Advanced electronic microminiature coil and method of manufacturing

• US 6,642,827 B1
• Filed: 09/13/2000
• Issued: 11/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Pulse Electronics Incorporated (Yageo Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Pulse Engineering Incorporated (Yageo Corporation)
• Inventors: McWilliams, Michael D., Jean, George, VanderKnyff, Jacobus J. M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Enad, Elvin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Poker, Jennifer A.
• Application Number:
  US09/661,628
• Time in Patent Office: 1,147 Days
• Field of Search: 336/107, 336/192, 336/206, 296/021
• US Class Current: 336/107
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/324 Insulation between coil and core, between different winding sections, around the coil; Other insulation structures
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 30/16 Toroidal transformers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4902 Electromagnet, transformer or inductor

Abstract

An advanced microelectronic coil device incorporating a toroidal core and a plurality of sets of windings, wherein the windings are separated by one or more layers of insulating material. In one embodiment, the insulating material is vacuum-deposited over the top of a first set of windings before the next set of windings is wound onto the core. In this fashion, the insulating material insulates the entire first winding from the second without the need for individual insulation on each of the windings, or the use of margin tape. The use of the vacuum-deposited insulating layer(s) provides a high degree of dielectric strength, yet consumes a minimum space since the insulation on each winding is minimized. The toroidal core is also optionally provided with a controlled thickness gap for controlling saturation of the core.

Claims

1. A microelectronic toroidal circuit element comprising:

a toroidal core, at least a portion of said core comprising a magnetically permeable material;

a first conductive winding having a plurality of turns, at least a portion of said first winding being disposed around said core;

at least one layer of insulating material coating at least a portion of said first winding; and

a second conductive winding having a plurality of turns, at least a portion of said second winding being disposed around said core and atop said at least one layer of insulating material.

2. The circuit element of claim 1, further comprising at least one gap formed within said toroidal core.

3. The circuit element of claim 1, wherein said first conductive winding comprises a conductor having at least one film coating disposed on at least a portion of its surface.

4. The circuit element of claim 2, wherein said insulating material comprises Parylene.

5. The circuit element of claim 1, wherein said at least one layer of insulating material is deposited in a substantially uniform thickness via a vacuum deposition process.

6. The circuit element of claim 5, wherein said at least one layer of insulating material comprises a first and second layer of insulting material, said first layer being deposited on said first winding, said second layer being deposited on said first layer after said first layer has substantially polymerized.

7. The circuit element of claim 6, further comprising a third layer of insulating material, said third layer being formed atop at least a portion of the surface of said core and between said core and said first winding using a deposition process.

8. The circuit element of claim 2, wherein said at least one gap is at least partially filled with a material having a magnetic reluctance higher than that of said toroidal core.

9. The circuit element of claim 4, wherein said Parylene is deposited along at least a portion of the free ends of at least said first winding.

10. The circuit element of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one layer of insulating material formed atop at least a portion of said second winding; and

a third winding having a plurality of turns, at least a portion of said third winding being disposed around said core and atop said at least one layer formed atop said second winding.

11. A microelectronic component package comprising:

an insulating base having at least one recess formed therein;

at least one substantially toroidal magnetically permeable core having at least one gap formed therein;

a first winding wound at least in part around said at least one core, said first winding having a first and second end;

at least one layer of insulation material coating at least a portion of said first winding;

a second winding wound at least in part around said at least one core and atop at least a portion of said at least one layer of insulation material, said second winding having a first and second end; and

a terminal array comprising a plurality of electrically conductive terminals, said terminal array in fixed relationship with said insulating base;

wherein said at least one core is disposed at least partly within a corresponding one of said at least one recess, and said first and second ends of said first and second windings are in electrical communication with respective ones of said terminals.

12. A microelectronic toroidal circuit element comprising:

a unitary toroidal core, at least a portion of said core comprising a magnetically permeable material;

a first conductive winding having a plurality of turns, at least a portion of said first winding being disposed around said core;

at least one substantially uniform layer of insulating material adherently coating at least a portion of said first winding; and

a second conductive winding having a plurality of turns, at least a portion of said second winding being disposed around said core and atop said at least one layer of insulating material;

wherein said adherent coating by said at least one substantially uniform layer permits said circuit element to be smaller in size than would otherwise be achievable using a tape layer.

13. The circuit element of claim 12, wherein said first conductive winding further comprises at least first and second rows of said turns, said second row being disposed substantially atop said first row.

14. A toroidal circuit element being optimized for space conservation, comprising:

a unitary toroidal core, at least a portion of said core comprising a magnetically permeable material;

a first conductive winding having a plurality of turns and comprising a fine-gauge wire having a film coating of insulation, said first conductive winding being disposed around said core in a high spatial density;

at least one layer of insulating material coating at least a portion of said first winding, wherein said at least one layer of insulating material has a substantially uniform thickness; and

a second conductive winding having a plurality of turns, at least a portion of said second winding being disposed around said core and atop said at least one layer of insulating material;

wherein said fine gauge wire, film coating, and at least one layer of insulating material cooperate to minimize the volume consumed by said circuit element.

15. The circuit element of claim 14, wherein said first conductive winding further comprises at least first and second rows of said turns, said second row being disposed substantially atop said first row.

16. The circuit element of claim 15, wherein said fine-gauge wire comprises magnet wire.

17. A high-withstand voltage microelectronic toroidal circuit element, comprising:

a unitary toroidal core, at least a portion of said core comprising a magnetically permeable material;

a first conductive winding having a plurality of turns, at least a portion of said primary winding having at least a thin film layer of dielectric material, at least a portion of said first winding being disposed around said core;

at least one unitized layer of insulating material coating at least a portion of said first winding, wherein said at least one layer of insulating material has a substantially uniform and controlled thickness; and

a second conductive winding having a plurality of turns, at least a portion of said second winding having a thin film layer of dielectric material and being disposed around said core and atop said at least one layer of insulating material;

wherein at least said thin film layers and said at least one layer of insulating material cooperate to provide said circuit element with both a high dielectric strength and high spatial density.

18. A high-withstand voltage, space optimized toroidal circuit element, comprising:

a unitary toroidal core, at least a portion of said core comprising a magnetically permeable material, said core having at last one gap formed therein and an outer surface;

a first unitized layer of insulating material deposited on said outer surface having a substantially uniform thickness;

a first conductive winding having a plurality of turns and at least a thin film layer of dielectric material, at least a portion of said first winding being disposed around said core in high spatial density wherein at least two rows of said turns are formed, a second of said two rows being disposed atop a first of said two rows;

a second unitized layer of insulating material coating at least a portion of said first winding, wherein said second layer of insulating material has a substantially uniform thickness; and

a second conductive winding having a plurality of turns, at least a portion of said second winding having a thin film layer and being disposed around said core and atop said at least one layer of insulating material;

wherein at least said thin film layers and said first layer of insulating material cooperate to provide said circuit element with both a high dielectric strength and high spatial density.