Vibration device

By integrating a heater and temperature sensor on the substrate with a vibrating element joint overlapping the heater, the vibration device achieves efficient heat transfer and precise temperature control, enhancing the accuracy of oscillation frequency.

JP2025039834AActive Publication Date: 2025-03-21SEIKO EPSON CORP

Patent Information

Application Number
JP2025005280
Authority / Receiving Office
JP · JP
Patent Type
Applications
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2025-01-15
Publication Date
2025-03-21
Estimated Expiration
2041-04-27

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

The existing crystal resonator design has an inefficient heat transfer issue due to the separation of the crystal piece and the IC board from the heater circuit, making it difficult to quickly and accurately control the temperature.

Method used

The vibration device incorporates a substrate with a heater and temperature sensor on one surface, a vibrating element with a joint portion overlapping the heater, and a circuit for temperature control, ensuring efficient heat transfer and precise temperature management.

Benefits of technology

This configuration allows for high-precision temperature control and improved accuracy of oscillation frequency, addressing the inefficiencies in existing designs.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

To provide a vibration device that outputs highly accurate oscillatory frequency.SOLUTION: A vibration device 1 has: a substrate 11 that includes a first surface 11a and a second surface 11b located on the opposite side of the first surface 11a; a heater 14 that is provided on the first surface 11a side of the substrate 11; a temperature sensor 15 that is provided on the first surface 11a side of the substrate 11; a vibration element 30 that is arranged on the first surface 11a side of the substrate 11 and has a first junction 35 joined to the substrate 11; a lid 12 that is joined to the substrate 11 to accommodate the vibration element 30 together with the substrate 11; and a circuit 16 that is provided on one of the first surface 11a and the second surface 11b and includes a temperature control circuit 16A controlling the heater 14 based on output from the temperature sensor 15. The first junction 35 is arranged to overlap the heater 14 in plan view from a direction orthogonal to the first surface 11a.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1
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Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vibration device. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a quartz crystal unit having a base substrate with a recess, an IC substrate fixed to the bottom surface of the recess, a quartz crystal piece fixed to the top surface of the IC substrate via a conductive adhesive, and a lid bonded to the base substrate so as to cover the opening of the recess. In addition, a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the quartz crystal piece and a heater circuit for heating the quartz crystal piece are arranged on the top surface of the IC substrate, and the temperature inside the package of the quartz crystal unit is controlled to be kept constant. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2015-33065 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the quartz crystal unit described in Patent Document 1 has a problem in that the connection part connecting the quartz crystal piece and the IC substrate and the heater circuit, which is the heat source, are separated, so that the heat from the heater circuit is not efficiently transferred to the quartz crystal piece, making it difficult to control the temperature quickly and accurately. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The vibration device has a substrate having a first surface and a second surface located opposite the first surface, a heater provided on the first surface side of the substrate, a temperature sensor provided on the first surface side of the substrate, a vibration element arranged on the first surface side of the substrate and having a first bonding portion bonded to the substrate, a lid bonded to the substrate so as to house the vibration element together with the substrate, and a circuit provided on either the first surface or the second surface and including a temperature control circuit that controls the heater based on the output of the temperature sensor, wherein the first bonding portion is arranged to overlap with the heater when viewed in a planar view from a direction perpendicular to the first surface. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0006] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic structure of a vibration device according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] Cross-sectional view taken along line AA in Figure 1. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic structure of a vibration device. [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a schematic structure of a vibration device according to a second embodiment. [Diagram 5] Cross-sectional view of line BB in Figure 4. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a schematic structure of a vibration device according to a third embodiment. [Figure 7] Cross-sectional view taken along line CC in Figure 6. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic structure of a vibration device. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a plan view showing a schematic structure of a vibration device according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 10] Cross-sectional view taken along line DD in Figure 9. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a plan view showing a schematic structure of a vibration device according to a fifth embodiment. [Figure 12] Cross-sectional view taken along line EE in Figure 11. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0007] 1. First embodiment First, a resonation device 1 according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, taking an oven-controlled oscillator (OCXO) as an example. In FIG. 1, for convenience of explaining the internal configuration of the vibration device 1, the lid 12 is removed. In FIG. 3, for convenience of explaining the internal configuration of the vibration device 1, the lid 12 and the vibration element 30 are removed. In addition, for convenience of explanation, the following figures show three mutually orthogonal axes, the X-axis, the Y-axis, and the Z-axis. In addition, the direction along the X-axis is called the "X-direction", the direction along the Y-axis is called the "Y-direction", and the direction along the Z-axis is called the "Z-direction". In addition, the arrow side of each axis is called the "plus side", and the opposite side to the arrow is called the "minus side". In addition, the plus side of the Z direction is called the "upper side", and the minus side of the Z direction is called the "lower side".

