Method of manufacturing a coil inductor

• US 7,666,688 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2008
• Issued: 02/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: Chen, Chen-Shien, Ching, Kai-Ming
• Primary Examiner(s): Smoot; Stephen W
• Application Number:
  US12/019,688
• Publication Number:
  US 20090188104A1
• Time in Patent Office: 760 Days
• Field of Search: 257/E21.022
• US Class Current: 438/3
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 17/0013 with stacked layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 17/0033 with the coil helically wound around a magnetic core
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 2017/0086 on semiconductor substrate inductors for integrated circuits H01L28/10
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 41/046 structurally combined with ferromagnetic material
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4902 Electromagnet, transformer or inductor

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a coil inductor and a coil inductor are provided. A plurality of conductive bottom structures are formed to be lying on a first dielectric layer. A plurality pairs of conductive side structures are then formed, wherein each pair of the conductive side structure stand on top surface of a first end and a second end of each conductive bottom structure respectively; a second dielectric layer is formed on the first dielectric layer, coating the bottom and side structures; and a plurality of conductive top structures are formed to be lying on the second dielectric layer, wherein each conductive top structure electrically connects each pair of the conductive side structures, wherein the conductive bottom structures, the conductive side structures and the conductive top structures together form a conductive coil structure.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing a conductive coil inductor, wherein the conductive coil inductor is a solenoid, the method comprises the steps of:

forming a plurality of conductive bottom structures lying on a first dielectric layer;

forming a plurality of pairs of conductive side structures, wherein each pair of the conductive side structure stand on top surface of a first end and a second end of each conductive bottom structure respectively;

forming a second dielectric layer on the first dielectric layer, coating the bottom and side structures; and

forming a plurality of conductive top structures lying on the second dielectric layer, wherein each conductive top structure electrically connects each pair of the conductive side structures, wherein the conductive bottom structures, the conductive side structures and the conductive top structures together form a conductive coil structure.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

providing a silicon substrate; and

forming the first dielectric layer on the silicon substrate.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the silicon substrate has two terminal contacts thereon.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the two terminal contacts are transfer pads.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising the steps of:

forming two conductive connectors on the two terminal contacts, wherein two ends of the conductive coil structure is connected to the two conductive connectors.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the two conductive connectors are formed by a copper plating process.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first dielectric layer is at least 5 um in thickness.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first dielectric layer is made of epoxy or polyamide.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the second dielectric layer is made of epoxy or polyamide.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of conductive bottom structures, conductive side structures, and conductive top structures are formed by lithography and plating processes.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the lithography process uses a dry film resist (DFR) layer.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the plating process is a copper plating process.

13. The method of claim 1, the method further comprises forming a ferromagnetic core at the center of the conductive coil structure.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the ferromagnetic core is made of iron, nickel, or cobalt.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the ferromagnetic core is formed by lithography and plating processes after the step of forming the second dielectric layer.

16. The method of claim 15, the method further comprises etching the second dielectric layer to form a trench in the second dielectric layer, so that a portion of the ferromagnetic core is embedded in the trench.

17. A method of manufacturing a conductive coil inductor, wherein the conductive coil inductor is a spiral structure, the method comprises the steps of:

forming a photo-resist layer on top of a first dielectric layer;

patterning the photo-resist layer to form a spiral pattern;

plating a conductive spiral layer on top of the first dielectric layer according to the patterned photo-resist layer;

removing the photo-resist layer; and

forming a ferromagnetic core at the center of the conductive spiral structure.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising the steps of:

providing a silicon substrate; and

forming the first dielectric layer on the silicon substrate.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the silicon substrate has two terminal contacts thereon.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising the steps of:

forming two conductive connectors on the two terminal contacts, wherein two ends of the conductive coil structure are connected to the two conductive connectors.