Nonvolatile radio frequency switch chip for 5G radio frequency front end

Abstract

The invention provides a nonvolatile radio frequency switch chip for a 5G radio frequency front end. An input port, an input transmission line, a ReRAM core area MIM unit group, an output transmission line and an output port are electrically connected in sequence; and the annular ring surrounds the peripheries of the input transmission line, the ReRAM core area MIM unit group and the output transmission line. The RAM core MIM unit is of a three-layer sandwich structure and comprises a bottom electrode layer, a dielectric layer and a top electrode layer from bottom to top; the bottom electrode and the top electrode are not electrically connected and are completely isolated by the intermediate dielectric layer. According to the invention, the n ReRAM core MIM units are equidistantly arranged in the same direction to form the ReRAM core MIM unit group, the on-resistance of the switch is reduced, the insertion loss is obviously reduced, the gradient ground wire coplanar waveguide transmission line is introduced to reduce the gap capacitance effect, the isolation is improved, and the high-frequency impedance matching is improved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The application relates to the field of radio frequency integrated circuit design, and particularly relates to a non-volatile radio frequency switch chip for a 5G radio frequency front end. BACKGROUND

[0002] With the development of communication technology and integrated circuits, the radio frequency switch is playing an increasingly important role in radio frequency chips. However, it is still difficult to realize a radio frequency switch chip with low loss and ultra-wideband, and meanwhile, the existing radio frequency switches all need continuous excitation to maintain the state. The disclosed non-volatile radio frequency switch is currently mainly focused on its manufacturing method.

[0003] A phase change radio frequency switch manufacturing method is disclosed in Chinese Patent No. CN201911242574.9, which comprises the following steps: a semiconductor heating resistor is prepared on a preset semiconductor insulating substrate, and a resistance power electrode is prepared at both ends of the semiconductor heating resistor, to obtain a first sample; an isolation layer is prepared on the surface of the first sample except the resistance power electrode, a phase change material film is prepared at the position corresponding to the semiconductor heating resistor on the isolation layer, and a contact electrode is prepared at both ends of the phase change material film, to obtain a second sample, the direction of the resistance power electrode is perpendicular to the direction of the contact electrode; a passivation layer is prepared on the surface of the second sample, to obtain a phase change radio frequency switch. However, in the embodiment of the present application, the phase change radio frequency switch is made of a semiconductor material to prepare an on-off state trigger resistance heater, so that the reliability of the phase change switch can be improved, the process can be simplified, and the process cost of the phase change radio frequency switch integrated chip can be reduced.

[0004] A kind of indirect heating type phase change radio frequency switch is disclosed in Chinese Patent No. CN202311096842.7, which comprises: substrate layer, cantilever beam, insulating layer, heating layer, isolation layer, phase change layer, electrode layer and passivation layer are sequentially overlapped from bottom to top;The top center of substrate layer is provided with the recessed cavity recessed to the bottom direction of substrate layer;Cantilever beam includes a suspension platform and two or more cantilevers;Suspension platform is arranged in the middle of cantilever beam, one corresponding end of cantilever is connected with the edge of suspension platform with interval, and the other corresponding end of cantilever is arranged on the side wall of recessed cavity;The top of cantilever beam is coplanar with the top of substrate layer, and the bottom of cantilever beam and the bottom of recessed cavity have a hollow cavity;Phase change layer is arranged at the top center of isolation layer;Phase change layer is an equal-width strip structure, and the strip structure includes one or more "S" structures connected in a head-to-tail manner.

[0005] A radio frequency switch based on zinc oxide / hafnium oxide and a preparation method thereof are disclosed in Chinese Patent No. CN202410956325.0. The radio frequency switch chip is prepared on a silicon wafer carrier, with metal platinum and metal silver as electrode layers, and with molybdenum disulfide and zinc oxide as resistive switching materials. The radio frequency switch chip comprises, from bottom to top, a silicon substrate layer, an aluminum nitride layer, a nickel layer, a platinum layer, a molybdenum disulfide layer, a zinc oxide layer, a silver layer, a titanium nitride layer, a nickel layer, and a copper layer. The radio frequency switch is prepared on a silicon substrate by using a photolithography process and a PVD magnetron sputtering film coating process. The preparation method is simple and low in cost. The prepared radio frequency switch has excellent performance and good application prospects.