[0008] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the vibration device 1 has a package 10 consisting of a base substrate 11 and a lid 12, a vibration element 30 housed in the internal space 29 of the package 10, and a heater 14, a temperature sensor 15, and a circuit 16 provided on the first surface 11a side of the substrate 11.

[0009] The vibration element 30 is located on the first surface 11a side of the substrate 11 and includes a vibration substrate 31, an excitation electrode 32 that vibrates the vibration substrate 31, an electrode terminal 34 that outputs an oscillation signal to the outside and is located on the surface of the vibration substrate 31 on the substrate 11 side, and a lead electrode 33 that extends from the excitation electrode 32 to the negative side in the X direction and electrically connects the excitation electrode 32 and the electrode terminal 34. The vibration substrate 31 also has a vibration section 36 on which the excitation electrode 32 is located and which vibrates, and a first joint section 35 that is located on the negative side in the X direction of the vibration section 36 and is joined to the substrate 11. The vibration element 30 is bonded onto the first surface 11a of the substrate 11 via a conductive bonding member 25 such as a metal bump or a conductive adhesive. As the vibration substrate 31, an AT-cut quartz crystal substrate, an SC-cut quartz crystal substrate, a BT-cut quartz crystal substrate, or the like is used.

[0010] The package 10 has a substrate 11 and a lid 12 bonded to the substrate 11, and houses a vibration element 30 in an internal space 29 formed between the substrate 11 and the lid 12. The substrate 11 is a semiconductor substrate containing single crystal silicon, and in particular, in this embodiment, is a silicon substrate. The substrate 11 is not particularly limited, and may be a semiconductor substrate other than silicon, such as a germanium substrate, a gallium arsenide substrate, a gallium phosphide substrate, a gallium nitride substrate, or a silicon carbide substrate, or may be a substrate other than a semiconductor substrate, such as a ceramic substrate.

[0011] The substrate 11 is plate-shaped and has a first surface 11a on which the vibration element 30 is disposed, and a second surface 11b located on the opposite side to the first surface 11a. An insulating film 17 is formed on the surface of the substrate 11 except for the bonding region with the lid 12. The insulating film 17 can be formed by thermally oxidizing the substrate 11.

[0012] On the first surface 11a of the substrate 11, a plurality of wirings 19 are arranged to electrically connect the heater 14 and the temperature sensor 15 formed on the insulating film 18 to the circuit 16 including the temperature control circuit 16A, and to electrically connect the vibration element 30 bonded on the insulating film 18 to the circuit 16 including the oscillation circuit 16B. In addition, the insulating film 18 forming the heater 14, the temperature sensor 15, and the circuit 16 is arranged on the insulating film 17 and the wirings 19. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, a bonding terminal 23 that bonds the vibration element 30 via a conductive bonding member 25 is arranged on the insulating film 18 at a position overlapping with the heater 14. The bonding of the vibration element 30 to the substrate 11 specifically means bonding the bonding terminal 23 provided on the substrate 11 to the electrode terminal 34 provided on the surface of the vibration element 30 facing the substrate 11 in the first bonding portion 35 by the conductive bonding member 25.

[0013] In this embodiment, in a plan view from the Z direction, which is a direction perpendicular to the first surface 11a, the bonding terminal 23 that bonds the vibration element 30 is disposed at a position overlapping with the heater 14, so that the first bonding portion 35 of the vibration element 30, on which the electrode terminal 34 is provided, can be disposed so as to overlap with the heater 14. Therefore, the heat of the heater 14 is efficiently transferred to the vibration element 30, enabling highly accurate temperature control and improving the accuracy of the oscillation frequency.

[0014] The circuit 16 includes a temperature control circuit 16A that controls the heater 14 based on the output of the temperature sensor 15, and an oscillation circuit 16B that amplifies the output signal of the vibration element 30 and causes the vibration element 30 to oscillate by feeding back the amplified signal to the vibration element 30. The temperature control circuit 16A is a circuit for maintaining the vibration element 30 at a constant temperature by controlling the amount of current flowing through the heater 14 based on temperature information output from the temperature sensor 15. For example, the temperature control circuit 16A controls the heater 14 to pass a desired current when the current temperature determined from the output signal of the temperature sensor 15 is lower than a set reference temperature, and controls the heater 14 so that no current flows when the current temperature is higher than the reference temperature.

