Three-dimensional inductor with adjustable inductance value

Abstract

The invention provides a three-dimensional inductor with an adjustable inductance value, the three-dimensional inductor comprises a plurality of sections of top metal wires which are not in contact with each other and a plurality of sections of bottom metal wires which are not in contact with each other, and the top metal wires and the bottom metal wires are electrically connected through conductive metal through holes; on-off devices are arranged between the top-layer metal wires which are not in contact with one another and / or between the bottom-layer metal wires which are not in contact with one another, the winding length of the three-dimensional inductor is adjusted by adjusting the on-off states of the on-off devices, and the inductance value of the three-dimensional inductor can be adjusted in a large range to meet the application requirement of the three-dimensional inductor.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the field of microwave radio frequency, and in particular to a three-dimensional inductor with adjustable inductance value. Background Art

[0002] Passive inductors have extremely wide applications in the field of radio frequency and microwaves, including passive devices such as impedance matching networks and filters, as well as active devices such as voltage-controlled oscillators and DC-DC converters. In addition, as an important circuit element, passive inductors are widely used in radio frequency circuits, where they play the roles of filtering, energy storage and conversion, signal processing and transmission, current stabilization, and electromagnetic interference suppression. Three-dimensional inductors have been widely studied and applied due to their high quality factors and high area utilization. The current three-dimensional inductors have the problem that their inductance value cannot be changed once they are manufactured. Therefore, for circuits that need to adjust the inductance value to debug performance or change their performance characteristics, inductors with a single fixed inductance value cannot meet their needs. Summary of the invention

[0003] In view of the above problems existing in the prior art, the present invention proposes a three-dimensional inductor with adjustable inductance value, which mainly solves the problem that the inductance value of the existing inductor is relatively fixed and difficult to meet the actual application requirements.

[0004] In order to achieve the above purpose and other purposes, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows.

[0005] The present application provides a three-dimensional inductor with adjustable inductance value, comprising a plurality of sections of top metal routing lines that do not contact each other and a plurality of sections of bottom metal routing lines that do not contact each other, wherein the top metal routing lines and the bottom metal routing lines are electrically connected via conductive metal vias; a switching device is provided between the top metal routing lines that do not contact each other and / or between the bottom metal routing lines that do not contact each other, and the length of the winding forming the three-dimensional inductor is adjusted by adjusting the switching state of the switching device.

[0006] In one embodiment of the present application, at least one section of the top metal routing is provided with a top hole disk, or at least one section of the bottom metal routing is provided with a bottom hole disk; the conductive metal through hole connects the top hole disk and / or the bottom hole disk.

[0007] In an embodiment of the present application, the on-off device adopts an active switch, or realizes electrical connection of corresponding metal traces through metal or alloy bonding.

[0008] In an embodiment of the present application, at least one of the switching devices is disposed between any two points of two metal traces that are not in contact with each other.

[0009] In an embodiment of the present application, a dielectric layer is further disposed between the top metal wiring and the bottom metal wiring, and the dielectric layer is obtained by stacking a plurality of sub-layers with different dielectric constants.

[0010] In one embodiment of the present application, when there are multiple on-off devices, each of the on-off devices performs on-off control independently of each other.

[0011] The present application also provides an LC filter, comprising the three-dimensional inductor with adjustable inductance value.

[0012] As described above, the three-dimensional inductor with adjustable inductance value provided by the present application has the following beneficial effects.

[0013] The present application uses an on-off device to connect or disconnect any two points between two non-contacting top metal routings or between bottom metal routings in a three-dimensional inductor, so that the access position and number of the corresponding top metal routings or bottom metal routings change, thereby realizing winding length adjustment, achieving a larger inductance adjustment range, and having a simple structure and convenient operation. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure of a three-dimensional inductor with adjustable inductance value in one embodiment of the present application.

[0015] Figure 2 FIG. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a three-dimensional inductor with adjustable inductance in another embodiment of the present application.

[0016] Figure 3 This is a simulation curve diagram of the inductance value of a three-dimensional inductor with adjustable inductance value. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] The following describes the embodiments of the present invention by specific examples, and those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the contents disclosed in this specification. The present invention can also be implemented or applied through other different specific embodiments, and the details in this specification can also be modified or changed in various ways based on different viewpoints and applications without departing from the spirit of the present invention. It should be noted that the following embodiments and features in the embodiments can be combined with each other without conflict.

