Power management module and method of manufacture

• US 8,350,657 B2
• Filed: 01/04/2007
• Issued: 01/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Derochemont L. Pierre
• Original Assignee: Derochemont L. Pierre
• Inventors: deRochemont, L. Pierre
• Primary Examiner(s): Musleh, Mohamad
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chan, Tsz
• Application Number:
  US11/620,042
• Publication Number:
  US 20070139976A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,196 Days
• Field of Search: 336/200, 336/233
• US Class Current: 336/200
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/768 Perovskite structure ABO3
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/781 Nanograined materials, i.e. having grain sizes below 100 nm
• CPC Class Codes: H01C 17/003 using lithography, e.g. photolithography lithographic compositions and processing in general G03F
• CPC Class Codes: H01C 17/06533 composed of oxides
• CPC Class Codes: H01C 7/003 Thick film resistors
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 2027/2809 on stacked layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/24 Magnetic cores
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/2804 Printed windings
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/29 Terminals; Tapping arrangements for signal inductances
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/40 Structural association with built-in electric component, e.g. fuse
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 3/00 Cores, Yokes, or armatures magnetic materials H01F1/00; permanent magnets H01F7/02
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 41/041 Printed circuit coils apparatus or processes for manufacturing printed circuits in general H05K3/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 5/003 Printed circuit coils
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 4/10 Metal-oxide dielectrics H01G4/085 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 4/33 Thin- or thick-film capacitors thin- or thick-film circuits H01L27/00; capacitors without a potential-jump or surface barrier specially adapted for integrated circuits, details thereof, multistep manufacturing processes therefor H01L28/40
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/16 of an individual bump connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/64 Impedance arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 28/10 Inductors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01019 Potassium [K]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0102 : Calcium [Ca]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01021 : Scandium [Sc]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01025 : Manganese [Mn]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01037 : Rubidium [Rb]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01057 : Lanthanum [La]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01067 : Holmium [Ho]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01077 : Iridium [Ir]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01078 : Platinum [Pt]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01079 : Gold [Au]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/3011 : Impedance
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/3025 : Electromagnetic shielding
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0298 : Multilayer circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/092 : Dispersed materials, e.g. conductive pastes or inks
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/162 : incorporating printed capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/165 : incorporating printed inductors
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/167 : incorporating printed resistors
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/017 : Glass ceramic coating, e.g. formed on inorganic substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/0175 : Inorganic, non-metallic layer, e.g. resist or dielectric for printed capacitor
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/09763 : Printed component having superposed conductors, but integrated in one circuit layer
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2203/016 : Temporary inorganic, non-metallic carrier, e.g. for processing or transferring
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2203/0338 : Transferring metal or conductive material other than a circuit pattern, e.g. bump, solder, printed component
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2203/121 : Metallo-organic compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/207 : using a prefabricated paste pattern, ink pattern or powder pattern
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49021 : Magnetic recording reproducing transducer [e.g., tape head, core, etc.]

Abstract

A power management module, provides an inductor including one or more electrical conductors disposed around a ferromagnetic ceramic element including one or more metal oxides having fluctuations in metal-oxide compositional uniformity less than or equal to 1.50 mol % throughout the ceramic element.

Claims

1. A power management module, comprising:

an inductor including one or more electrical conductors disposed around a ferromagnetic ceramic element formed on a substrate and including one or more metal oxides having fluctuations in metal-oxide compositional uniformity less than or equal to 1.50 mol % throughout said ceramic element, wherein the ceramic element has a crystal grain structure with substantially all grains having a diameter that is less than or equal to 1.5×

a mean grain diameter.

2. The module of claim 1, wherein said inductor exhibits an inductance anywhere over the range of 0.1 pH to 1000 μ

H.

3. The module of claim 1, wherein said one or more metal oxides have a body-centered cubic crystalline phase, that includes iron oxide (Fe₂O₃) and amounts of one or more of:

cobalt monoxide (CoO), nickel oxide (NiO), zinc oxide (ZnO), manganese oxide (MnO), copper oxide (CuO), vanadium oxide (VO), magnesium oxide (MgO) and lithium oxide (Li₂O).

4. The module of claim 1, wherein said one or more electrical conductors form a coil around said ceramic element.

5. The module of claim 4, wherein the one or more electrical conductors include a plurality of connections to the coil to enable selective variation the inductance of the coil.

6. The module of claim 1, wherein said one or more electrical conductors include a multiplicity of additional conductors, including one or more second electrical conductors formed as circuit board traces and located beneath said ceramic element.

7. The module of claim 6, wherein each of said one or more second electrical conductors are elongated and have contact pads located at opposing ends thereof, and further wherein said multiplicity of additional conductors includes a plurality of electrical contact posts located on said contact pads and adjacent said ceramic element.

8. The module of claim 7, wherein said multiplicity of additional conductors includes one or more wire bonds located over said ceramic element and connecting said electrical conductor posts.

9. The module of claim 1, wherein said ceramic element includes a plurality of ceramic elements embedded in said dielectric substrate and operatively interconnected.

10. The module of claim 1, wherein said ceramic element is formed over the one or more electrical conductors and on or in a dielectric substrate.

11. The module of claim 10, wherein said inductor is part of a system-in-package.

12. The module of claim 1, wherein said ceramic element is formed on a semiconductor die that contains active semiconductor switches or rectifying components.

13. The module of claim 12, wherein said inductor is part of a system-on-chip.

14. The module of claim 12, wherein said inductor is electrically connected to circuitry within said semiconductor die.

15. The module of claim 1, further comprising at least one additional electrical component including a second ceramic element including one or more metal oxides having fluctuations in metal-oxide compositional uniformity less than or equal to 1.5 mol % throughout said ceramic element.

16. The module of claim 15, wherein said at least one additional electrical component includes a capacitor.

17. The module of claim 15 wherein said at least one additional electrical component includes a resistor.

18. The module of claim 1, wherein one of the metal oxides included in said ferromagnetic ceramic element is silicon oxide (SiO₄) and said ceramic element adopts a rhombic dodecahedron or rhombic trapezohedron crystalline phase, and the other metal oxides include amounts of one or more of:

aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃), iron oxide (Fe₂O₃), chromium oxide (Cr₂O₃), vanadium oxide (V₂O₃), zirconium oxide (ZrO₂), titanium oxide (TiO₂), silicon oxide (SiO₂), yttrium oxide (Y₂O₃), cobalt oxide (Co₃O₄), gadolinium oxide (Gd₂O₃) neodymium oxide (Nd₂O₃) and holmium oxide (Ho₂O₃).

19. A method of manufacturing a power management module, comprising the step of forming an inductor on a semiconductor substrate, including disposing one or more electrical conductors around a ceramic element formed on the semiconductor substrate, with the ceramic element having one or more metal oxides having fluctuations in metal-oxide compositional uniformity less than or equal to 1.50 mol % throughout said ceramic element, wherein the ceramic element has a crystal grain structure with substantially all grains having a diameter that is less than or equal to 1.5×

a mean grain diameter.

20. A power management module, comprising:

an inductor including one or more electrical conductors disposed around a ferromagnetic ceramic element including a plurality of mixed metal oxides having fluctuations in metal-oxide compositional uniformity less than or equal to 1.50 mol % throughout said ceramic element, wherein the ceramic element has a crystal grain structure with substantially all grains having a diameter that is less than or equal to 1.5×

a mean grain diameter.