Piezo Stack Electrode Layout for Diffusion-Blocked Contacts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Microelectronics devices with piezo elements face challenges in preventing diffusion of foreign atoms, which can lead to reduced device lifespan and performance, particularly due to the lack of effective diffusion barriers in the electrical paths and contact areas.
Innovation Solution
The integration of diffusion blocking elements on the electrodes, which are designed to be at least partly at a distance from the piezo elements and form a contact surface that is significantly smaller than the piezo element's surface, along with an electrical path that is lengthened to be several times the circumference of the contact opening, effectively creating a barrier against diffusion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a contact opening is made to contact the electrode, then electrical connection is achieved, but foreign atoms can diffuse along the electrical path to the piezo element
Solution Approach 1:
A diffusion blocking element is introduced as an intermediary component between the contact opening and the piezo element. This element actively prevents foreign atoms from diffusing along the electrical path while maintaining electrical connectivity, thus protecting the piezo element without requiring excessive path lengthening
Solution Approach 2:
The diffusion blocking element is positioned at a specific distance from the piezo element, creating a spatial separation that interrupts the diffusion path. By utilizing the third dimension (vertical positioning on the electrode), the solution blocks diffusion without significantly increasing the lateral electrical path length
2Reliability
If the contact surface is made small to reduce diffusion area, then diffusion probability is reduced, but electrical contact quality may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The diffusion blocking element provides localized diffusion protection at the critical interface near the piezo element, while the contact opening maintains its necessary size for electrical connectivity. The blocking element's material properties and positioning create a localized barrier without compromising the overall contact quality
Solution Approach 2:
The diffusion blocking element acts as a mediator that decouples the relationship between contact surface size and diffusion protection. It allows the contact opening to be sufficiently large for electrical contact while simultaneously preventing foreign atom diffusion, thus resolving the trade-off between contact quality and diffusion protection
Data Source
AI summary
A microelectronics device, in particular a thin-film electronics device, having at least one bearer substrate and having at least one pyramidally layered, piezo stack situated on the bearer substrate, which stack has at least one piezo element and at least one electrode, in particular a floor electrode, and having at least one contact opening situated on the at least one electrode. The microelectronics device has a diffusion blocking element that is situated on the at least one electrode at least partly at a distance from the piezo element, and/or the contact opening forms a contact surface that is at most as large as one one-thousandth of a surface of the at least one piezo element, and/or a length of an electrical path from the at least one contact opening to the at least one piezo element corresponds to at least twice the circumference of the at least one contact opening.