Inductor

• US 7,317,354 B2
• Filed: 04/05/2006
• Issued: 01/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: VIA Technologies Incorporated (VIA Technologies)
• Original Assignee: VIA Technologies Incorporated (VIA Technologies)
• Inventors: Lee, Sheng-Yuan
• Primary Examiner(s): MAI, ANH T
• Application Number:
  US11/397,641
• Publication Number:
  US 20060284719A1
• Time in Patent Office: 643 Days
• Field of Search: 336/200, 336/223, 336/232
• US Class Current: 330/200
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 17/0013 with stacked layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 2017/0053 with means to reduce eddy currents
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 2017/0073 with a special conductive pattern, e.g. flat spiral
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/165 incorporating printed inductors

Abstract

An inductor for a substrate of a circuit board includes a first electrical conductive layer and a second electrical conductive layer. The second electrical conductive layer is disposed over the first electrical conductive layer and is electrically connected to the first electrical conductive layer. The width or projecting area of the first electrical conductive layer is less than the width or projecting area of the second electrical conductive layer respectively.

Claims

1. An inductor formed over a substrate, comprising:

a first electrical conductive layer over the substrate; and

a second electrical conductive layer disposed over and electrically connected to the first electrical conductive layer;

wherein the width or projecting area of the first electrical conductive layer is less than the width or projecting area of the second electrical conductive layer respectively.

2. The inductor according to claim 1, wherein the electrical connection is achieved by a conductive wire, a conductive via or a contact.

3. The inductor according to claim 1, wherein the first electrical conductive layer is adjacent to the second electrical conducive layer, and the width or projecting area of the first electrical conductive layer is not larger than eighty percent of the width or projecting area of the second electrical conductive layer.

4. The inductor according to claim 1, further comprising:

at least one conductor disposed between the first electrical conductive layer and the second electrical conductive layer to electrically connect the first electrical conductive layer with the second electrical conductive layer.

5. The inductor according to claim 1, wherein the first electrical conductive layer has at least one spiral first conductive loop, which has a first end and a second end, and the second electrical conductive layer has at least one spiral second conductive loop, which has a third end and a fourth end.

6. The inductor according to claim 5, wherein the first end is electrically connected with the fourth end or the second end is electrically connected with the third end.

7. The inductor according to claim 5, wherein the first end is electrically connected with the third end and the second end is electrically connected with the fourth end.

8. The inductor according to claim 1, wherein the first electrical conductive layer has a plurality of first conductive loops, which respectively have a first end and a second end, and the second electrical conductive layer has a plurality of second conductive loops, which respectively have a third end and a fourth end.

9. The inductor according to claim 8, wherein the first ends are electrically connected with each other, the second ends are electrically connected with each other;

the third ends are electrically connected with each other, and the fourth ends are electrically connected with each other.

10. The inductor according to claim 8, wherein the first ends are electrically connected with the third ends and the second ends are electrically connected with the fourth ends.

11. An inductor formed over a substrate, comprising:

a plurality of electrical conductive layers sequentially disposed over the substrate and electrically connected with each other;

wherein the width or projecting area of each lower electrical conductive layer is less than the width or projecting area of the upper electrical conductive layer respectively.

12. The inductor according to claim 11, wherein the width or projecting area of one of the electrical conductive layers is not larger than half of the width or projecting area of any upper electrical conductive layers.

13. The inductor according to claim 11, wherein the electrical conductive layers comprises a first electrical conducive layer and a second electrical conducive layer be adjacent to and formed over the first electrical conductive layer, and the width or projecting area of the first electrical conductive layers is not larger than eighty percent of the width or projecting area of the second electrical conductive layer.

14. The inductor according to claim 11, further comprising:

at least one conductor disposed between the adjacent electrical conductive layers to electrically connect the adjacent electrical conductive layers.

15. The inductor according to claim 11, wherein the electrical conductive layers respectively have at least one spiral conductive loop, which has a first end and a second end.

16. The inductor according to claim 15, wherein each first end is electrically connected with the upper second end, or each second end is electrically connected with the upper first end.

17. The inductor according to claim 15, wherein each first end is electrically connected with the upper first end and each second end is electrically connected with the upper second end.

18. The inductor according to claim 11, wherein the electrical conductive layers respectively have a plurality of conductive loops, which respectively have a first end and a second end.

19. The inductor according to claim 18, wherein the first ends are electrically connected with each other and the second ends are electrically connected with each other.

20. The inductor according to claim 18, wherein each first ends are electrically connected with the upper first ends and each second ends are electrically connected with the upper second ends.