Methods for fabrication of thin film inductors, inductor networks, inductor/capactor filters, and integration with other passive and active devices, and the resultant devices
First Claim
1. A method for fabricating an electronic device including at least two inductors and at least one capacitor, comprising the steps of:
- forming on a first surface of substrate having two surfaces a first patterned conductive area comprising pads and a plate of at least one capacitor, said conductive areas being separated from each other;
forming a patterned dielectric layer above said plate, said dielectric layer having a via for each inductor in said device, said vias penetrating through said dielectric layer so that an electrical connection may be made by each said inductor to an associated one of said pads;
forming a second patterned conductive layer disposed on top of said dielectric layer and over at least part of said plate; and
forming a third patterned conductive layer comprising at least two inductors which provide desired inductance values, each of said inductors being electrically connected at one end thereof to said plate through one of said vias, and the other end of each of said inductors being electrically connected to an associated one of said pads.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The fabrication of thin film inductors on a substrate, which may include thin film resistors, thin film capacitors, and semiconductor devices. In one embodiment an inductor is fabricated initially on a substrate and then integrated with other devices subsequently formed on the substrate. In this embodiment, process steps used to fabricate such other devices utilize temperatures sufficiently low to prevent damaging or destroying the characteristics of the inductor. In another embodiment the fabrication of an inductor is achieved through photoresist masking and plating techniques. In alternative embodiments, fabrication of an inductor is achieved by sputtering, photoresist processes and etching/ion-milling techniques. A combination of various individual process steps from various embodiments are suitable for use to fabricate the individual layers to achieve a structure of this invention. The inductor fabricated in accordance with this invention is connected to other passive or active components through metal interconnections in order to improve the frequency performance of the inductor. In certain embodiments, parasitic capacitance of the inductor is significantly reduced by fabricating inductor coils on dielectric bridges. In certain embodiments, a magnetic core of ferromagnetic material is used to improve the performance of the inductor at frequencies below about 100 MHz.
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Citations
36 Claims
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1. A method for fabricating an electronic device including at least two inductors and at least one capacitor, comprising the steps of:
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forming on a first surface of substrate having two surfaces a first patterned conductive area comprising pads and a plate of at least one capacitor, said conductive areas being separated from each other; forming a patterned dielectric layer above said plate, said dielectric layer having a via for each inductor in said device, said vias penetrating through said dielectric layer so that an electrical connection may be made by each said inductor to an associated one of said pads; forming a second patterned conductive layer disposed on top of said dielectric layer and over at least part of said plate; and forming a third patterned conductive layer comprising at least two inductors which provide desired inductance values, each of said inductors being electrically connected at one end thereof to said plate through one of said vias, and the other end of each of said inductors being electrically connected to an associated one of said pads. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method for fabricating an electronic device including at least two inductors and at least one capacitor, comprising the steps of:
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selectively doping portions of a semiconductor substrate so as to increase the conductivity of said doped portions, said doped portions comprising a set of pads and a plate of at least one capacitor, said conductive areas being separated apart from each other; forming a patterned dielectric layer above said plate, said dielectric layer having one via for each inductor in said device, said vias penetrating through said dielectric layer so that an electrical connection may be made to said plate; forming a second patterned conductive layer disposed on top of said dielectric layer and over at least a portion of said plate; and forming a third patterned conductive layer comprising at least two inductors which provide desired inductance values, each of said inductors being electrically connected at one end thereof to said plate through one of said vias, and the other end of each of said inductors being electrically connected to an associated one of said pads. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. An electronic device including at least two inductors and at least one capacitor, comprising:
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a first patterned conductive area comprising pads and a plate of at least one capacitor, said conductive areas being formed on a first surface of substrate having two surfaces and separated from each other; a patterned dielectric layer formed above said plate, said dielectric layer having a via for each inductor in said device, said vias penetrating through said dielectric layer so that an electrical connection may be made by each said inductor to an associated one of said pads; a second patterned conductive layer disposed on top of said dielectric layer and over at least part of said plate; and a third patterned conductive layer comprising at least two inductors which provide desired inductance values, each of said inductors having an electrical connection at one end thereof to said plate through one of said vias, and an electrical connection to an associated one of said pads at the other end of each of said inductors. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. An electronic device including at least two inductors and at least one capacitor, comprising:
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selectively doped portions of a semiconductor substrate, said doped portions comprising a set of pads and a plate of at least one capacitor, said conductive areas being separated apart from each other; a patterned dielectric layer above said plate, said dielectric layer having one via for each inductor in said device, said vias penetrating through said dielectric layer so that an electrical connection may be made to said plate; a second patterned conductive layer disposed on top of said dielectric layer and over at least a portion of said plate; and a third patterned conductive layer comprising at least two inductors which provide desired inductance values, each of said inductors having electrical connections at one end thereof to said plate through one of said vias, and an electrical connection to an associated one of said pads at the other end of each of said inductors. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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Specification