Inductor for radio frequency integrated circuit

• US 20040119574A1
• Filed: 09/12/2003
• Published: 06/24/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Hoon-tae, Cho, Gea-ok, Lee, Kwang-du
• Granted Patent: US 7,205,876 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 336/200
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 17/0013 with stacked layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 17/0033 with the coil helically wound around a magnetic core
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/5227 Inductive arrangements or effects of, or between, wiring layers other inductive arrangements H01L23/645
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/3011 Impedance

Abstract

An inductor used in a radio frequency integrated circuit is disclosed. The inductor includes a plurality of unit inductors each having a vertical spiral structure, wherein a vertical cross-section of at least one unit inductor selected from the plurality of unit inductors is an inverted trapezoid.

Claims

1. An inductor comprising a plurality of unit inductors each having a vertical spiral structure, wherein a vertical cross-section of at least one unit inductor selected from the plurality of unit inductors is an inverted trapezoid.

2. The inductor as claimed in claim 1, wherein a vertical cross-section of the remaining unit inductors has an inverted trapezoid structure.

3. The inductor as claimed in claim 1, wherein a vertical cross-section of the remaining unit inductors has an inverted trapezoid, circular, triangular, rectangular, or elliptical structure.

4. The inductor as claimed in claim 2, wherein each unit inductor of the plurality of unit inductors has a same size.

5. The inductor as claimed in claim 2, wherein one unit inductor selected from the plurality of unit inductors has a size that is different from that of the rest.

6. The inductor as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one unit inductor selected from the plurality of unit inductors comprises:

multi-layer metal layers; and

conductive plugs that vertically connect the multi-layer metal layers,

wherein layers of the multi-layer metal layers formed between top and bottom layers of the multi-layer metal layers include two metal layers, and metal layers of the multi-layer metal layers formed under the top layer of the multi-layer metal layers do not overlap except at portions thereof connected via the conductive plugs.

7. The inductor as claimed in claim 6, wherein the metal layers of the multi-layer metal layers formed under the top layer of the multi-layer metal layers are symmetrical.

8. The inductor as claimed in claim 6, wherein the top layer of the metal layers is connected to a metal layer under a top layer of a unit inductor adjacent to the selected unit inductor.

9. The inductor as claimed in claim 6, wherein metal layers formed on at least one layer of the multi-layer metal layers formed between the top layer of the multi-layer metal layers and the bottom layer of the multi-layer metal layers have a same length, thickness, and width.

10. The inductor as claimed in claim 6, wherein at least one of a length, thickness, and width of metal layers formed on at least one layer of the multi-layer metal layers formed between the top layer of the multi-layer metal layers and the bottom layer of the multi-layer metal layers is different from a respective length, thickness, and width of the others.

11. The inductor as claimed in claim 7, wherein metal layers formed between the top layer of the multi-layer metal layers and the bottom layer of the multi-layer metal layers have a same length, thickness, and width.

12. The inductor as claimed in claim 7, wherein at least one of a length, thickness, and width of metal layers formed on different layers between the top layer of the multi-layer metal layers and the bottom layer of the multi-layer metal layers is different from a respective length, thickness, and width of the others.

13. The inductor as claimed in claim 6, wherein the conductive plugs have the same length.

14. The inductor as claimed in claim 6, wherein conductive plugs on different layers have different lengths.

15. The inductor as claimed in claim 2, wherein the at least one unit inductor selected from the plurality of unit inductors comprises:

multi-layer metal layers; and

conductive plugs that vertically connect the multi-layer metal layers,

wherein layers of the multi-layer metal layers formed between top and bottom layers of the multi-layer metal layers include two metal layers, and metal layers of the multi-layer metal layers formed under the top layer of the multi-layer metal layers do not overlap except at portions thereof connected via the conductive plugs.

16. The inductor as claimed in claim 3, wherein the at least one unit inductor selected from the plurality of unit inductors comprises:

multi-layer metal layers; and

conductive plugs that vertically connect the multi-layer metal layers,

wherein layers of the multi-layer metal layers formed between top and bottom layers of the multi-layer metal layers include two metal layers, and metal layers of the multi-layer metal layers formed under the top layer of the multi-layer metal layers do not overlap except at portions thereof connected via the conductive plugs.

17. The inductor as claimed in claim 4, wherein the at least one unit inductor selected from the plurality of unit inductors comprises:

multi-layer metal layers; and

conductive plugs that vertically connect the multi-layer metal layers,

wherein layers of the multi-layer metal layers formed between top and bottom layers of the multi-layer metal layers include two metal layers, and metal layers of the multi-layer metal layers formed under the top layer of the multi-layer metal layers do not overlap except at portions thereof connected via the conductive plugs.

18. The inductor as claimed in claim 5, wherein the at least one unit inductor selected from the plurality of unit inductors comprises:

multi-layer metal layers; and

conductive plugs that vertically connect the multi-layer metal layers,

wherein layers of the multi-layer metal layers formed between top and bottom layers of the multi-layer metal layers include two metal layers, and metal layers of the multi-layer metal layers formed under the top layer of the multi-layer metal layers do not overlap except at portions thereof connected via the conductive plugs.