter which easily forms a hollow portion for protecting a SAW excitation region of a SAW filter element, and has a reduced size and a reduced height. It is an object of the present invention to provide a manufacturing method thereof.
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, a SAW filter according to the present invention and a method of manufacturing the SAW filter according to the first aspect of the present invention form a filter function portion on a main surface of a piezoelectric substrate and surround the filter function portion. A resin is applied to form a support frame, and a cover is provided over the opening of the support frame to provide a hollow portion on the filter function portion. This is a method for manufacturing a SAW filter, which is characterized in that it is molded after being bonded to a support frame. According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the method of manufacturing a SAW filter according to the first aspect, the lid is formed by applying a resist and a photosensitive resin on a transparent substrate in this order, and opening the support frame with the photosensitive resin. A SAW filter having a hollow lid formed by exposing the upper portion of a transparent substrate through a photomask and curing only the photosensitive resin forming the lid. Is the way. The invention according to claim 3 is the method for manufacturing a SAW filter according to claim 2, wherein the transparent substrate is made of a material that can transmit ultraviolet light. The invention according to claim 4 is the method for manufacturing a SAW filter according to claim 2, wherein the resist is made of a positive resist. The invention according to claim 5 is a method for manufacturing a SAW filter according to claim 2, wherein the photosensitive resin is made of a negative photosensitive resin. According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the SAW filter manufactured according to the first aspect of the present invention, the bonding pads on the SAW filter element and the electrode pads on the circuit board are formed by metal bumps, metal wires, and the like. The SAW filter is characterized in that the SAW filter element and the circuit board are connected and fixed by covering with a resin.
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on an embodiment shown in the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a method for manufacturing a SAW filter according to the present invention. First, a metal film of Al or an Al alloy is formed on the main surface of the piezoelectric substrate 1, and is electrically connected to the IDT 2 composed of a pair of comb-shaped electrodes each having a plurality of electrode fingers interposed therebetween. Bonding pads 3 are formed to form the filter function unit 10 (a). The filter function unit 10 is, for example, a so-called ladder-type SAW filter in which SAW resonators having grating reflectors arranged on both sides of the IDT are connected in series, in parallel, or in series, or in a parallel (vertical direction) to the SAW propagation direction. A so-called longitudinally coupled SAW filter using a vertical vibration mode by arranging a plurality of IDTs, and using a horizontal vibration mode by arranging a plurality of IDTs vertically (horizontally) with respect to the SAW propagation direction. Such a so-called laterally-coupled SAW filter is configured to obtain desired characteristics. After forming the filter function part 10 on the piezoelectric substrate 1, the support frame 4 is formed on the main surface of the piezoelectric substrate 1 (b). FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the support frame 4 after the support frame 4 is formed on the piezoelectric substrate 1. The support frame 4 is formed by applying a resin so as to surround the IDT 2.
In addition to the step of forming the filter function section, a step of forming a lid is performed as shown in FIGS. 1 (c) to 1 (d). A positive resist 6 which is exposed when exposed on the main surface of the transparent substrate 5 is applied (c), and a negative photosensitive resin 7 which is cured when exposed on the positive resist layer is applied (d). The transparent substrate 5 is made of a material that can transmit ultraviolet rays, for example, a substrate such as glass or quartz. In this way, the positive resist 6 is applied to the first layer on the main surface of the transparent substrate 5 and the negative photosensitive resin 7 is applied to the second layer, thereby forming the lid 8.
After the filter function part and the cover part are formed, the cover part 8 is turned over so that the photosensitive resin 7 of the cover part 8 and the support frame 4 provided on the filter function part 10 face each other. (E). After placing the lid portion 8 on the support frame 4, exposure is performed through a photomask 9 (f), and the positive resist 6 in a region corresponding to the inner side of the outer peripheral edge of the support frame 4 is exposed to light and the negative type photosensitive is exposed. The reactive resin 7 cures. At the same time, the lid 8 and the support frame 4 are completely fixed. After the exposure step, the uncured photosensitive resin is removed by etching, the photosensitive resist is removed by dipping in a developing solution, and then the transparent substrate 5 is removed (g). Through the above steps, the hollow portion 11 for protecting the excitation region of the SAW is completed.
According to the present invention, the hollow portion 11 for protecting the excitation region of the SAW is formed by the manufacturing method as described above. After the lid portion 8 and the support frame 4 are bonded to each other, the hollow portion 11 is formed. Since the pattern of the lid is formed, it is not necessary to perform precise positioning when the lid and the support frame are overlapped, and the hollow portion can be easily formed.
FIG. 3 shows an embodiment in which the SAW filter element manufactured by the above-described manufacturing method is mounted on a circuit board. FIG. 3A shows the SAW filter element 21 mounted face down on the circuit board 31 so that the upper surface of the hollow portion 25 of the SAW filter element 21 and the circuit board 31 face each other. And the terminal electrode 32 of the SAW filter element 21 and the circuit board 31 are sealed with resin 35 at least through a conductive member 24 such as a metal bump. As another mounting example, as shown in FIG. 3B, the SAW filter element 21 and the circuit board 31 are fixed with an adhesive, and the bonding pad 23 provided on the SAW filter element 21 and the circuit board 31 are fixed. By connecting the terminal electrode 32 provided above with a metal wire 34, electrical continuity between the two is established, and the SAW filter element 21 and the metal wire 34 are coated with a resin 35. With the structure as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the SAW filter element and the circuit board are fixed with resin, so that good adhesive strength can be obtained, and the excitation area of the SAW is hollow. Since it is completely protected by the portion, it is possible to prevent the resin from flowing in, and to provide a small-sized and low-profile SAW filter.
[0014]
The present invention is constructed as described above. In a SAW filter element having a hollow portion for protecting a SAW excitation area, a cover is provided on a support frame provided on a filter function part. Since the pattern of the lid of the hollow portion is formed after the bonding, the hollow portion can be easily formed, and an excellent effect that a small-sized and low-profile SAW filter can be provided can be obtained.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a method for manufacturing a SAW filter according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a plan view of a SAW filter according to the present invention after a support frame is formed.
FIGS. 3A and 3B are diagrams when the SAW filter according to the present invention is mounted on a circuit board, and FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view when flip-chip bonding is mounted, and FIG. FIG.
4A and 4B are diagrams showing a structure of a conventional SAW filter, wherein FIG. 4A is a sectional view of a SAW filter having a wire bonding structure, and FIG. 4B is a sectional view of a SAW filter having a flip chip bonding structure. FIG. 4C is a cross-sectional view of a SAW filter having a resin sealing structure.
FIG. 5 is a view showing a conventional SAW filter manufacturing method.
[Explanation of symbols]
1. Piezoelectric substrate 2. IDT
3, 23 bonding pad 4 support frame 5 transparent substrate 6 positive resist 7 negative photosensitive resin 8 lid 9 photomask 10 filter function unit 11 hollow unit 21 SAW filter element 24 ... Conducting member 31 ... Circuit board 32 ... Terminal electrode 34 ... Metal wire 35 ... Sealing resin