[0015] In this embodiment, the circuit 16 is disposed on the first surface 11a side, but may be disposed on the second surface 11b side. Also, the circuit 16 may be provided with a temperature compensation circuit that performs temperature compensation based on temperature information output from the temperature sensor 15 so that the frequency fluctuation of the oscillation signal of the oscillation circuit 16B becomes smaller than the frequency-temperature characteristics of the vibration element 30 itself.

[0016] On the second surface 11b of the substrate 11, a plurality of external terminals 22 are formed which are electrically connected to the circuit 16 provided on the first surface 11a side via wiring 19 or the like.

[0017] Furthermore, a pair of through holes 20 are formed in the substrate 11, penetrating the substrate 11 in the thickness direction. A conductive material is filled in the through holes 20, and a through electrode 21 is formed therein. Therefore, the external terminal 22 is electrically connected to the circuit 16 via the through electrode 21 and the wiring 19, and by passing a current through the external terminal 22, a voltage is applied from the oscillation circuit 16B to the excitation electrode 32 of the vibration element 30, causing the vibration element 30 to oscillate. Furthermore, an oscillation signal output from the oscillation circuit 16B can be output from the external terminal 22 to the outside.

[0018] The lid 12 is a silicon substrate, like the substrate 11. This makes the linear expansion coefficients of the substrate 11 and the lid 12 equal, suppressing the generation of thermal stress caused by thermal expansion, and resulting in a resonator device 1 with excellent vibration characteristics. In addition, since the resonator device 1 can be formed by a semiconductor process, the resonator device 1 can be manufactured with high precision and can be made smaller. However, the lid 12 is not particularly limited, and a semiconductor substrate other than silicon, such as a semiconductor substrate of germanium, gallium arsenide, gallium phosphide, gallium nitride, silicon carbide, or the like, may be used. In addition, a substrate other than a semiconductor substrate, such as a metal substrate such as kovar, or a glass substrate, may be used.

[0019] The lid 12 has an opening on the substrate 11 side and a bottomed recess 27 for accommodating the vibration element 30 therein. The lid 12 is bonded to the substrate 11 at its lower surface via a bonding member 13. As a result, the lid 12 and the substrate 11 form an internal space 29 for accommodating the vibration element 30. Note that the method for bonding the substrate 11 and the lid 12 may be a bonding method such as diffusion bonding that utilizes diffusion between metals contained in the substrate 11 and the lid 12 without using the bonding member 13.

[0020] Moreover, the internal space 29 is airtight and in a reduced pressure state, preferably in a state closer to a vacuum, which reduces viscous resistance and improves the oscillation characteristics of the vibration element 30. However, the atmosphere of the internal space 29 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, an atmosphere filled with an inert gas such as nitrogen or argon, or may be in an atmospheric pressure state or a pressurized state instead of a reduced pressure state.

[0021] As described above, in the vibration device 1 of this embodiment, the first joint 35 of the vibration element 30 is disposed so as to overlap with the heater 14 in a plan view from the Z direction, and therefore, heat from the heater 14 is efficiently transferred to the vibration element 30. Therefore, the temperature of the vibration element 30 can be controlled with high accuracy, and the accuracy of the oscillation frequency output from the vibration device 1 can be improved.

[0022] 2. Second embodiment Next, a resonation device 1a according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 4 and Fig. 5. In Fig. 4, for the sake of convenience in describing the internal configuration of the resonation device 1a, the lid 12 and the resonator element 30 are removed.

[0023] The resonator device 1a of this embodiment is similar to the resonator device 1 of the first embodiment, except that the arrangement position of the temperature sensor 15a and the shape of the heater 14a are different from those of the resonator device 1 of the first embodiment. Note that the following description will focus on the differences from the first embodiment described above, and similar items are denoted by the same reference numerals and their description will be omitted.

[0024] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the vibration device 1a has a vibration element 30, a heater 14a, a temperature sensor 15a, and a circuit 16 on the first surface 11a side of the substrate 11.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 4, the heater 14a has a pattern shape surrounding the temperature sensor 15a when viewed in a plan view from the Z direction. The temperature sensor 15a is located approximately in the center of the substrate 11 when viewed from above in the Z direction, and is disposed so as to be surrounded by the heater 14a.

