HIGH Q FACTOR INDUCTOR STRUCTURE

• US 20140266544A1
• Filed: 12/06/2013
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qorvo US, Inc. (Qorvo, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: RF Micro Devices Incorporated (Qorvo, Inc.)
• Inventors: Leipold, Dirk Robert Walter, Chang, Danny W., Maxim, George
• Granted Patent: US 9,196,406 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 336/200
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 17/0013 with stacked layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 2017/002 Details of via holes for interconnecting the layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 2017/0073 with a special conductive pattern, e.g. flat spiral
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 5/003 Printed circuit coils

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a vertical inductor structure in which the magnetic field is closed such that the magnetic field of the vertical inductor structure is cancelled in the design direction outside the vertical inductor structure, yielding a small, or substantially zero, coupling factor of the vertical inductor structure. In one embodiment, several vertical inductor structures of the present disclosure can be placed in close proximity to create small resonant circuits and filter chains.

Claims

1. A vertical inductor structure in a substrate comprising:

at least four solid via columns, each of the at least four solid via columns comprising at least one solid via bar;

at least three connector plates, the at least three connector plates connecting the at least four solid via columns; and

at least two terminal plates, the at least two terminal plates comprise a terminal connection for the vertical inductor structure in the substrate.

2. The vertical inductor structure of claim 1, wherein each of the at least two terminal plates enable an active device on the substrate to be connected to the vertical inductor structure in the substrate.

3. The vertical inductor structure of claim 1, wherein the at least two terminal plates and the at least three connector plates are created in conductive layers of the substrate.

4. The vertical inductor structure of claim 1, wherein the at least one solid via bar of each of the at least four solid via columns are created in non-conductive layers of the substrate.

5. The vertical inductor structure of claim 4, wherein a height of the at least one solid via bar of each of the at least four solid via columns corresponds to a depth of a non-conductive layer of the substrate.

6. The vertical inductor structure of claim 5, wherein a height of each of the at least four solid via columns corresponds to the height of the at least one solid via bar.

7. The vertical inductor structure of claim 6, wherein each of the at least four solid via columns comprise several of the at least one solid via bars stacked vertically in the substrate.

8. The vertical inductor structure of claim 1, wherein the vertical inductor structure further comprises a high quality (Q) factor.

9. The vertical inductor structure of claim 8, wherein a value of the high Q factor is greater or equal to 100.

10. The vertical inductor structure of claim 9, wherein the value of the high Q factor is increased by increasing a width of each of the at least four solid via columns.

11. The vertical inductor structure of claim 1, wherein the vertical inductor structure further comprises a magnetic field, where the magnetic field is closed to an interior of the vertical inductor structure.

12. The vertical inductor structure of claim 11, wherein the magnetic field is closed to the interior of the vertical inductor structure when a width of each of the at least four solid via columns are equal.

13. The vertical inductor structure of claim 12, wherein the vertical inductor structure further comprises a small coupling factor.

14. The vertical inductor structure of claim 13, wherein the small coupling factor is substantially zero.

15. The vertical inductor structure of claim 1, wherein the vertical inductor structure is configured to generate a magnetic field, where the magnetic field is not closed to an interior of the vertical inductor structure.

16. The vertical inductor structure of claim 15, wherein the magnetic field is not closed to the interior of the vertical inductor structure when a width of each of the at least four solid via columns are not equal.

17. The vertical inductor structure of claim 16, wherein the vertical inductor structure further comprises a non-zero coupling factor.

18. The vertical inductor structure of claim 1, wherein the vertical inductor is spherical.

19. The vertical inductor structure of claim 1, wherein the vertical inductor structure is configured to generate a magnetic field, and wherein the at least four solid via columns, the at least three connector plates, and the at least two terminal plates are arranged such that the magnetic field is substantially confined to an interior of the vertical inductor structure.

20. A vertical inductor in a substrate, comprising:

at least two via columns, each of the at least two via columns comprising at least one via bar;

at least one connector plate, the at least one connector plate connecting the at least two via columns; and

at least two terminal plates, the at least two terminal plates comprise a terminal connection for the vertical inductor in the substrate.

21. The vertical inductor of claim 20, wherein each of the at least two terminal plates enable an active device on the substrate to be connected to the vertical inductor in the substrate.

22. The vertical inductor of claim 21, wherein the vertical inductor further comprises a high quality (Q) factor.

23. The vertical inductor of claim 22, wherein a value of the high Q factor has is greater or equal to 100.

24. The vertical inductor of claim 23, wherein the high Q factor is increased by increasing a width of the at least two via columns.

25. The vertical inductor of claim 20, wherein the vertical inductor is configured to generate a magnetic field, the magnetic field running parallel to a design plane of the substrate.

26. The vertical inductor of claim 20, wherein the vertical inductor is spherical.

27. The vertical inductor of claim 20, wherein the vertical inductor is configured to generate a magnetic field, and wherein the at least two via columns, the at least one connector plate, and the at least two terminal plates are arranged such that the magnetic field is substantially confined to an interior of the vertical inductor.

28. A circuit, comprising:

a first inductor; and

a second inductor; and

wherein the first inductor and the second inductor are arranged so as to generate a substantially confined magnetic field.