On-die micro-transformer structures with magnetic materials

• US 8,471,667 B2
• Filed: 11/29/2010
• Issued: 06/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Gardner, Donald S., Hazucha, Peter, Schrom, Gerhard
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TUYEN T
• Application Number:
  US12/955,415
• Publication Number:
  US 20110068887A1
• Time in Patent Office: 939 Days
• Field of Search: 336/65, 336/83, 336/200, 336/232, 257/531
• US Class Current: 336/200
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 10/132 containing cobalt
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 19/08 Transformers having magnetic bias, e.g. for handling pulses
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/2804 Printed windings
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/29 Terminals; Tapping arrangements for signal inductances
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 1/2056 Comb filters or interdigital filters with metallised resonator holes in a dielectric block

Abstract

Some embodiments include a die having a transformer. The transformer includes windings formed from a set of lines, such that no two lines belonging to any one winding are nearest neighbors. The lines are formed within one layer on the die. Other embodiments are described.

Claims

1. A die comprising:

a transformer including windings formed from a set of lines, the lines formed within one layer on the die, wherein the lines are arranged in parallel with each other, and no two lines in the set of lines belonging to any one winding among the windings are nearest neighbors.

2. The die of claim 1, further comprising a magnetic material located near the set of lines, wherein the magnetic material includes an alloy of cobalt.

3. The die of claim 1, further comprising a magnetic material located near the set of lines, wherein the magnetic material includes CoZrTa.

4. The die of claim 1, further comprising a magnetic material located near the set of lines, wherein the magnetic material includes CoZrTa, CoFeHfO, CoAlO, FeSiO, CoFeAlO, CoNbTa, or CoZr.

5. The die of claim 1, wherein the set of lines includes n>

1 lines denoted as line(i), i=0, 1, . . . , n−

1, and the transformer includes m>

1 windings denoted as winding (j), j=0, 1, . . . , m−

1, wherein line(i) belongs to winding(i modulo m).

6. The die of claim 1, further comprising a magnetic material surrounding the set of lines except for the ends of the set of lines.

7. The die of claim 1, further comprising a magnetic material surrounding the set of lines except for ends of the set of lines and except for a gap near the rightmost line in the set of lines.

8. A die comprising:

lines formed within one layer of the die, the lines arranged to form windings of a transformer, wherein two lines that are nearest neighbors belong to two different windings, and no two lines in the lines belonging to any winding among the windings are nearest neighbors.

10. The die of claim 8, further comprising a magnetic material located near the lines, wherein the magnetic material includes CoFeHfO.

11. The die of claim 10, wherein the magnetic material is located below and above the lines.

12. The die of claim 11, further comprising an insulator, such that the lines are insulated from the each other by the insulator.

9. A die comprising:

lines formed within one layer of the die, the lines arranged to form windings of a transformer, wherein two lines that are nearest neighbors belong to two different windings, wherein a number of the windings is equal to a number of the lines.

13. A die comprising:

lines arranged in parallel with each other and formed within one layer of the die, the lines arranged in sub-sets to form windings of a transformer, each of the sub-sets including at least one of the lines to form one of the windings, and no two lines in the set of lines belonging to any one winding among the windings are nearest neighbors; and

a controller coupled the transformer.

14. The die of claim 13, wherein the controller is to operate the transformer at a frequency greater than 10 MHz.

16. The die of claim 13, wherein at least one of the windings is formed from at least two different lines of one of the sub-sets.

17. The die of claim 13, wherein a number of the windings is less than a number of the lines.

18. The die of claim 13, further comprising a magnetic material located near the lines, wherein the magnetic material includes CoAlO.

19. The die of claim 18, wherein the magnetic material is located on at least one side of the lines.

20. The die of claim 19, further comprising an insulator located between the lines and the magnetic material.

15. A die comprising:

lines arranged in parallel with each other and formed within one layer of the die, the lines arranged in sub-sets to form windings of a transformer, each of the sub-sets including at least one of the lines to form one of the windings, wherein no two lines in each of the windings are nearest neighbors; and

a controller coupled the transformer.