[0018] It should be noted that the illustrations provided in the following embodiments are only schematic illustrations of the basic concept of the present invention, and thus the drawings only show components related to the present invention rather than being drawn according to the number, shape and size of components in actual implementation. In actual implementation, the type, quantity and proportion of each component may be changed arbitrarily, and the component layout may also be more complicated.

[0019] The inventors have found that:

[0020] Passive inductors have extremely wide applications in the field of radio frequency and microwaves, including passive devices such as impedance matching networks and filters, as well as active devices such as voltage-controlled oscillators and DC-DC converters. In addition, as an important circuit element, passive inductors are widely used in radio frequency circuits, where they play the roles of filtering, energy storage and conversion, signal processing and transmission, current stabilization, and electromagnetic interference suppression. Three-dimensional inductors have been widely studied and applied due to their high quality factors and high area utilization. The current three-dimensional inductors have the problem that their inductance value cannot be changed once they are made. Therefore, for circuits that need to adjust the inductance value to debug performance or change their performance characteristics, inductors with a single fixed inductance value cannot meet their needs. Therefore, it is necessary to design and invent a three-dimensional inductor structure with adjustable inductance value.

[0021] One existing solution is also for adjusting the three-dimensional inductor, but the method is to add additional fine-tuning inductors and extended-range structures, which are complex to design and manufacture, and the range of adjustable inductance values ​​is also small. Another existing solution is also for adjusting the inductance of the three-dimensional inductor, but the method is to add two layers of spiral inductors and a switch selection array. The inductor is a plurality of coils overlapping, and the manufacture of multiple layers of metal is more complicated, and the internal circuit of the switch selection array is complex. At the same time, the range of adjustable inductance values ​​has a small step size, and the inductance values ​​that can be changed are relatively small.

[0022] Based on the above problems existing in the prior art, the present application proposes a three-dimensional inductor with adjustable inductance value. The technical solution of the present application is described in detail below in conjunction with specific embodiments.

[0023] The present application provides a three-dimensional inductor with adjustable inductance value, comprising: multiple sections of top metal traces that do not touch each other and multiple sections of bottom metal traces that do not touch each other, the top metal traces and the bottom metal traces are electrically connected through conductive metal vias; a switching device is provided between the top metal traces that do not touch each other and / or between the bottom metal traces that do not touch each other, and the on-off state of the switching device is adjusted to adjust the winding length of the three-dimensional inductor. Specifically, the top metal traces and the bottom metal traces are connected to form an inductor coil, and the switching device is used to short-circuit some of the top metal traces and / or the bottom metal traces to adjust the winding length of the finally formed inductor, thereby achieving the effect of adjusting the inductance value. The on-off device can be set between any two points of any two sections of the top metal routing that do not touch each other. For example, a on-off device can be connected between any point on one section of the top metal routing and any point on another section of the top metal routing. By turning on the on-off device, the corresponding points on the two sections of the top metal routing are electrically connected; or it can be set between any two points of two bottom metal routings that do not touch each other. The setting method of the on-off device between two points on different bottom metal routings is the same as that of the top metal routing, which will not be repeated here; or any combination of the above setting positions. The specific position of the on-off device can be set and adjusted according to actual application requirements.

[0024] In one embodiment, at least one section of the top metal routing is provided with a top hole disk, or at least one section of the bottom metal routing is provided with a bottom hole disk; the conductive metal through hole connects the top hole disk and / or the bottom hole disk. Optionally, two top hole disks are provided on each section of the top metal routing, and similarly, two bottom hole disks are provided on each section of the bottom metal routing, and the positions of the top hole disk and the bottom hole disk correspond to each other, and the top hole disk and the bottom hole disk at the corresponding position can establish an electrical connection through the conductive metal through hole. Of course, the hole disk can also be provided only on some of the metal routings, and the number of hole disks on a section of the metal routing can also be set and adjusted according to actual application requirements, and the hole disk can also be provided at any position on the metal routing, such as at both ends and in the middle of the metal routing. The on-off device can be connected between the corresponding hole disks of the two sections of the metal routing that are not in contact with each other, and can also be provided between any two points on the two sections of the metal routing that are not in contact with each other. The top metal routing and the bottom metal routing are electrically connected through the conductive metal through hole that passes through the top and bottom layers, and then the top metal routing and the bottom metal routing are alternately connected to form an inductor coil. The position of the conductive metal through hole can be determined according to the relative position of the top hole disk and the bottom hole disk, and the specific number can be set according to the actual inductance demand and is not limited here. The top metal routing and / or bottom metal routing that are not in contact with each other are short-circuited by the on-off device to adjust the winding length of the three-dimensional inductor. The specific combination method can be flexibly configured according to the number and position of the on-off device. The number of top metal routings and the number of bottom metal routings can be set to be equal or unequal. Exemplarily, four sections of top metal routing can be set on the top layer, and three sections of bottom metal routing can be set on the bottom layer, and the three sections of bottom metal routing are set relative to the positions of any three sections of top metal routing. Of course, the position of the three sections of bottom metal routing can also be relative to the spacing area between the four sections of top metal routing. The top hole disk on the top metal routing is connected to the bottom hole disk on the bottom metal routing through the conductive metal through hole, so as to realize the electrical connection between the top hole disk and the bottom hole disk.

