Method and apparatus for delivering power to semiconductors

• US 10,128,764 B1
• Filed: 04/05/2016
• Issued: 11/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vicor Corporation
• Original Assignee: VLT Incorporated (Vicor Corporation)
• Inventors: Vinciarelli, Patrizio
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo, Peter DungBa
• Assistant Examiner(s): Carley, Jeffrey
• Application Number:
  US15/091,385
• Time in Patent Office: 952 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 1/44 of magnetic liquids, e.g. ferrofluids particles in a bonding agent H01F1/28, H01F1/36, H01F1/37
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 1/447 characterised by magnetoviscosity, e.g. magnetorheological, magnetothixotropic, magnetodilatant liquids electrorheological fluids C10M171/001
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 2003/106 Magnetic circuits using combinations of different magnetic materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 2027/2809 on stacked layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 2027/2819 Planar transformers with printed windings, e.g. surrounded by two cores and to be mounted on printed circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/2804 Printed windings
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 3/10 Composite arrangements of magnetic circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 41/041 Printed circuit coils apparatus or processes for manufacturing printed circuits in general H05K3/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0058 by employing soft switching techniques, i.e. commutation of transistors when applied voltage is zero or when current flow is zero using an auxiliary actively switched resonant commutation circuit connected to an intermediate DC voltage or between two push-pull branches of an inverter bridge H02M7/4811; in resonant inverters H02M7/4815; in inverters operating from a resonant DC source H02M7/4826
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/008 Plural converter units for generating at two or more independent and non-parallel outputs, e.g. systems with plural point of load switching regulators
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/44 Circuits or arrangements for compensating for electromagnetic interference in converters or inverters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/003 Constructional details, e.g. physical layout, assembly, wiring or busbar connections
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/33523 with galvanic isolation between input and output of both the power stage and the feedback loop
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/33561 having more than one ouput with independent control
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/33592 having a synchronous rectifier circuit or a synchronous freewheeling circuit at the secondary side of an isolation transformer
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/3376 with automatic control of output voltage or current
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0204 using means for thermal conduction connection in the thickness direction of the substrate H05K1/0207 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0265 characterized by the lay-out of or details of the printed conductors, e.g. reinforced conductors, redundant conductors, conductors having different cross-sections
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0298 Multilayer circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/165 incorporating printed inductors
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/181 : associated with surface mounted components
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/08 : Magnetic details
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/086 : for inductive purposes, e.g. printed inductor with ferrite core
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/0011 : Working of insulating substrates or insulating layers
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/02 : in which the conductive material is applied to the surface of the insulating support and is thereafter removed from such areas of the surface which are not intended for current conducting or shielding
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/10 : Technologies improving the efficiency by using switched-mode power supplies [SMPS], i.e. efficient power electronics conversion e.g. power factor correction or reduction of losses in power supplies or efficient standby modes

Abstract

A semiconductor package includes a VLSI semiconductor die and one or more output circuits connected to supply power to the die mounted to a package substrate. The output circuit(s), which include a transformer and rectification circuitry, provide current multiplication at an essentially fixed conversion ratio, K, in the semiconductor package, receiving AC power at a relatively high voltage and delivering DC power at a relatively low voltage to the die. The output circuits may be connected in series or parallel as needed. A driver circuit may be provided outside the semiconductor package for receiving power from a source and driving the transformer in the output circuit(s), preferably with sinusoidal currents. The driver circuit may drive a plurality of output circuits. The semiconductor package may require far fewer interface connections for supplying power to the die.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a planar magnetic structure including a multilayer printed circuit board (PCB) having a first external surface, a second external surface, and conductive features arranged on conductive layers of the PCB to form one or more windings around one or more predetermined axes;

a hole in the PCB at each of the one or more predetermined axes, each hole having an inner edge aligned with an inner circumference of one of the windings;

a first magnetically permeable core section affixed to the first external surface of the PCB covering a selected hole or selected holes;

a second magnetically permeable core section affixed to the second external surface of the PCB covering the selected hole or selected holes;

a magnetically permeable fluid disposed in the selected hole or selected holes, wherein the effective magnetic permeability of the magnetically permeable fluid is 10 or greater; and

wherein the magnetically permeable fluid is contained within the selected hole or selected holes.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a clearance between the inner edge of the hole at each of the one or more predetermined axes and the inner circumference of the one of the windings.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the hole at each of the one or more predetermined axes has a circular cross-section, and the clearance comprises a uniform distance around a circumference of the hole at each of the one or more predetermined axes and the inner edge of the winding has a complementary cross-section to the hole at each of the one or more predetermined axes.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising at least one aperture formed in the second magnetically permeable core section aligned with each of the selected hole or selected holes, and having a plug disposed in the at least one aperture wherein the plug forms a seal covering the respective selected hole or selected holes.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first magnetically permeable core section comprises a ferrite core plate.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the second magnetically permeable core section comprises a ferrite core plate having an aperture formed therein and filled with a plug.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the magnetically permeable fluid is a liquid.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the magnetically permeable fluid comprises a powder and a curable medium.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a semiconductor package including a substrate having a plurality of interface connections connected to at least one surface of the package substrate and one or more semiconductor chips mounted to the substrate, the interface connections adapted for electrical connection to a system board;

one or more power conversion circuits housed in the semiconductor package, each power conversion circuit including at least one switch, a switch controller, and an inductive component for converting power from an input at an input voltage to an output at an output voltage for delivery to the one or more semiconductor chips, wherein the switch controller is configured to turn the at least one switch ON or OFF; and

wherein the inductive component comprises the planar magnetic structure.

10. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the magnetically permeable fluid is a powder.

11. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the magnetically permeable fluid fills and forms the shape of the selected hole or selected holes.

12. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the magnetically permeable fluid extends between the first core section and the second core section filling the selected hole or selected holes.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the hole at each of the one or more predetermined axes extend generally perpendicularly to the first and second external surfaces, and the one or more windings are generally parallel with the first and second external surfaces.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first magnetically permeable core section has an effective magnetic permeability greater than 25.