Substrate comprising an embedded inductor and a thin film magnetic core

• US 10,290,414 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2015
• Issued: 05/14/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Yun, Changhan Hobie, Velez, Mario Francisco, Zuo, Chengjie, Kim, Daeik Daniel, Berdy, David Francis, Lan, Je-Hsiung Jeffrey, Kim, Jonghae, Mudakatte, Niranjan Sunil, Mikulka, Robert Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Enad, Elvin G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hossain, Kazi S
• Application Number:
  US14/841,132
• Publication Number:
  US 20170062120A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,352 Days
• Field of Search: 336200, 336232, 257331
• 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 41/042 by thin film techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 41/046 structurally combined with ferromagnetic material
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 41/32 for applying conductive, insulating or magnetic material on a magnetic film , specially adapted for a thin magnetic film
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/16225 the item being non-metallic, e.g. insulating substrate with or without metallisation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/645 Inductive arrangements H01L23/647, H01L23/66 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00012 Relevant to the scope of the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/15311 being a ball array, e.g. BGA
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/181 Encapsulation
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/165 incorporating printed inductors

Abstract

A substrate includes a first dielectric layer, a magnetic core at least partially in the first dielectric layer, where the magnetic core comprises a first non-horizontal thin film magnetic (TFM) layer. The substrate also includes a first inductor that includes a plurality of first interconnects, where the first inductor is positioned in the substrate to at least partially surround the magnetic core. The magnetic core may further include a second non-horizontal thin film magnetic (TFM) layer. The magnetic core may further include a core layer. The magnetic core may further include a third thin film magnetic (TFM) layer, and a fourth thin film magnetic (TFM) layer that is substantially parallel to the third thin film magnetic (TFM) layer.

Claims

1. A substrate comprising:

a substrate core layer;

a first dielectric layer coupled to a first surface of the substrate core layer;

a second dielectric layer coupled to a second surface of the substrate core layer;

a magnetic core that includes;

a core layer that includes a dielectric layer;

a first thin film magnetic (TFM) layer coupled to a first non-horizontal side of the core layer;

a second thin film magnetic (TFM) layer coupled to a second non-horizontal side of the core layer;

a third thin film magnetic (TFM) layer coupled to a third horizontal side of the core layer; and

a fourth thin film magnetic (TFM) layer being coupled to a fourth horizontal side of the core layer, wherein the fourth horizontal side of the core layer is opposite to the third horizontal side of the core layer,

wherein the first thin film magnetic (TFM) layer, the second thin film magnetic (TFM) layer, the third thin film magnetic (TFM) layer and the fourth thin film magnetic (TFM) layer, each includes a thickness of about 1 micron (μ

m), and

a first inductor formed by a plurality of first interconnects,

wherein the first inductor is formed in the substrate such that the first inductor at least partially surrounds the magnetic core,

wherein the plurality of first interconnects that forms the first inductor includes interconnects formed in the substrate core layer, the first dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer.

2. The substrate of claim 1, wherein a surface of the core layer is co planar with the first surface of the substrate core layer.

3. The substrate of claim 1, wherein the fourth thin film magnetic (TFM) layer is formed over the fourth horizontal side of the core layer and the first surface of the substrate core layer.

4. The substrate of claim 1, wherein the first thin film magnetic (TFM) layer, the second thin film magnetic (TFM) layer, the third thin film magnetic (TFM) layer and the fourth thin film magnetic (TFM) layer are a patterned thin film magnetic (TFM) layer.

5. The substrate of claim 1, wherein the third horizontal side of the core layer and the fourth horizontal side of the core layer is parallel with the first surface of the substrate core layer.

6. The substrate of claim 1, wherein the magnetic core is at least partially located in the first dielectric layer.

7. The substrate of claim 1, wherein the magnetic core is at least partially located in the substrate core layer.

8. The substrate of claim 1, wherein the first inductor comprises a solenoid inductor.

9. The substrate of claim 1, wherein the first non-horizontal thin film magnetic (TFM) layer comprises a metallic material or a non-metallic material.

10. The substrate of claim 1, wherein the magnetic core is surrounded by the first dielectric layer.

11. The substrate of claim 1, wherein the magnetic core is at least partially surrounded by the first dielectric layer and at least partially surrounded by the second dielectric layer.

12. The substrate of claim 1, further comprising a second inductor comprising a plurality of second interconnects.

13. The substrate of claim 12, wherein the first inductor and the second inductor are configured to operate as a coupled inductor or a transformer.

14. The substrate of claim 1, wherein the plurality of first interconnects comprises a trace, a via, and/or a pad.

15. The substrate of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises a package substrate or an interposer.

16. The substrate of claim 1, wherein the substrate is implemented in an integrated circuit (IC) package comprising a die, such that the substrate is coupled to the die.

17. The substrate of claim 1, wherein the substrate is incorporated into a device selected from the group consisting of a music player, a video player, an entertainment unit, a navigation device, a communications device, a mobile device, a mobile phone, a smartphone, a personal digital assistant, a fixed location terminal, a tablet computer, a computer, a wearable device, a laptop computer, a server, and a device in an automotive vehicle, and further including the device.

18. The substrate of claim 1, wherein the first thin film magnetic (TFM) layer, the second thin film magnetic (TFM) layer, the third thin film magnetic (TFM) layer, and the fourth thin film magnetic (TFM) layer are patterned in a shape of a spiral.

19. The substrate of claim 1, wherein the first inductor is configured to include an inductance (L) of about 5.7 or greater, when the first inductor operates at about 1 gigahertz or greater.

20. The substrate of claim 1, wherein the first inductor is configured to include a quality factor (Q) of about 83 or greater, when the first inductor operates at about 1 gigahertz or greater.