[0025] It should be noted that, assuming that there are three sections of top metal routing lines 01, 02, and 03 on the top layer, since the three sections of top metal routing lines are relatively independent on the top layer and are not directly in contact with each other through the top layer, but are connected to the bottom metal routing lines through conductive metal vias, 01 and 02, 01 and 03, and 02 and 03 are all top metal routing lines that do not touch each other. Similarly, there are also multiple sections of bottom metal routing lines that do not touch each other. The on-off device can be set at any two points between any two top routing lines and / or bottom routing lines that do not touch each other.

[0026] In one embodiment, the top metal wiring and the bottom metal wiring may be composed of the same conductive metal, and the material of the metal wire may be adjusted as needed, which is not limited here.

[0027] In one embodiment, the on-off device adopts an active switch, or realizes the electrical connection of the corresponding hole disks through metal or alloy bonding. Taking the active switch as an example, the on-off of the active switch can be controlled by the control circuit to control the on or off state between the corresponding hole disks. Of course, in actual use, the corresponding hole disks can be connected through metal or alloy bonding that can realize electrical connection, and the corresponding bonding connection or metal or alloy bonding position can be cut off after use to obtain a three-dimensional inductor with different inductance values. The metal or alloy used for bonding may include copper, gold, copper alloy, silver alloy, gold alloy, etc. The specific setting method of the on-off device and the bonding material can be set and adjusted according to the actual application requirements, and there is no limitation here.

[0028] In one embodiment, a dielectric layer is further provided between the top metal wiring and the bottom metal wiring, and the dielectric layer may be a single-layer structure with the same dielectric constant, or a structure obtained by stacking multiple sub-layers, each of which is made of different materials and has different dielectric constants. The dielectric layer includes materials such as resin, ceramic, and silicon. The specific number of sub-layers and the thickness of each sub-layer can be set and adjusted according to actual application requirements, and are not limited here.

[0029] In one embodiment, at least one of the on-off devices is arranged between two sections of non-contacting metal wires. At least one of the on-off devices is arranged between the top or bottom hole disks connected by two adjacent and non-contacting metal wires located on the same side; and / or, a preset number of hole disks are spaced between two top or bottom hole disks on the same side connected by at least one of the on-off devices. Exemplarily, an on-off device can be arranged between every two adjacent top or bottom hole disks on the same side connected by non-contacting metal wires, or only a part of the adjacent top or bottom hole disks located on the same side are selected to be arranged with an on-off device. The specific position and number of on-off devices can be set and adjusted according to actual application requirements. The specific number of spaced hole disks can be set and adjusted according to actual application requirements. Exemplarily, two hole disks separated by one hole disk can be connected through an on-off device. When the on-off device is turned on, the two connected hole disks are short-circuited, and the number of turns of the coil connected to the three-dimensional inductor can be adjusted. Of course, the on-off device can also be arranged at any point other than the top or bottom hole disks. Here, only the connecting hole disk is taken as an example.

