CIRCUIT BOARD WITH INTEGRATED VOLTAGE REGULATOR

• US 20130257525A1
• Filed: 03/30/2012
• Published: 10/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
• Inventors: Kosonocky, Stephen V., Sturcken, Noah
• Time in patent office: 0 Days
• US Class Current: 327/540
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 41/041 Printed circuit coils apparatus or processes for manufacturing printed circuits in general H05K3/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/16225 the item being non-metallic, e.g. insulating substrate with or without metallisation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/3128 the substrate having spherical bumps for external connection
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/49822 Multilayer substrates multilayer metallisation on monolayer substrate H01L23/498
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/49827 Via connections through the substrates, e.g. pins going through the substrate, coaxial cables H01L23/49822, H01L23/49833, H01L23/4985, H01L23/49861 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/15311 being a ball array, e.g. BGA
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0262 Arrangements for regulating voltages or for using plural voltages
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/165 incorporating printed inductors
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/185 Components encapsulated in the insulating substrate of the printed circuit or incorporated in internal layers of a multilayer circuit semiconductor chips encapsulated by interconnect and support structures H01L23/5389, H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/1003 Non-printed inductor
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10674 Flip chip
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4913 Assembling to base an electrical component, e.g., capacitor, etc.

Abstract

Various circuit board voltage regulators and methods of making and using the same are disclosed. In one aspect, a method of manufacturing is provided that includes fabricating at least one inductor in a circuit board and coupling a semiconductor chip to the circuit board. The at least one inductor is electrically coupled to the semiconductor chip. Regulator logic is electrically coupled to the at least one inductor, the regulator logic and the at least one inductor are operable to deliver a regulated voltage to the semiconductor chip.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing, comprising:

fabricating at least one inductor in a circuit board;

coupling a semiconductor chip to the circuit board;

electrically coupling the at least one inductor to the semiconductor chip; and

electrically coupling regulator logic to the at least one inductor, the regulator logic and the at least one inductor being operable to deliver a regulated voltage to the semiconductor chip.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the circuit board comprises a package substrate.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising fabricating at least two inductors in the circuit board and electrically coupling each of the at least two onboard inductors to the regulator logic.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the regulator logic comprises a controller and at least two switching transistors.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one inductor is fabricated as a first strip.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one inductor is fabricated as a second strip inductively coupled to the first strip.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the circuit board comprises a core and at least one build up layer, the at least inductor being fabricated in the at least one build up layer.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the circuit board comprises a core and at least one build up layer, the at least inductor being fabricated in the core.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the regulator logic is in the semiconductor chip.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the semiconductor chip comprises a portion requiring the regulated voltage, the at least one inductor being positioned in spatial alignment with and the regulator logic being positioned near the portion.

11. A method providing a regulated voltage to a semiconductor chip, comprising:

coupling the semiconductor chip to a circuit board, the circuit board having at least one onboard inductor;

electrically coupling the at least one inductor to the semiconductor chip; and

electrically coupling regulator logic to the at least one inductor and supplying input voltage to the regulator logic, the regulator logic and the at least one inductor being operable to deliver a regulated voltage to the semiconductor chip based on the input voltage.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the circuit board comprises a package substrate.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the circuit board comprises at least two onboard inductors, the method including electrically coupling each of the at least two onboard inductors to the regulator logic.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the regulator logic comprises a controller and at least two switching transistors.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one inductor comprises a first strip.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the at least one inductor comprises a second strip inductively coupled to the first strip.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the circuit board comprises a core and at least one build up layer, the at least inductor being in the at least one build up layer.

18. The method of claim 11 wherein the circuit board comprises a core and at least one build up layer, the at least inductor being in the core.

19. The method of claim 11, comprising performing an electronic function with the semiconductor chip.

20. An apparatus, comprising:

a circuit board having at least one onboard inductor;

a semiconductor chip coupled to the circuit board and electrically coupled to the at least one inductor; and

regulator logic electrically coupled to the at least one inductor, the regulator logic and the at least one inductor being operable to deliver a regulated voltage to the semiconductor chip.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the circuit board comprises a package substrate.

22. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the circuit board comprises at least two onboard inductors, each of the at least two onboard inductors being electrically coupled to the regulator logic.

23. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the regulator logic comprises a controller and at least two switching transistors.

24. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the at least one inductor comprises a first strip.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the at least one inductor comprises a second strip inductively coupled to the first strip.

26. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the circuit board comprises a core and at least one build up layer, the at least inductor being positioned in the at least one build up layer.

27. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the regulator logic is in the semiconductor chip.

28. The apparatus of claim 20, comprising an electronic device coupled to the circuit board.

29. An apparatus, comprising:

a circuit board having at least one onboard inductor; and

whereby the circuit board is adapted to from part of a voltage regulator when coupled to an integrated circuit including regulator logic.

30. A semiconductor chip, comprising:

regulator logic; and

whereby the semiconductor chip being adapted to be coupled to an inductor included in a circuit board, and the regulator logic when coupled to the at least one inductor being operable to deliver a regulated voltage to the semiconductor chip.