Method of forming a micromagnetic device

• US 7,955,868 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2007
• Issued: 06/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Enpirion, Inc. (MediaTek, Inc.)
• Inventors: Filas, Robert W., Panda, Amrit, Liakopoulos, Trifon M., Lotfi, Ashraf W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham; Thanh V
• Assistant Examiner(s): MUNOZ, ANDRES F
• Application Number:
  US11/852,689
• Publication Number:
  US 20090068761A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,366 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 438/3
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 17/0033 with the coil helically wound around a magnetic core
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 41/046 structurally combined with ferromagnetic material
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 41/34 in patterns, e.g. by lithography
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/11 Manufacturing methods

Abstract

A method of forming a micromagnetic device on a substrate including forming a first insulating layer above the substrate, a first seed layer above the first insulating layer, a first conductive winding layer above the first seed layer, and a second insulating layer above the first conductive winding layer. The method also includes forming a first magnetic core layer above the second insulating layer, a third insulating layer above the first magnetic core layer, and a second magnetic core layer above the third insulating layer. The method still further includes forming a fourth insulating layer above the second magnetic core layer, a second seed layer above the fourth insulating layer, and a second conductive winding layer above the second seed layer and in vias to the first conductive winding layer. The first and second conductive winding layers form a winding for the micromagnetic device.

Claims

1. A method of forming a micromagnetic device on a substrate, comprising:

forming a trench in said substrate;

forming a first insulating layer above said substrate within said trench;

forming a first seed layer above said first insulating layer;

forming a first conductive winding layer above said first seed layer;

forming a second insulating layer above said first conductive winding layer;

forming a first magnetic core layer above said second insulating layer;

forming a protective layer above said first magnetic core layer;

forming a third insulating layer above said protective layer;

forming a second magnetic core layer above said third insulating layer;

forming a fourth insulating layer above said second magnetic core layer;

forming a second seed layer above said fourth insulating layer; and

forming a second conductive winding layer above said second seed layer and in vias to said first conductive winding layer, said first conductive winding layer and said second conductive winding layer forming a winding for said micromagnetic device.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising forming an adhesive layer and a seed layer between said second insulating layer and said first magnetic core layer.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising forming an adhesive layer between said first conductive winding layer and said second insulating layer.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said protective layer is a nickel protective layer.

5. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising forming an adhesive layer and a seed layer between said third insulating layer and said second magnetic core layer.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising forming a protective layer between said second magnetic core layer and said fourth insulating layer.

7. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising forming a nickel protective layer between said second magnetic core layer and said fourth insulating layer.

8. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising forming an adhesive layer above said second conductive winding layer.

9. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising forming an interconnect in an aperture of an adhesive layer formed above said second conductive winding layer.

10. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said first and second insulating layers are formed from silicon dioxide.

11. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said first seed layer is formed from gold or copper.

12. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said first and second conductive winding layers are formed from copper.

13. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said first and second magnetic core layers are formed from an iron-cobalt alloy or an iron-cobalt-phosphorus alloy.

14. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said third and fourth insulating layers are formed from aluminum oxide, silicon dioxide, insulation polymer, photoresist or polyimide.

15. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said second seed layer is formed from sublayers of gold and copper.

16. A method of forming a micromagnetic device on a substrate, comprising:

forming a trench in said substrate;

forming a first seed layer above said substrate within said trench;

forming a first conductive winding layer above said first seed layer;

forming a first insulating layer above said first conductive winding layer;

forming a second seed layer above said first insulating layer;

forming a first magnetic core layer above said second seed layer;

forming a first protective layer above said first magnetic core layer;

forming a second insulating layer above said first protective layer;

forming a third seed layer above said second insulating layer;

forming a second magnetic core layer above said third seed layer;

forming a second protective layer above said second magnetic core layer;

forming a third insulating layer above said second protective layer;

forming a fourth seed layer above said third insulating layer; and

forming a second conductive winding layer above said fourth seed_layer and in vias to said first conductive winding layer, said first conductive winding layer and said second conductive winding layer forming a winding for said micromagnetic device.

17. The method as recited in claim 16 further comprising forming a fourth insulating layer and an adhesive layer between said substrate and said first seed layer.

18. The method as recited in claim 16 further comprising forming an adhesive layer between said first conductive winding layer and said first insulating layer.

19. The method as recited in claim 16 further comprising forming an adhesive layer between said first insulating layer and said second seed layer.

20. The method as recited in claim 16 further comprising forming an adhesive layer between said first protective layer and said second insulating layer.

21. The method as recited in claim 16 further comprising forming an adhesive layer between said second insulating layer and said third seed layer.

22. The method as recited in claim 16 further comprising forming an adhesive layer between said second protective layer and said third insulating layer.

23. The method as recited in claim 16 further comprising forming an adhesive layer between said third insulating layer and said fourth seed_layer.

24. The method as recited in claim 16 further comprising forming an adhesive layer above said second conductive winding layer.

25. The method as recited in claim 16 further comprising forming an interconnect in an aperture of an adhesive layer formed above said second conductive winding layer.

26. The method as recited in claim 16 wherein said first, second and third seed layers are formed from gold or copper.

27. The method as recited in claim 16 wherein said first and second conductive winding layers are formed from copper.

28. The method as recited in claim 16 wherein said first, second and third insulating layers are formed from aluminum oxide, silicon dioxide, insulation polymer, photoresist or polyimide.

29. The method as recited in claim 16 wherein said first and second magnetic core layers are formed from an iron-cobalt alloy or an iron-cobalt-phosphorus alloy.

30. The method as recited in claim 16 wherein said first and second protective layers are formed from nickel.