Integrated circuit inductors

• US 20020095772A1
• Filed: 03/18/2002
• Published: 07/25/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
• Inventors: Ahn, Kie Y., Forbes, Leonard
• Granted Patent: US 6,910,260 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 29/604
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 17/0033 with the coil helically wound around a magnetic core
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/2804 Printed windings
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 37/00 Fixed inductances not covered by group H01F17/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/08 including only semiconductor components of a single kind
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 257/924 with passive device, e.g. capacitor, or battery, as integral part of housing or housing element, e.g. cap
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4902 Electromagnet, transformer or inductor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49037 Using reference point/surface to facilitate measuring
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49069 Data storage inductor or core
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49071 by winding or coiling
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49073 by assembling coil and core
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49075 including permanent magnet or core

Abstract

The invention relates to an inductor comprising a plurality of interconnected conductive segments interwoven with a substrate. The inductance of the inductor is increased through the use of coatings and films of ferromagnetic materials such as magnetic metals, alloys, and oxides. The inductor is compatible with integrated circuit manufacturing techniques and eliminates the need in many systems and circuits for large off chip inductors. A sense and measurement coil, which is fabricated on the same substrate as the inductor, provides the capability to measure the magnetic field or flux produced by the inductor. This on chip measurement capability supplies information that permits circuit engineers to design and fabricate on chip inductors to very tight tolerances.

Claims

1. An inductor comprising:

a substrate having a plurality of holes and a plurality of surfaces;

a conductive material having a conductivity of at least copper and filling at least three of the plurality of holes to form a plurality of conductive segments; and

a plurality of conductive interconnects formed on at least one of the plurality of surfaces and coupling to the plurality of conductive segments to form a continuous conductive coil.

6. The inductor of claim 1, wherein the conductor includes copper or gold.

7. The inductor of claim 1, wherein the continuous conductive coil has a triangular cross-section.

8. The inductor of claim 1, wherein the substrate includes one or more magnetic films at least partially surrounded by the coil.

9. The inductor of claim 8, wherein the one or more magnetic films comprises a magnetic oxide.

10. The inductor of claim 1, further including at least two leads connected to the coil.

11. The inductor of claim 10, further including a circuit connected to the at least two leads.

13. The inductor of claim 12, further including a magnetic film formed between one of the substrate opposing surfaces and the plurality of conductive interconnects.

14. The inductor of claim 13, wherein the magnetic film comprises a magnetic oxide.

15. The inductor of claim 12, further including two or more leads connected to the coil.

16. The inductor of claim 15, further including a circuit connected to the two or more leads.

17. The inductor of claim 13, further including an insulator layer covering the magnetic film.

18. The inductor of claim 12, wherein the coil has a rectangular cross-section.

20. The inductor of claim 19, wherein the conductive material comprises copper or gold.

2. An inductor comprising:

a substrate having a plurality of perforations and a plurality of layers; and

a conductive material interwoven with the substrate through the plurality of perforations and operable for producing a reinforcing magnetic field in the plurality of layers.

3. The inductor of claim 2, wherein at least one of the plurality of layers is a magnetic film.

4. The inductor of claim 3, wherein the magnetic film is a magnetic oxide.

5. The inductor of claim 2, wherein at least one of the plurality of layers is fabricated from nickel and iron.

19. The inductor according to claim 2, wherein the conductive material has a conductivity equal to or greater than that of copper.

21. The inductor of claim 2, wherein the coil has a triangular cross-section.

22. The inductor of claim 2, wherein the coil has a rectangular cross-section.

24. The inductor of claim 23, wherein the conductive material comprises copper or gold.

25. The inductor of claim 23, including first and second magnetic film layers formed on each of the opposing substrate surfaces, respectively.

26. The inductor of claim 23, wherein the substrate comprises a crystalline semiconductor.

27. The inductor of claim 23, wherein the magnetic film layer comprises a magnetic oxide.

28. The inductor of claim 23, wherein the magnetic film layer comprises nickel and iron.

30. The inductor of claim 29, wherein the plurality of layers includes a layer of magnetic oxide.

31. The inductor of claim 29, wherein the plurality of layers includes an insulating layer.

32. The inductor of claim 29, wherein the conductive path comprises a first set of straight conductive segments connected to a plurality of straight conductive interconnects.

12. An inductor comprising:

a substrate having a plurality of holes connecting opposing substrate surfaces;

a conductive material having a conductivity equal to or greater than that of copper filling the plurality of holes to form a plurality of conductive segments; and

a plurality of conductive interconnects coupled to the plurality of conductive segments to form a continuous conductive coil that surrounds the opposing substrate surfaces.

23. An inductor comprising:

a substrate having a plurality of perforations connecting opposing substrate surfaces;

a magnetic film layer atop at least one of the opposing substrate surfaces; and

a conductive material interwoven with the substrate through the plurality of perforations and operable for producing a reinforcing magnetic field in the magnetic film layer.

29. An inductor comprising:

a substrate having a plurality of through perforations and a plurality of layers;

a conductive material interwoven with the substrate through the plurality of perforations thereby forming a conductive path in the form of a coil that surrounds at least one of the plurality of layers and that is capable of producing a reinforcing magnetic field in at least one of the plurality of layers.

33. An inductor comprising:

a semiconductor substrate having a plurality of through holes and a plurality of layers;

copper filling the through holes to form a plurality of copper segments;

a plurality of conductive interconnects coupled to the plurality of copper segments to form a continuous conductive coil surrounding the substrate and at least one of the plurality of layers.

34. The inductor of claim 33, wherein the plurality of layers includes a magnetic film.

35. The inductor of claim 34, wherein the plurality of layers includes an insulating layer covering the magnetic film.

36. The inductor of claim 34, wherein the magnetic film is surrounded by the conductive coil.

37. The inductor of claim 33, wherein the conductive interconnects are copper.

39. The inductor of claim 38, further including at least two conductive leads connected to the coil.

40. The inductor of claim 39, further including a circuit connected to the at least two conductive leads.

41. The inductor of claim 40, wherein the circuit includes memory cells.

42. The inductor of claim 38, wherein the conductive material is copper.

43. The inductor of claim 38, wherein the conductive material is gold.

38. An inductor comprising:

a substrate having a plurality of holes connecting two of a plurality of substrate surfaces;

one or more layers of magnetic material formed on at least one of the substrate surfaces;

a conductive material filling the plurality of holes to form a corresponding plurality of conductive segments, the conductive material having a conductivity equal to or greater than that of copper;

a plurality of conductive interconnects coupled to the plurality of conductive segments to form a continuous conductive coil that surrounds the substrate surfaces and at least one of the one or more layers.

44. An inductor comprising:

a semiconductor substrate having a plurality of through perforations that connect first and second sides of the substrate;

a plurality of layers formed atop at least one of the first and second sides;

first conductive segments comprising a first conductive material formed in the through perforations;

second conductive segments comprising a second conductive material and connected to the first conductive segments to form a coil that is at least partially interwoven with the substrate, the coil operable for producing a reinforcing magnetic field in the plurality of layers.

45. The inductor of claim 44, wherein the first and second conductive materials comprise copper or gold.

46. The inductor of claim 44, wherein the plurality of layers includes at least one layer of magnetic material.

47. The inductor of claim 46, wherein the plurality of layers includes an insulator layer covering the magnetic material layer.