Planar transformer

• US 5,430,424 A
• Filed: 03/14/1994
• Issued: 07/04/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Sato, Toshiro, Mizoguchi, Tetsuhiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Picard, Leo P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TSO, LAURA K
• Application Number:
  US08/209,365
• Time in Patent Office: 477 Days
• Field of Search: 336/200, 336/232, 336/220, 336/222, 336/182
• US Class Current: 336/200
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 2017/0086 on semiconductor substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/2804 Printed windings

Abstract

Disclosed is a planar transformer comprising a planar primary spiral coil and a planar secondary spiral coil, which are mutually insulated and laminated, wherein, (1) when the winding width W₁ of the primary spiral coil and the winding width W₂ of the secondary spiral coil have the relationship of W₁ ≦W₂, the inner size A_i1 of the primary spiral coil and the inner size A_i2 of the secondary spiral coil coincide with each other, and (2) when the winding width W₁ of the primary spiral coil and the winding width W₂ of the secondary spiral coil have the relationship of W₁ >W₂, the central axes of the primary and secondary spiral coils coincide with each other, the outer size A_o2 of the secondary spiral coil is equal to or smaller than the outer size A_o1 of the primary spiral coil, and the secondary spiral coil is arranged corresponding to a position at which magnetic flux generated by a current flowing through the primary spiral coil is largest.

Claims

1. A planar transformer with increased coupling coefficient comprising:

a primary spiral coil having a first cross-section of primary coil lines with center points lying in a first plane, said primary spiral coil including;

an inner size A_i1 of the primary spiral coil, A_i1 being a distance between two inner-most primary coil lines in the first cross-section;

an outer size A_o1 of the primary spiral coil, A_o1 being a distance between two outer-most primary coil lines in the first cross-section;

a winding width W1 of the primary spiral coil which is half a difference between the outer size A_o1 and the inner size A_i1 ;

a secondary spiral coil positioned adjacent to the primary coil and having a second cross-section with secondary coil lines with center points lying in a second plane, parallel to the first plane, said secondary spiral coil including;

an inner size A_i2 of the secondary spiral coil being a distance between two inner-most secondary coil lines in the second cross-section;

an outer size A_o2 of the secondary spiral coil being a distance between two outer-most secondary coil lines in the second cross-section;

a winding width of the secondary spiral coil W2 which is less than the winding width of the primary spiral coil W1 (W1>

W2), said winding width W2 being half of a difference between the outer size A_o2 and the inner size A_i2 ;

wherein, the outer size A_o2 of the secondary spiral coil is no greater than the outer size A_o1 of the primary spiral coil; and

wherein the primary and the secondary spiral coils are sandwiched between soft magnetic foils with insulating layers between the magnetic foils and primary and the secondary spiral coils.

2. A planar transformer according to claim 1, further comprising:

a magnetic layer sandwiching the primary spiral coil and the secondary spiral coil, wherein a center point of the winding width W2 of the secondary spiral coil is positioned along an x-axis X with respect to the primary spiral coil at a point where the magnetic flux Φ

(x) is at a maximum, the point where the maximum exists determined according to formulas (1) to (4);

##EQU3## wherein V_i (x) indicates a function relating to a magnetic flux component at the region according to the width of each line of coil conductor;

W₁ (x) indicates a function relating to a magnetic flux component at a left side region of each line of coil conductor placed at the left side to a central axis;

W.sub. '"'"'(x) indicates function relating to a magnetic flux component at the left side of each line of coil conductor placed at a right side to the central axis; and

U_i (x) indicates a function relating to a magnetic flux component at the right side of each line of coil conductor placed at the left side to the central axis;

wherein;

##EQU4## wherein W_m is a total length of the magnetic layer, t_m is a thickness of the magnetic layer, μ

s is a relative magnetic permeability, g is an inner width of the magnetic layer, δ

indicates a width of an individual coil conductor along the x-axis, s is a distance between individual coil conductors, and (X₁, X₂, . . . , X_N-1, X_N) are the points along the x-axis where the individual coil conductors begin, X_N corresponding to a last individual coil conductor along the x-axis.

3. The planar transformer according to claim 1, further comprising a magnetic layer laminated on the primary and the secondary spiral coils.

4. The planar transformer according to claim 1, further comprising:

an insulating layer interposed between the primary and the secondary spiral coils.

5. The planar transformer according to claim 4, wherein said insulating layer is polyimide.

6. The planar transformer according to claim 4, wherein each said insulating layer is silicon oxide.

7. The planar transformer according to claim 1 is a dc-to-dc converter.

8. A planar transformer according to claim 1, further comprising:

a first central axis of the primary spiral coil aligned at a center point of the primary spiral coil and perpindicular to the first and the second planes; and

a second central axis of the secondary coil aligned at a center point of the secondary spiral coil and perpindicular to the first and the second planes,

wherein, the first central axis is aligned with the second central axis to obtain a maximum amount of magnetic flux through the secondary spiral coil.

10. A planar transformer according to claim 2, wherein:

said center point of the winding width of the primary spiral coil is not equal to the center point of the secondary spiral coil on the x-axis.

9. A planar transformer with increased coupling coefficient comprising:

a primary spiral coil having a first cross-section of primary coil lines with center points lying in a first plane, said primary spiral coil including;

an inner size A_i1 of the primary spiral coil, A_i1 being a distance between two inner-most primary coil lines in the first cross-section;

an outer size A_o1 of the primary spiral coil, A_o1 being a distance between two outer-most primary coil lines in the first cross-section;

a winding width W1 of the primary spiral coil which is half a difference between the outer size A_o1 and the inner size A_i1 ;

a secondary spiral coil positioned adjacent to the primary coil and having a second cross-section with secondary coil lines with center points lying in a second plane, parallel to the first plane, said secondary spiral coil including;

an inner size A_i2 of the secondary spiral coil being a distance between two inner-most secondary coil lines in the second cross-section;

an outer size A_o2 of the secondary spiral coil being a distance between two outer-most secondary coil lines in the second cross-section;

a winding width of the secondary spiral coil W2 which is greater than the winding width of the primary spiral coil W1 (W1<

W2), said winding width W2 being half of a difference between the outer size A_o2 and the inner size A_i2 ; and

wherein, the inner size A_i1 of the primary spiral coil and the inner size of the secondary spiral coil A_i2 are set equal.