[0026] With this configuration, the temperature difference between the vibration element 30, the heater 14a, and the temperature sensor 15a can be further reduced, and the same effects as those of the vibration device 1 of the first embodiment can be obtained.

[0027] 3. Third embodiment Next, a resonator device 1b according to a third embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 6, Fig. 7, and Fig. 8. In Fig. 6, the resonator device 1b is shown with the lid 12 removed for ease of describing the internal configuration. In Fig. 8, the resonator device 1b is shown with the lid 12 and the resonator element 30b removed for ease of describing the internal configuration.

[0028] The resonator device 1b of this embodiment is similar to the resonator device 1 of the first embodiment except that, compared to the resonator device 1 of the first embodiment, the substrate 11 is bonded to the resonator element 30b at three positions, the shapes of the resonator element 30b and the heater 14b, and the position of the temperature sensor 15b are different. Note that the following description will focus on the differences from the first embodiment described above, and similar items will be denoted by the same reference numerals and their description will be omitted.

[0029] The resonator device 1b includes a resonator element 30b, a heater 14b, a temperature sensor 15b, and a circuit 16 on the first surface 11a side of the substrate 11, as shown in FIGS.

[0030] The vibration element 30b has a second bonding portion 37 disposed on the opposite side of the vibration portion 36 from the first bonding portion 35 in a plan view from the Z direction, and disposed so as to overlap the heater 14b. An electrode terminal 38 provided on a surface of the second bonding portion 37 facing the substrate 11 is bonded to a bonding terminal 24 provided on the substrate 11 via a conductive bonding member 25. Therefore, the vibration element 30b is bonded to the substrate 11 at a total of three locations, two locations at the first bonding portion 35 and one location at the second bonding portion 37.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 8, the heater 14b has a pattern shape surrounding three joining terminals 23 and 24 for joining the vibration element 30b in plan view from the Z direction. Temperature sensor 15b is disposed on the negative side of heater 14b in the X direction.

[0032] With this configuration, heat from the heater 14b is transferred from two points of the first bonding portion 35 bonded to the substrate 11 and one point of the second bonding portion 37 disposed on the opposite side of the vibration portion 36 from the first bonding portion 35, thereby suppressing temperature unevenness in the vibration element 30b. In addition, since the vibration element 30b is held at three points, it is possible to improve impact resistance against a drop impact, etc., and to obtain the same effect as the vibration device 1 of the first embodiment.

[0033] 4. Fourth embodiment Next, a resonation device 1c according to a fourth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 9 and Fig. 10. In Fig. 9, for the sake of convenience in describing the internal configuration of the resonation device 1c, the lid 12 is removed.

[0034] The resonator device 1c of this embodiment is similar to the resonator device 1 of the first embodiment, except that the circuit 16c is disposed on the second surface 11b side, a first through electrode 21a electrically connected to the heater 14, a second through electrode 21b electrically connected to the temperature sensor 15, and a third through electrode 21c electrically connected to the resonator element 30 are provided on the substrate 11c, and an insulating layer 40 is provided to cover the circuit 16c. Note that the following description will focus on the differences from the first embodiment described above, and similar items will be denoted by the same reference numerals and their description will be omitted.

[0035] 9 and 10, the resonation device 1c includes a circuit 16c including a temperature control circuit 16A and an oscillation circuit 16B on the second surface 11b side of a substrate 11c constituting a package 10c. An insulating layer 40 is provided on the circuit 16c to cover the circuit 16c. The insulating layer 40 acts as a passivation film, and is made of silicon nitride, silicon oxide, or an organic material such as polyimide.

[0036] The substrate 11c has a first through electrode 21a electrically connecting a heater 14 provided in a through hole 20a penetrating the first surface 11a and the second surface 11b to a circuit 16c, a second through electrode 21b electrically connecting a temperature sensor 15 provided in a through hole 20b penetrating the first surface 11a and the second surface 11b to the circuit 16c, and a third through electrode 21c electrically connecting a vibration element 30 provided in a through hole 20c penetrating the first surface 11a and the second surface 11b to the circuit 16c.

