Planar transformer and method of manufacture

• US 5,754,088 A
• Filed: 11/17/1994
• Issued: 05/19/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Gallagher, John Michael, Fletcher, David Robert, Lahr, Terry Chester, Roden, Garey George, Wallace, Kenneth Andrew, Hansen, James Jens
• Primary Examiner(s): Spyrou, Cassandra C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chapik, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US08/342,057
• Time in Patent Office: 1,279 Days
• Field of Search: 336/200
• US Class Current: 336/200
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 2027/2819 Planar transformers with printed windings, e.g. surrounded by two cores and to be mounted on printed circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/2804 Printed windings
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0256 Electrical insulation details, e.g. around high voltage areas
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/165 incorporating printed inductors
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/086 for inductive purposes, e.g. printed inductor with ferrite core
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/09063 Holes or slots in insulating substrate not used for electrical connections
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/4611 by laminating two or more circuit boards H05K3/4652 takes precedence

Abstract

A planar transformer wherein a conformal dielectric epoxy composition is provided on the planes containing the primary and secondary windings to encapsulate the windings and to insulate the windings from the perimeter of each plane to prevent the primary windings from electrically contacting the secondary windings around the edges of the planes. Also, a conformal dielectric epoxy composition separates the plane with the primary windings from the plane with the secondary windings from primary and secondary circuits directly and below windings.

Claims

1. A planar transformer comprising at least one core set and at least one integrated circuit card containing a plurality of planes wherein at least a first plane contains primary electrically conductive windings and at least a second plane contains secondary electrically conductive windings;

at least one conformal dielectric layer of epoxy composition on each of the planes containing the primary windings and the secondary windings to encapsulate the windings and to insulate the windings from the perimeter of each plane of said plurality of planes to prevent the primary windings from electrically contacting the secondary windings around the edges of said planes; and

at least one conformal dielectric layer of epoxy composition separating the at least first plane containing the primary windings from the at least second plane containing the secondary windings to electrically isolate the primary windings from the secondary windings.

2. The planar transformer of claim 1 wherein the dielectric layers of epoxy ar FR-4 epoxy compositions.

3. The planar transformer of claim 1 wherein the first plane and second plane have creepage spacing between said primary windings and the edges of said planes and between secondary windings and the edges of said planes of about 1 mm.

4. The planar transformer of claim 1 wherein said dielectric layers of epoxy have a thickness of up to about 8000 Å

.

5. The planar transformer of claim 1 wherein the secondary windings comprise at least two planes separated by a dielectric epoxy substrate and the primary windings comprise at least two planes separated by a dielectric epoxy substrate.

6. The planar transformer of claim 5 wherein the thickness of the dielectric layer separating the plane containing the primary windings from the plane containing the secondary windings is at least about 0.005 inches.

7. The planar transformer of claim 6 wherein at least about three layers of epoxy composition are provided between the plane containing the primary windings and the plane containing the secondary windings.

8. The planar transformer of claim 1 wherein the dielectric layer of epoxy composition on each of the planes containing the primary windings and secondary windings is obtained from the dielectric layer of epoxy composition separating the plane containing the primary windings from the plane containing the secondary windings.

9. The planar transformer of claim 1 wherein said core set is a three legged core set and wherein said integrated circuit card has windows for receiving the legs of said core.

10. The planar transformer of claim 1 wherein said core set is a magnetic ferrite.

11. The planar transformer of claim 1 wherein the dielectric layers of epoxy composition encapsulating the windings provide for satisfying requirements of Table 7 and Section 2.94 of standard IEC 950.

13. The planar transformer of claim 1 which further includes a plane containing input and output circuitry located above and beneath the plane containing the secondary windings and a plane containing input and out circuitry located above and beneath the plane containing the primary windings.

14. The planar transformer of claim 13 which further includes a surface mount inductor located above or beneath the said windings such that one side of the inductor is attached to the center top of a multi-turn center top secondary winding.

15. A planar transformer of claim 1 wherein the use of at least one layer of epoxy composition provides for meeting isolation requirements of IEC 950, UL or CSA standards from primary and secondary windings to the core set.

16. A planar transformer of claim 1 wherein the use of at least one layer of epoxy composition provides for meeting isolation requirements of IEC 950, UL or CSA standards from primary and secondary windings to primary and secondary circuits located on outer planes of raw card.

17. The planar transformer of claim 2 wherein the dielectric layer of epoxy composition or system of epoxy composition between primary and secondary circuits provides for satisfying one layer of the three insulation requirements of Section 2.94 in IEC 950, and associated UL standard.

18. The planar transformer of claim 13 providing isolation between primary or secondary winding and the circuitry located on planes above or below either or both windings.

19. The planar transformer of claim 13 with more than 1 primary winding or more than 1 secondary winding with each winding isolated in the manner of the primary and secondary as described in claim 13.

20. The planar transformer of claim 13 with multiple vias from either or both, the primary or secondary windings to the card surface with proper spacing from via to other surface circuitry.

12. A method for fabricating an integrated circuit card including a plurality of planes, said method comprising:

providing a first assembly comprising an epoxy prepreg substrate containing on at least one major surface thereto primary windings,

providing a second assembly comprising an epoxy prepreg substrate containing on at least one major surface thereof secondary windings,

providing at least one epoxy prepreg substrate between the plane primary windings and secondary windings,

providing an epoxy prepreg substrate covering each surface of said first and second assemblies that contains windings,

pressing together the layers of the first and second assemblies and then subjecting the layers to temperature and under a pressure for a time sufficient to cure the epoxy of the prepreg substrates, and to cause epoxy from prepreg substrates to encapsulate the windings.