On-die micro-transformer structures with magnetic materials

• US 20040222492A1
• Filed: 05/05/2003
• Published: 11/11/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Gardner, Donald S., Schrom, Gerhard, Hazucha, Peter
• Granted Patent: US 7,852,185 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/531
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 10/132 containing cobalt
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 19/08 Transformers having magnetic bias, e.g. for handling pulses
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/2804 Printed windings
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/29 Terminals; Tapping arrangements for signal inductances
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 1/2056 Comb filters or interdigital filters with metallised resonator holes in a dielectric block

Abstract

A transformer integrated on a die, the transformer comprising a set of conductive lines formed on the die within one layer and interconnected among each other so that no two lines belonging to any one winding are nearest neighbors. The set of conductive lines is surrounded by a magnetic material, which may be amorphous CoZrTa, CoFeHfO, CoAlO, FeSiO, CoFeAlO, CoNbTa, CoZr, and other amorphous cobalt alloys. The transformer may be operated at frequencies higher than 10 MHz and as high as 1 GHz, with relatively low resistance and relatively high magnetic coupling between the windings.

Claims

1. A die comprising a transformer, the transformer comprising windings and comprising a set of lines formed within one layer on the die, wherein no two lines in the set of lines belonging to any one winding are nearest neighbors.

2. The die as set forth in claim 1, further comprising magnetic material deposited near the set of lines, wherein the magnetic material is chosen from the group consisting of amorphous CoZrTa, CoFeHfO, CoAlO, FeSiO, CoFeAlO, CoNbTa, CoZr, and other amorphous cobalt alloys.

3. The die as set forth in claim 2, further comprising a controller to operate the transformer at a frequency greater than 10 MHz.

4. The die as set forth in claim 3, the set of lines comprising n>

1 lines denoted as line(i), i=0, 1, . . . , n−

1, and the transformer comprising m>

1 windings denoted as winding(j), j=0, 1, . . . , m−

1, wherein line(i) belongs to winding(i modulo m).

5. The die as set forth in claim 1, the set of lines comprising n>

1 lines denoted as line(i), i=0, 1, . . . , n−

1, and the transformer comprising m>

1 windings denoted as winding(j), j=0, 1, . . . ,m−

1, wherein line(i) belongs to winding(i modulo m).

6. The die as set forth in claim 5, further comprising magnetic material deposited near the set of lines, wherein the magnetic material is chosen from the group consisting of amorphous CoZrTa, CoFeHfO, CoAlO, FeSiO, CoFeAlO, CoNbTa, CoZr, and other amorphous cobalt alloys.

7. The die as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a controller to operate the transformer at a frequency greater than 10 MHz.

8. The die as set forth in claim 2, the set of lines having ends, wherein the magnetic material completely surrounds the set of lines except for the ends of the set of lines

9. The die as set forth in claim 2, the set of lines having ends and having a rightmost line, wherein the magnetic material completely surrounds the set of lines except for the ends of the set of lines and except for a gap near the rightmost line.

10. A computer system comprising a die and an off-die cache, the die comprising a transformer, the transformer comprising windings and comprising a set of lines formed within one layer on the die, wherein no two lines in the set of lines belonging to any one winding are nearest neighbors.

11. The computer system as set forth in claim 10, further comprising magnetic material deposited near the set of lines, wherein the magnetic material is chosen from the group consisting of amorphous CoZrTa, CoFeHfO, CoAl0, FeSiO, CoFeAlO, CoNbTa, CoZr, and other amorphous cobalt alloys.

12. The computer system as set forth in claim 11, further comprising a controller to operate the transformer at a frequency greater than 10 MHz.

13. The computer system as set forth in claim 12, the set of lines comprising n>

1 lines denoted as line(i), i=0, 1, . . . , n−

1, and the transformer comprising m>

1 windings denoted as winding(j), j=0, 1, . . . , m−

1, wherein line(i) belongs to winding(i modulo m).

14. The computer system as set forth in claim 10, the set of lines comprising n>

1 lines denoted as line(i), i=0, 1, . . . , n−

1, and the transformer comprising m>

1 windings denoted as winding(j), j=0, 1, . . . , m−

1, wherein line(i) belongs to winding(i modulo m).

15. The computer system as set forth in claim 14, further comprising magnetic material deposited near the set of lines, wherein the magnetic material is chosen from the group consisting of amorphous CoZrTa, CoFeHfO, CoAlO, FeSiO, CoFeAlO, CoNbTa, CoZr, and other amorphous cobalt alloys.

16. The computer system as set forth in claim 10, further comprising a controller to operate the transformer at a frequency greater than 10 MHz.

17. A die comprising a transformer, the transformer comprising a set of lines formed within one layer on the die, wherein subsets of the set of lines are such that

no two lines in any one subset are nearest neighbors;

and

the lines in any one subset are connected in parallel with each other.

18. The die as set forth in claim 17, further comprising magnetic material deposited near the set of lines, wherein the magnetic material is chosen from the group consisting of amorphous CoZrTa, CoFeHfO, CoAlO, FeSiO, CoFeAlO, CoNbTa, CoZr, and other amorphous cobalt alloys.

19. The die as set forth in claim 18, the set of lines having ends, wherein the magnetic material completely surrounds the set of lines except for the ends of the set of lines

20. The die as set forth in claim 18, the set of lines having ends and having a rightmost line, wherein the magnetic material completely surrounds the set of lines except for the ends of the set of lines and except for a gap near the rightmost line.

21. The die as set forth in claim 18, further comprising a controller to operate the transformer at a frequency greater than 10 MHz.

22. The die as set forth in claim 21, the set of lines comprising n>

1 lines denoted as line(i), i=0, 1, . . . , n−

1, where the subsets are m>

1 in number and are denoted as subset(j), j=0, 1, . . . , m−

1, wherein line(i) belongs to subset(i modulo m).

23. The die as set forth in claim 17, the set of lines comprising n>

1 lines denoted as line(i), i=0, 1, . . . , n−

1, where the subsets are m>

1 in number and are denoted as subset(j), j=0, 1, . . . , m−

1, wherein line(i) belongs to subset(i modulo m).

24. The die as set forth in claim 23, further comprising magnetic material deposited near the set of lines, wherein the magnetic material is chosen from the group consisting of amorphous CoZrTa, CoFeHfO, CoAlO, FeSiO, CoFeAlO, CoNbTa, CoZr, and other amorphous cobalt alloys.

25. The die as set forth in claim 23, further comprising a controller to operate the transformer at a frequency greater than 10 MHz.

26. The die as set forth in claim 17, the transformer comprising windings, wherein each subset of lines corresponds to a unique winding.

27. The die as set forth in claim 26, the transformer comprising windings, wherein at least two subsets are connected in series with each other to form a winding.

28. The die as set forth in claim 22, the transformer comprising m>

1 windings denoted as winding(j), j=0, 1, . . . , m−

1, wherein for each j=0, 1, . . . , m−

1, winding(j) corresponds to subset(j).

29. The die as set forth in claim 22, the transformer comprising windings, and where there is a r and s with r≠

s wherein subset(r) is connected in series with subset(s) to form a winding.