[0006] In summary, the non-volatile radio frequency switches disclosed in the prior art are focused on the improvement of the preparation method, and the optimization of the device structure design is relatively insufficient. SUMMARY

[0007] To solve the above problems, the present application provides a non-volatile radio frequency switch chip for a 5G radio frequency front end. The core innovation is to shift the research focus from traditional materials and manufacturing processes to device structure optimization. The unique resistance characteristics of the nonlinear ReRAM device are utilized, and a multi-finger structure is innovatively adopted to reduce the insertion loss. A gradually changing ground CPW electrode is introduced to reduce the gap capacitance effect, thereby reducing the off-state capacitance and improving the high-frequency impedance matching. The technical solutions provided by the present application are as follows. A non-volatile radio frequency switch chip for a 5G radio frequency front end, wherein the input port, the input transmission line, the ReRAM core MIM unit group, the output transmission line, and the output port are electrically connected in sequence; and the input transmission line, the ReRAM core MIM unit group, and the output transmission line are surrounded by a ring-shaped ground. The ReRAM core MIM unit group is composed of n ReRAM core MIM units arranged in the same direction and at equal distances, wherein n is an integer greater than 1. The ReRAM core MIM unit has a three-layer sandwich structure, with a bottom electrode layer, a dielectric layer, and a top electrode layer from bottom to top. The bottom electrode and the top electrode are not electrically connected and are completely separated by the intermediate dielectric layer. The three layers are vertically arranged in an overlapping region. The bottom electrode of the ReRAM core MIM unit extends out of the overlapping region and is connected to the output end of the input transmission line, and the top electrode extends out of the overlapping region and is connected to the input end of the output transmission line.

[0008] Preferably, the input transmission line and the output transmission line are gradually changing CPW structures. The line width at the connection between the input transmission line and the input port is greater than the line width at the connection between the input transmission line and the ReRAM unit group, and the line width at the connection between the output transmission line and the output port is greater than the line width at the connection between the output transmission line and the ReRAM unit group. The shape of the transmission line is rectangular, trapezoidal, horn-shaped, or any combination of the three.

[0009] Preferably, the bottom electrode layer of the ReRAM core MIM unit is rectangular, trapezoidal or triangular in shape, and the bottom electrode layer material is composed of Ti, Au, Pt, W, ITO alone or in combination.

[0010] Preferably, the top electrode layer of the ReRAM core MIM unit is rectangular, trapezoidal or triangular in shape, and the top electrode layer material is composed of Cu, Ag, Al, Pt, Au alone or in combination.

[0011] Preferably, the dielectric layer of the ReRAM core MIM unit has a size greater than the top electrode and top electrode overlapping area, and is composed of one or more combinations of metal oxides, two-dimensional materials and organic materials, wherein the metal oxides include ZnO, HfO2, TiO2 and TaO x , the two-dimensional materials include MoS2, hBN and black phosphorus, and the organic materials include nafion, AIDCN, TPD and PMMA.

[0012] Preferably, the radio frequency switch chip takes a silicon-based wafer as a carrier, and is prepared by optical lithography, magnetron sputtering, metal evaporation and the like.

[0013] Compared with the prior art, the present application has the beneficial effects that: the n ReRAM core MIM units are arranged in the same direction and at equal distances to form a ReRAM core MIM unit group, the on-off resistance is reduced, and the insertion loss is significantly reduced. The gradually changing ground coplanar waveguide transmission line is introduced to reduce the gap capacitance effect, improve the isolation degree, and improve the high-frequency impedance matching. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0014] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the application, and constitute a part of the specification, and are used together with the embodiments of the application to explain the application, and do not constitute a limitation on the application. In the drawings: Figure 1 is a general circuit structure schematic diagram of the present application; Figure 2 is a circuit structure schematic diagram of embodiment 1 of the present application; Figure 3 is a circuit structure schematic diagram of embodiment 2 of the present application; Figure 4 is a circuit structure schematic diagram of embodiment 3 of the present application; Figure 5 is a circuit structure schematic diagram of embodiment 4 of the present application; Figure 6 is the S parameter simulation result of the non-volatile radio frequency switch chip of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0016] To make the above-mentioned objectives, features and effects of the present invention more apparent and understandable, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0017] Example 1: A non-volatile radio frequency switch chip for 5G radio frequency front-end, such as Figure 2 As shown, the input port, input transmission line L1, ReRAM core area MIM unit group M, output transmission line L2 and output port are electrically connected in sequence; a ring ground 101 surrounds the input transmission line, ReRAM core area MIM unit group and output transmission line.