[0037] With this configuration, the heater 14, the temperature sensor 15, and the vibration element 30 can be easily electrically connected to the circuit 16c. In addition, in order to electrically connect the heater 14, the temperature sensor 15, and the vibration element 30 to the circuit 16c, it is not necessary to route wiring from inside the internal space 29 to the outside of the substrate 11c. Therefore, the airtightness of the internal space 29 can be more reliably ensured. In addition, by covering the circuit 16c with the insulating layer 40, it is possible to effectively suppress the heat of the vibration element 30 from being released to the outside through the substrate 11c. Therefore, it is easier to keep the temperature of the vibration element 30 constant, and the power consumption of the heater 14 can be reduced, and the same effect as that of the vibration device 1 of the first embodiment can be obtained.

[0038] 5. Fifth embodiment Next, a resonation device 1d according to a fifth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 11 and Fig. 12. In Fig. 11, for the sake of convenience in describing the internal configuration of the resonation device 1d, a lid 12d is removed.

[0039] The resonator device 1d of this embodiment is similar to the resonator device 1 of the first embodiment, except that a heat insulating layer 26 is provided on a surface 28 of the lid 12d on the side that houses the resonator element 30. The following description will focus on the differences from the first embodiment, and similar items are denoted by the same reference numerals and their description will be omitted.

[0040] 11 and 12, the resonator device 1d has a heat insulating layer 26 on a surface 28 of a lid 12d constituting a package 10d, the surface 28 housing the resonator element 30. The heat insulating layer 26 is made of a material having a lower thermal conductivity than the substrate 11 and the lid 12d. Examples of the heat insulating layer 26 that can be used include porous resin materials such as silicon oxide and porous polyimide, various glass materials, and inorganic porous materials such as silica aerogel.

[0041] With this configuration, the heat insulating layer 26 makes it easier to keep the temperature of the vibration element 30 constant, and the power consumption of the heater 14 can be reduced, thereby obtaining the same effects as the vibration device 1 of the first embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] Reference Signs List 1, 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d... vibration device, 10... package, 11... substrate, 11a... first surface, 11b... second surface, 12... lid, 13... bonding member, 14... heater, 15... temperature sensor, 16... circuit, 16A... temperature control circuit, 16B... oscillation circuit, 17... insulating film, 18... insulating film, 19... wiring, 20, 20a, 20b, 20c... through hole, 21... through electrode, 21a... first Through electrode, 21b...second through electrode, 21c...third through electrode, 22...external terminal, 23, 24...joint terminal, 25...conductive bonding member, 26...insulating layer, 27...recess, 28...surface, 29...internal space, 30...vibration element, 31...vibration substrate, 32...excitation electrode, 33...lead electrode, 34...electrode terminal, 35...first bonding portion, 36...vibration portion, 37...second bonding portion, 38...electrode terminal, 40...insulating layer.

Claims

1. a substrate having a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface; a heater provided on the first surface side of the substrate; a temperature sensor provided on the first surface side of the substrate; a vibration element disposed on the first surface side of the substrate and having a first bonding portion bonded to the substrate; a lid that is bonded to the substrate so as to house the vibration element together with the substrate; and a circuit that is provided on either the first surface or the second surface and includes a temperature control circuit that controls the heater based on an output of the temperature sensor, The first joint portion is disposed so as to overlap the heater in a plan view from a direction perpendicular to the first surface. Vibration devices.

2. The vibration element has a vibration portion and a second bonding portion bonded to the substrate, the second joint portion is disposed on an opposite side of the vibration portion from the first joint portion in the plan view, and is disposed so as to overlap the heater; The vibration device according to claim 1 .

3. The temperature sensor is surrounded by the heater in the plan view. The vibration device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The circuit is provided on the second surface, the substrate has a first through electrode that penetrates the first surface and the second surface and electrically connects the heater and the circuit, and a second through electrode that penetrates the first surface and the second surface and electrically connects the temperature sensor and the circuit, A vibration device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The circuit includes an oscillator circuit, The substrate has a third through electrode that penetrates the first surface and the second surface and electrically connects the vibration element and the circuit. The vibration device according to claim 4 .

6. an insulating layer provided on the second surface side of the substrate and covering the circuit; The vibration device according to claim 4 or 5.

7. The lid has a heat insulating layer disposed on a surface on the side housing the vibration element. A vibration device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

Citation Information

Patent Citations

  • Quartz oscillator and heat insulation method therein

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  • Oscillator device comprising thermally-controlled piezoelectric resonator

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