INDUCTOR STRUCTURES FOR INTEGRATED CIRCUITS

• US 20150279921A1
• Filed: 03/23/2015
• Published: 10/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wafertech LLC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Wafertech LLC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited)
• Inventors: Tsai, Wen-Bin, Lam, Kin Fung (Wayne), Li, Hsin-I
• Granted Patent: US 10,128,325 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/5227 Inductive arrangements or effects of, or between, wiring layers other inductive arrangements H01L23/645
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 28/10 Inductors
• 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

Abstract

Multiple intertwined inductor coils combine to form one or more transformer devices of a semiconductor device. The intertwined inductor coils are formed of only two metallization layers and vias coupling the layers. The inductor coils are vertically oriented and include a magnetic axis parallel to the substrate surface. A plurality of metal wires are provided on both a first device level and a second device level. Each of the metal wires on the first device level is coupled to two wires on the second device level and forms a first inductor coil. The two metal wires on the second device level that form part of the first inductor coil, are separated by a third wire that is coupled to two different first device level metal wires and forms part of a different second inductor coil intertwined with the first inductor coil.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a transformer on a semiconductor device including a plurality of inductor coils, each said inductor coil comprising;

a plurality of first level metal wires coupled to a plurality of second level metal wires through vias,

said second level metal wires being parallel to one another, and

each of said plurality of said first level metal wires including a duality of segments laterally offset from one another and coupled by a further segment.

2. The device as in claim 1, wherein each said first level metal wire includes a first segment of said duality of segments overlaid with and coupled to a first wire of said second level metal wires, and a second segment of said duality of segments parallel to said first segment and overlaid with and coupled to a second wire of said second level metal wires, said first and second wires spaced apart by at least a third wire of said second level metal wires and said second level metal wires being straight.

3. The device as in claim 1, wherein said second level metal wires are straight, said duality of segments are parallel to one another, said further segment is a straight segment angled with respect to said parallel segments and said parallel segments are further parallel to said second level metal wires.

4. The device as in claim 3, wherein each segment of said duality of segments is coupled to one of said second level metal wires by at least two vias.

5. The device as in claim 1, wherein said first level metal wires are formed of a lower metal level of said semiconductor device and said second level metal wires are formed of an upper metal level of said semiconductor device.

6. The device as in claim 1, wherein said first level metal wires are formed of an upper metal level of said semiconductor device and said second level metal wires are formed of a lower metal level of said semiconductor device.

7. The device as in claim 1, wherein each said first level metal wire is coupled to two wires of said second level metal wires, said two wires spaced apart by at least a third wire of said second level metal wires.

8. An inductor structure on a semiconductor device comprising:

a plurality of first level metal wires;

a plurality of second level metal wires, each including a duality of parallel segments coupled by a further segment;

each said second level metal wire including a first parallel segment of said duality of parallel segments coupled to a first wire of said first level metal wires overlaid with said first segment, and a second parallel segment of said duality of parallel segments coupled to a second wire of said first level metal wires overlaid with said second segment, said first and second wires spaced apart by at least a third wire of said second level metal wires; and

wherein said plurality of first level metal wires are coupled to said plurality of second metal wires to form a duality of coils in which adjacent ones of said first level metal wires form parts of different coils of said duality of coils.

9. The inductor structure as in claim 8, wherein adjacent ones of said second level metal wires form parts of different coils of said duality of coils.

10. The inductor structure as in claim 8, wherein said first level metal wires of said plurality of first level metal wires are straight and parallel one another.

11. The inductor structure as in claim 8, wherein said further segment is an angled straight segment that forms an angle of about 135°

with each of said duality of parallel segments.

12. The inductor structure as in claim 8, wherein, for each said second level metal wire, said first segment is coupled to said first wire by a duality of vias and said second segment is coupled to said second wire by a duality of vias.

13. The inductor structure as in claim 12, wherein said first level metal wires are straight, parallel to one another, and formed of an upper metal level of said semiconductor device, said second level metal wires are formed of a lower metal level of said semiconductor device, said vias include a height of about 8k angstroms to about 12k angstroms and said first level metal wires and said second level metal wires each have an average width of about 1-2 microns.

14. The inductor structure as in claim 8, wherein said first level metal wires are straight, parallel to one another, and formed of a lower metal level of said semiconductor device and said second level metal wires are formed of an upper metal level of said semiconductor device.

15. A transformer device on a semiconductor device comprising a plurality of inductor coils formed of a plurality of first level metal wires coupled to a plurality of second level metal wires, each of said first level metal wires being substantially straight and each of said plurality of second metal wires coupled to two of said plurality of first metal wires that are separated by at least a third one of said plurality of second metal wires.

16. The transformer device as in claim 15, wherein said plurality of first metal wires are parallel one another, said plurality of second metal wires are parallel one another and include a zig-zag structure, and each of said plurality of first metal wires is coupled to two of said plurality of second metal wires.

17. The transformer device as in claim 15, wherein said first metal wires are adjacent one another and immediately adjacent ones of said first level metal wires are coupled to different inductor coils of said plurality of inductor coils in a first group of said first level metal wires.

18. The transformer device as in claim 15, wherein said plurality of inductor coils includes three inductor coils, said first level metal wires are adjacent one another and, in a first group of said first level metal wires, immediately adjacent ones of said first level metal wires are coupled to a first coil and a second coil, respectively, and in a second group of said first level metal wires, immediately adjacent ones of said first level metal wires are coupled to said second coil and a third coil, respectively.

19. The transformer device as in claim 15, wherein said first metal wires are adjacent one another and arranged in a numerical sequence whereby odd-numbered ones of said first level metal wires form a first inductor coil and even-numbered ones of said first level metal wires form a second inductor coil.

20. The transformer device as in claim 19, wherein each of said second level metal wires includes a duality of parallel segments coupled by an angled segment therebetween.