[0018] The ReRAM core area MIM unit group M consists of two ReRAM core MIM units M1 and M2 arranged in the same direction and at equal intervals. The RAM core MIM units M1 and M2 have a three-layer sandwich structure, from bottom to top: bottom electrode layer, dielectric layer, and top electrode layer. There is no electrical connection between the bottom electrode and the top electrode, which are completely isolated by the middle dielectric layer. The vertical area of ​​the three layers is the overlap area. The area where the bottom electrode of the ReRAM core MIM unit extends out of the overlap area is connected to the output end of the input transmission line, and the area where the top electrode extends out of the overlap area is connected to the input end of the output transmission line.

[0019] The input transmission line L1 and the output transmission line L2 are composed of a cascade of a traditional CPW transmission line structure and a gradient CPW structure, presenting a shape with a rectangular and trapezoidal connection. The line width of the input transmission line L1 at the connection with the input terminal is greater than the line width of the input transmission line at the connection with the ReRAM cell group M, and the line width of the output transmission line L2 at the connection with the output terminal is greater than the line width of the output transmission line at the connection with the ReRAM cell group M.

[0020] A ring ground 101 surrounds the input transmission line L1, the ReRAM core area MIM cell group M, and the output transmission line L2, and the ring ground extends gradually on both sides of the input transmission line L1 and the output transmission line L2, providing a ground-signal line spacing that varies to approximately 50 ohms of characteristic impedance.

[0021] The bottom electrode layer of the ReRAM core MIM unit is in the shape of a rectangle, a trapezoid or a triangle, and the material of the bottom electrode layer is composed of a single or a combination of Ti, Au, Pt, W and ITO; the top electrode layer is in the shape of a rectangle, a trapezoid or a triangle, and the material of the top electrode layer is composed of a single or a combination of Cu, Ag, Al, Pt and Au; the material of the top electrode and the bottom electrode can be the same, such as Au and Pt, which can be used as the material of the bottom electrode and the top electrode at the same time; the size of the dielectric layer is greater than the overlapping area of the top electrode and the top electrode, and the dielectric layer is composed of one or more combinations of metal oxides, two-dimensional materials and organic materials, wherein the metal oxides include ZnO, HfO2, TiO2 and TaO x , the two-dimensional materials include MoS2, hBN and black phosphorus, and the organic materials include nafion, AIDCN, TPD and PMMA.

[0022] Figure 6 The simulation curve diagram of the switching scattering parameter and the frequency relationship provided for the embodiment 1 of the present application is shown in FIG. Figure 6 , wherein S 11 represents the return loss of the input port, S 21 represents the insertion loss from the input port to the output port, the single-pole single-throw switch disclosed in the embodiment 1 has an insertion loss less than 1 dB and a return loss greater than 20 dB in the on state under DC-40 GHz, and the isolation is better than 4.5 dB in the off state.

[0023] The radio frequency switch chip takes a silicon-based wafer as a carrier, and is prepared through optical lithography, magnetron sputtering and metal evaporation technologies. The non-volatile radio frequency switch chip facing the 5G radio frequency front end can realize low loss and high matching through the ReRAM core MIM unit group and the gradually changing ground coplanar waveguide electrode.

[0024] Embodiment 2: as shown in FIG. Figure 3 , including an input transmission line L1, a ReRAM core MIM unit group M, an output transmission line L2 and a ring ground 201. Compared with the embodiment 1, the ReRAM core MIM unit group M of the present embodiment is composed of three ReRAM core MIM units M1, M2 and M3.

