Stacked Conductor Inductor Design for High Efficiency
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Summary
Problems
Developing high-quality thin film inductors with high Q, large inductance, and high energy storage per unit area is essential for fully integrated power converters to reduce the cost, weight, and size of electronic devices, but existing technologies face challenges in achieving high power density and efficiency due to inductor saturation and resistance losses.
Innovation solutions
The design of thin film coupled inductors with stacked conductors and magnetic yokes, where neighboring phases have opposing DC currents, reducing saturation and resistance losses, and increasing the coupling constant to enhance power density and efficiency.
TRIZ Analysis
Specific contradictions:
General conflict description:
Principle concept:
If traditional planar inductor structures are used, then manufacturing is simpler, but inductance per unit area is limited and conductor resistance is higher
Why choose this principle:
The patent transitions from a planar two-dimensional inductor layout to a three-dimensional stacked configuration with multiple conductor layers separated by insulating layers. This vertical stacking allows conductors to be positioned at different heights, increasing the effective inductance volume without proportionally increasing the planar footprint, thereby achieving higher inductance per unit area while maintaining reasonable manufacturing complexity
Principle concept:
If traditional planar inductor structures are used, then manufacturing is simpler, but inductance per unit area is limited and conductor resistance is higher
Why choose this principle:
The inductor employs a composite structure combining multiple materials: conductive layers for current flow, magnetic core materials for flux concentration, and insulating materials to prevent electrical breakdown between stacked conductors. This composite approach enables simultaneous optimization of electrical performance, magnetic properties, and structural integrity
Application Domain
Data Source
AI summary:
The design of thin film coupled inductors with stacked conductors and magnetic yokes, where neighboring phases have opposing DC currents, reducing saturation and resistance losses, and increasing the coupling constant to enhance power density and efficiency.
Abstract
A thin film coupled inductor, a thin film spiral inductor, and a system that includes an electronic device and a power supply or power converter incorporating one or more such inductors. A thin film coupled inductor includes a wafer substrate; a bottom yoke comprising a magnetic material above the wafer substrate; a first insulating layer above the bottom yoke; a first conductor above the bottom yoke and separated therefrom by the first insulating layer; a second insulating layer above the first conductor; a second conductor above the second insulating layer; a third insulating layer above the second conductor; and a non-planar top yoke above the third insulating layer, the top yoke comprising a magnetic material.