[0030] In one embodiment, at least one of the on-off devices is arranged between the holes at the opposite ends of two adjacent sections of the top metal routing or the bottom metal routing; and / or, at least one of the on-off devices is arranged between the holes at the opposite ends of two sections of the top metal routing or the bottom metal routing separated by a preset number of metal wires. The on-off device can be connected to the opposite ends of two adjacent sections of the top metal routing. After the on-off device is turned on, the metal routing between the connected corresponding holes can be short-circuited, thereby reducing the winding length of the formed three-dimensional inductor. The on-off device can also be bridged between multiple sections of metal routing to achieve the connection of the holes at the opposite ends of the intervals. Exemplarily, there are four sections of top metal routing on the top layer, two sections of bottom metal routing on the bottom layer, two on-off devices on the top layer, and two on-off devices on the bottom layer. The first on-off device on the top layer is arranged between the holes on the same side of the first section of the top metal routing and the second section of the top metal routing, and the second on-off device on the top layer is arranged between the holes on the opposite sides of the first section of the top metal routing and the fourth section of the top metal routing. The first on-off device of the bottom layer is arranged between the bottom hole plates on the opposite sides of the first section of the bottom metal trace and the second section of the bottom metal trace, and the second on-off device of the bottom layer is arranged between the hole plates on the same side of the first section of the bottom metal trace and the second section of the bottom metal trace. The number of hole plates or metal traces spaced between two corresponding hole plates connected by the specific on-off device can be set and adjusted according to the actual inductance value requirements, and there is no restriction here. The setting positions of the above-mentioned various on-off devices and the positions of the connected hole plates can be arbitrarily combined, and can be set and adjusted according to the actual application requirements.

[0031] Specifically, the three-dimensional inductor with adjustable inductance value includes a three-dimensional inductor and a plurality of on-off devices. The three-dimensional inductor is a continuous spiral conductor, and is composed of a top metal trace of a dielectric layer, a bottom metal trace, and a conductive metal through hole connecting the metal traces of the top and bottom layers. The dielectric layer can be made of resin, ceramic, or silicon, and the metal traces can be made of gold, copper, or nickel. The on-off device is an additional path electrical connection between non-contacting metal traces on the top or bottom layer, and the on-off device is implemented in the form of active switch, gold wire bonding, etc. The three-dimensional inductor with adjustable inductance value includes a three-dimensional inductor and a plurality of on-off devices. The plurality of on-off devices are arranged between non-contacting metal traces on the top or bottom layer of the three-dimensional inductor, and the short circuit of the winding inductance of the three-dimensional inductor part is realized by controlling the on-off of the on-off device, and the winding length of the entire three-dimensional inductor is changed, thereby changing the inductance value of the three-dimensional inductor. At the same time, the on-off device can be connected to the hole disks at different positions on the top layer of the three-dimensional inductor to form a variety of options, so that the inductance value of the three-dimensional inductor can be changed within a large range.

[0032] See also Figure 1 , Figure 1The schematic diagram of the structure of a three-dimensional inductor with adjustable inductance value in one embodiment of the present application. The three-dimensional inductor includes a top-layer hole disk 1, a top-layer metal wiring 3 (i.e., a top-layer metal routing), a bottom-layer hole disk 5, a bottom-layer metal wiring 6 (i.e., a bottom-layer metal routing), and a conductive metal through-hole 4 connecting the top layer to the bottom layer. 21-24 are multiple on-off devices, and the two ends of the multiple on-off devices are connected to two hole disks on the top layer or the bottom layer of the three-dimensional inductor. The two hole disks are hole disks connected by metal routings that do not touch each other. The winding length of the three-dimensional inductor is changed by turning on or off the on-off devices, thereby changing the inductance value of the three-dimensional inductor. At the same time, the two ends of the on-off devices can be connected to the hole disks at different positions on the top layer of the three-dimensional inductor, and multiple on-off devices can be turned on and off at the same time, so that a variety of choices can be formed, and finally the inductance value of the three-dimensional inductor can be changed within a large range.