[0025] Embodiment 3: as shown in FIG. Figure 4 , including an input transmission line L1, a ReRAM core MIM unit group M, an output transmission line L2 and a ring ground 301. Compared with the embodiment 1, the input transmission line L1, the ReRAM core MIM unit group M and the output transmission line L2 of the present embodiment are connected in a right angle, and the input transmission line L1 and the output transmission line L2 present a rectangular-trapezoidal-rectangular connection shape.

[0026] Embodiment 4: as shown in FIG. Figure 5As shown, it comprises an input transmission line L1, a ReRAM core MIM cell group M, an output transmission line L2, and a ring 401. Compared with Embodiment 3, the ReRAM core MIM cell group M of the present embodiment is composed of 3 ReRAM cores MIM cells M1, M2, and M3.

[0027] The above merely provides preferred embodiments of the present application but not for limiting the present application. Although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, the technical solutions recorded in the foregoing embodiments can still be modified or some technical features can be replaced equivalently by those skilled in the art. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present application shall be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A non-volatile radio frequency switch chip for 5G radio frequency front-end, characterized in that, The input port, input transmission line, ReRAM core area MIM cell group, output transmission line, and output port are electrically connected in sequence; they are arranged in a ring around the input transmission line, ReRAM core area MIM cell group, and output transmission line. The ReRAM core area MIM cell group consists of n ReRAM core MIM cells arranged in the same direction and at equal intervals, where n is an integer greater than 1; the ReRAM core MIM cell has a three-layer sandwich structure, from bottom to top: bottom electrode layer, dielectric layer, and top electrode layer; there is no electrical connection between the bottom electrode and the top electrode, which are completely isolated by the middle dielectric layer, and the vertical area of ​​the three layers is the overlapping area. The bottom electrode of the ReRAM core MIM cell extends into an overlapping region that connects to the output terminal of the input transmission line, while the top electrode extends into an overlapping region that connects to the input terminal of the output transmission line.

2. The non-volatile radio frequency switch chip for 5G radio frequency front-end according to claim 1, characterized in that, Both the input and output transmission lines are gradient grounded CPW structures; the line width at the connection between the input transmission line and the input terminal is greater than the line width at the connection between the input transmission line and the ReRAM cell group, and the line width at the connection between the output transmission line and the output terminal is greater than the line width at the connection between the output transmission line and the ReRAM cell group. The shape of the transmission line can be rectangular, trapezoidal, horn-shaped, or any combination of the three.

3. A non-volatile radio frequency switch chip for 5G radio frequency front-end according to claim 2, characterized in that, The bottom electrode layer of the ReRAM core MIM unit is rectangular, trapezoidal, or triangular in shape, and the bottom electrode layer material is composed of Ti, Au, Pt, W, or ITO, either individually or in combination.

4. A non-volatile radio frequency switch chip for 5G radio frequency front-end according to claim 2, characterized in that, The top electrode layer of the ReRAM core MIM unit is rectangular, trapezoidal, or triangular in shape, and the top electrode layer material is composed of Cu, Ag, Al, Pt, or Au, either individually or in combination.

5. A non-volatile radio frequency switch chip for 5G radio frequency front-end according to claim 2, characterized in that, The dielectric layer of the ReRAM core MIM cell is larger than the overlap region between the top electrodes, and is composed of one or more combinations of metal oxides, two-dimensional materials, and organic materials, wherein the metal oxides include ZnO, HfO2, TiO2, and TaO. x Two-dimensional materials include MoS2, hBN, and black phosphorus, while organic materials include nafion, AIDCN, TPD, and PMMA.

6. A non-volatile radio frequency switch chip for 5G radio frequency front-end according to claim 1, characterized in that, Radio frequency switch chips are fabricated using silicon wafers as substrates through optical lithography, magnetron sputtering, or metal evaporation.

7. A multi-port switch, characterized in that, It includes a non-volatile radio frequency switch chip for 5G radio frequency front-end as described in any one of claims 1-6.

8. A radio frequency phase shifter, characterized in that, It includes a non-volatile radio frequency switch chip for 5G radio frequency front-end as described in any one of claims 1-6.

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