Advanced 3D inductor structures with confined magnetic field

• US 9,899,133 B2
• Filed: 08/01/2014
• Issued: 02/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qorvo US, Inc. (Qorvo, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Qorvo US, Inc. (Qorvo, Inc.)
• Inventors: Maxim, George, Leipold, Dirk Robert Walter, Scott, Baker
• Primary Examiner(s): Lian, Mangtin
• Application Number:
  US14/450,156
• Publication Number:
  US 20150035637A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,299 Days
• Field of Search: 336192, 336200, 336233, 336231, 336227, 336230, 336223
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 17/0013 with stacked layers
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/565 using inductive elements
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/111 the amplifier being a dual or triple band amplifier, e.g. 900 and 1800 MHz, e.g. switched or not switched, simultaneously or not
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/267 A capacitor based passive circuit, e.g. filter, being used in an amplifying circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/391 the output circuit of an amplifying stage comprising an LC-network
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/451 the amplifier being a radio frequency amplifier
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2203/7209 the gated amplifier being switched from a first band to a second band
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/193 with field-effect devices H03F3/195 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/245 with semiconductor devices only
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/68 Combinations of amplifiers, e.g. multi-channel amplifiers for stereophonics power amplifiers using a combination of several semiconductor amplifiers H03F3/211; combinations of amplifiers using coupling networks with distributed constants H03F3/602
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/72 Gated amplifiers, i.e. amplifiers which are rendered operative or inoperative by means of a control signal
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 2210/012 Centre frequency; Cut-off frequency
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 2210/025 Capacitor
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 2210/04 Filter calibration method
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 7/09 Filters comprising mutual inductance
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 7/1775 Parallel LC in shunt or branch path H03H7/1791 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/525 with means for reducing leakage of transmitter signal into the receiver

Abstract

Embodiments of an apparatus that includes a substrate and an inductor residing in the substrate are disclosed. In one embodiment, the inductor is formed as a conductive path that extends from a first terminal to a second terminal. The conductive path has a shape corresponding to a two-dimensional (2D) lobe laid over a three-dimensional (3D) volume. Since the shape of the conductive path corresponds to the 2D lobe laid over a 3D volume, the magnetic field generated by the inductor has magnetic field lines that are predominately destructive outside the inductor and magnetic field lines that are predominately constructive inside the inductor. In this manner, the inductor can maintain a high quality (Q) factor while being placed close to other components.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a substrate;

an inductor residing in the substrate wherein the inductor comprises a conductive path that extends from a first terminal to a second terminal, wherein;

the conductive path has a shape corresponding to a two-dimensional (2D) lobe laid over a three-dimensional (3D) volume such that the inductor forms a first turn and a second turn that face one another and are substantially symmetrical with respect to a first plane and a third turn and a fourth turn that are substantially symmetrical and face one another with respect to a second plane;

the first plane and the second plane are substantially orthogonal to one another; and

the 2D lobe is open so as to define a gap in the 2D lobe between the first terminal and the second terminal and the 2D lobe is formed such that the 2D lobe extends out of the first terminal away from the gap and loops back to the second terminal towards the gap.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the substrate comprises:

a substrate body;

a metallic structure, which is formed by conductive layers and vias, integrated into the substrate body, wherein the inductor is at least partially formed from the conductive layers and the vias.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the 2D lobe is laid over the 3D volume such that the 2D lobe extends in three orthogonal spatial dimensions.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the 2D lobe is laid over the 3D volume so that the conductive path is a 3D conductive path.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the 2D lobe is laid over the 3D volume such that the 2D lobe is a 3D structure.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the 2D lobe is laid over the 3D volume such that an RF signal propagates through the 2D lobe in three orthogonal spatial dimensions.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

the 2D lobe is shaped approximately as a polygon; and

the 3D volume is shaped approximately as a polyhedron.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein:

the 2D lobe is shaped such that the polygon is approximately a rectangle;

the 3D volume is shaped so that the polyhedron is approximately a rectangular cuboid.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein:

the 2D lobe is shaped such that the rectangle is approximately a square;

the 3D volume is shaped so that the rectangular cuboid is approximately a cube.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the 2D lobe is shaped approximately as a resonant curve, wherein:

the 2D lobe is shaped approximately as an ellipse; and

the 3D volume is shaped approximately as an ellipsoid.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein:

the 2D lobe is shaped such that the ellipse is approximately a circle;

the 3D volume is shaped such that the ellipsoid is approximately a sphere.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the 2D lobe is shaped approximately as a resonant curve.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the resonant curve is approximately a double humped resonant curve.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

the 2D lobe is shaped approximately as a first open polygon and a second open polygon connected to one another;

the 3D volume is shaped approximately as a polyhedron.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein:

the first open polygon is shaped approximately as a first hexagon;

the second open polygon is shaped approximately as a second hexagon; and

the 3D volume is shaped approximately as an icosahedron.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein:

the first open polygon is shaped approximately as a first octagon;

the second open polygon is shaped approximately as a second octagon; and

the 3D volume is shaped approximately as a rhombicuboctahedron.

17. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

the 2D lobe is shaped approximately as a first open ellipse and a second open ellipse connected to one another;

the 3D volume is shaped approximately as an ellipsoid.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the first open ellipse is shaped approximately as a first open circle and a second open ellipse is shaped approximately as a second open circle.

19. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the inductor is configured to generate so that magnetic field lines inside the inductor are predominately constructive but also substantially cancel near a geometric centroid of the inductor.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein a largest dimension of the inductor is less than or equal to 10 millimeters.

21. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein the inductor is configured to have a quality factor of between 100 and 500 at operating frequencies of between 100 MHz and 10 GHz.

22. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the conductive layers are within the substrate body and on a surface of the substrate body.

23. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the conductive layers are within the substrate body and not on a surface of the substrate body.