[0033] See also Figure 2 and Figure 3 , Figure 2 FIG. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a three-dimensional inductor with adjustable inductance in another embodiment of the present application. Figure 3 This is a simulation curve diagram of the inductance value of a three-dimensional inductor with adjustable inductance value. Figure 2 1 is the top-level hole disk input terminal, 2 is the top-level hole disk output terminal, 1-6 are the top-level hole disks, 7 is the top-level metal wiring (i.e., the top-level metal routing), and 8 is the conductive metal via. 21-23 are multiple on-off devices, the on-off device 21 is connected to two adjacent hole disks connected by metal routings that do not touch each other in the three-dimensional inductor, and the connection mode of the three-dimensional inductor is changed by turning on or off the on-off device 21, so that part of the metal routings in the three-dimensional inductor are short-circuited, so that the inductance value of the three-dimensional inductor changes; the two ends of the on-off device 22 are connected to two hole disks separated by one hole disk connected by metal routings that do not touch each other in the three-dimensional inductor, and the inductance value of the three-dimensional inductor is changed by turning on or off the two ends of the on-off device 22; the two ends of the on-off device 23 are connected to two hole disks separated by two hole disks connected by metal routings that do not touch each other in the three-dimensional inductor, and the inductance value of the three-dimensional inductor is changed by turning on or off the two ends of the on-off device 23. When the switching devices 21, 22, and 23 are all disconnected, the three-dimensional inductor structure is a three-dimensional inductor without adding a switching device. The inductance value obtained by simulation is as follows: Figure 3 The corresponding curve of structure 1 shows that the inductance is 7.2nH at 1GHz. When the on-off device 21 is turned on and 22 and 23 are turned off, the inductance value of the three-dimensional inductor changes, reducing the inductance value by about one turn. The inductance value obtained by simulation is as follows Figure 3The corresponding curve of structure 2 shows that the inductance is 5.23nH at 1GHz. When the on-off device 22 is turned on and 21 and 23 are both turned off, the inductance value of the three-dimensional inductor is changed by adding a on-off device to the three-dimensional inductor separated by a hole plate, which is reduced by about two turns. The inductance value obtained by simulation is as follows Figure 3 The corresponding curve of structure 3 shows that the inductance is 3.32nH at 1GHz. When the on-off device 23 is turned on and 21 and 22 are both turned off, the inductance value of the three-dimensional inductor changes, as shown in FIG. Figure 3 The corresponding curve of structure 4 is shown in FIG. 1 . It shows that the inductance is 2.46 nH at 1 GHz. The specific corresponding relationship between the inductance value and the number of turns of the inductor coil can be set and adjusted according to the actual application requirements, and there is no restriction here.

[0034] Based on the technical solution of the above embodiment of the present application, a switching device is connected to the three-dimensional inductor, and the switching device can realize the connection between the non-contacting metal traces on the top layer or bottom layer of the three-dimensional inductor, and the short circuit between the metal traces of the three-dimensional inductor part is realized by controlling the on and off of the switching device, thereby changing the inductance value of the three-dimensional inductor. The structure is simple, and the inductance value can also be changed in a wide range. At the same time, the present application only needs a wound three-dimensional inductor, and the adjustable inductance has many steps, many adjustable inductance values, and a wide range. At the same time, its switching device is simple to make and easy to implement.

[0035] The embodiment of the present application also provides an LC filter, including any one of the above-mentioned adjustable integrated three-dimensional inductors. The above-mentioned three-dimensional inductor with adjustable inductance value can be applied to devices such as filters, power dividers, oscillators, etc. to realize the design and adjustable function of the corresponding devices.

[0036] The above embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and effects of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. Anyone familiar with the art may modify or alter the above embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, all equivalent modifications or alterations made by a person of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and technical ideas disclosed by the present invention shall still be covered by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A three-dimensional inductor with adjustable inductance, characterized in that: The three-dimensional inductor comprises: a plurality of sections of top metal routing lines that do not touch each other and a plurality of sections of bottom metal routing lines that do not touch each other, wherein the top metal routing lines and the bottom metal routing lines are electrically connected via conductive metal vias; A switching device is provided between the top metal wirings that do not contact each other and / or between the bottom metal wirings that do not contact each other, and the winding length of the three-dimensional inductor is adjusted by adjusting the on-off state of the switching device.

2. The three-dimensional inductor with adjustable inductance according to claim 1, characterized in that: At least one section of the top metal routing is provided with a top hole plate, or at least one section of the bottom metal routing is provided with a bottom hole plate; the conductive metal through hole connects the top hole plate and / or the bottom hole plate.

3. The three-dimensional inductor with adjustable inductance according to claim 1, characterized in that: The on-off device adopts an active switch, or realizes the electrical connection of the corresponding metal wiring through metal or alloy bonding.

4. The three-dimensional inductor with adjustable inductance according to claim 1, characterized in that: At least one of the switching devices is arranged between any two points of two metal traces that are not in contact with each other.

5. The three-dimensional inductor with adjustable inductance according to claim 1, characterized in that: A dielectric layer is further disposed between the top metal wiring and the bottom metal wiring, and the dielectric layer is obtained by stacking a plurality of sub-layers with different dielectric constants.

6. The three-dimensional inductor with adjustable inductance according to claim 4, characterized in that: When there are multiple on-off devices, each of the on-off devices performs on-off control independently of each other.

7. An LC filter, characterized in that: A three-dimensional inductor with adjustable inductance value comprising any one of claims 1-6.

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