Integrated circuit and layered circuit provided therewith

• US 9,749,020 B2
• Filed: 11/11/2014
• Issued: 08/29/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ThruChip Japan Inc.
• Original Assignee: ThruChip Japan Inc.
• Inventors: Kuroda, Tadahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Tuan
• Application Number:
  US14/905,406
• Publication Number:
  US 20160156390A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,022 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 2027/2809 on stacked layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/2804 Printed windings
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/5227 Inductive arrangements or effects of, or between, wiring layers other inductive arrangements H01L23/645
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/5283 Cross-sectional geometry
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/26 using coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication

Abstract

An integrated circuit includes multiple quadrangular coils including a first wiring and a second wiring that are alternately connected to each other and formed on different layers in a manner perpendicularly intersecting each other. The coils are partly overlapped with each other in a diagonal direction that connects opposite corners of the coils. The coils preferably have the same structures. A target coil among the coils preferably partly overlaps with another coil among the coils in two diagonal directions that connect opposite corners of the target coil.

Claims

1. An integrated circuit comprising:

a plurality of quadrangular coils, each of the plurality of quadrangular coils including a first wiring and a second wiring that are alternately connected to each other,

wherein the first wiring is formed on a first layer and the second wiring is formed on a second layer situated over the first layer, such that the first wiring perpendicularly intersects the second wiring in a plan view,

wherein the coils are partly overlapped with each other in a diagonal direction that connects opposite corners of the coils, and

wherein the coils include a first coil and a second coil partly overlapped with each other in the diagonal direction, and a corner of the first coil and a corner of the second coil are entangled with each other such that the first wiring and the second wiring extending from the corner of the first coil are situated under the second wiring and over the first wiring, respectively, extending from the corner of the second coil.

2. The integrated circuit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the coils have the same structures.

3. The integrated circuit as claimed in claim 1, wherein a target coil among the coils partly overlaps with another coil among the coils in two diagonal directions that connect opposite corners of the target coil.

4. The integrated circuit as claimed in claim 1, wherein whether to use the coils for communication is switched according to a phase timing.

8. The integrated circuit as claimed in claim 4, further comprising:

a threshold control circuit that controls a detection threshold of a reception signal obtained from the coils that have started or ended being used for communication according to a timing for ending or starting the use of the coils for communication.

9. A layered circuit comprising:

a plurality of layers of the integrated circuit of claim 1;

wherein one integrated circuit and another integrated circuit communicate by inductive coupling between the coil included in the one integrated circuit and the coil included in the other integrated circuit.

5. An integrated circuit comprising:

a plurality of quadrangular coils, each of the plurality of quadrangular coils including a first wiring and a second wiring that are alternately connected to each other,

wherein the first wiring is formed on a first layer and the second wiring is formed on a second layer situated over the first layer, such that the first wiring perpendicularly intersects the second wiring in a plan view,

wherein the coils are partly overlapped with each other in a diagonal direction that connects opposite corners of the coils,

wherein whether to use the coils for communication is switched according to a phase timing, and

wherein

a mode of using a target coil among the coils for communication and using another coil among the coils that is arranged in a position that does not overlap with the target coil in a diagonal direction connecting opposite corners of the target coil for communication,

a mode of not using the target coil for communication and using another coil that is arranged in a position that overlaps with the target coil in a diagonal direction connecting opposite corners of the target coil for communication, and

a mode of not using the target coil for communication and using another coil having opposite sides opposing a side of the target coil,

are switched according to the phase timing.

6. An integrated circuit comprising:

a plurality of quadrangular coils, each of the plurality of quadrangular coils including a first wiring and a second wiring that are alternately connected to each other,

wherein the first wiring is formed on a first layer and the second wiring is formed on a second layer situated over the first layer, such that the first wiring perpendicularly intersects the second wiring in a plan view,

wherein the coils are partly overlapped with each other in a diagonal direction that connects opposite corners of the coils,

wherein whether to use the coils for communication is switched according to a phase timing, and

wherein

a first mode of using a target coil among the coils for communication and using another coil among the coils that is arranged in a position that does not overlap with the target coil in a diagonal direction connecting opposite corners of the target coil for communication,

a second mode of not using the target coil for communication and using another coil that is arranged in a position that overlaps with the target coil in a diagonal direction connecting one of the opposite corners of the target coil for communication,

a third mode of not using the target coil for communication and using another coil having opposite sides opposing a side of the target coil, and

a fourth mode of not using the target coil for communication and using another coil that is arranged in a position that overlaps with the target coil in a diagonal direction connecting another one of the opposite corners of the target coil for communication, are switched according to the phase timing.

7. The integrated circuit as claimed in claim 6, wherein the first mode, the second mode, the third mode, and the fourth mode are repeated in this order.