Compact LC resonator utilizing integrated passive elements

Abstract

We provide a compact LC resonator utilizing integrated passive elements. [Solution] An LC resonator according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an inductor 120 with a pattern formed on an upper metal layer, and capacitors 131 and 132 formed by an upper metal plate formed on the upper metal layer and a lower metal plate formed on the lower metal layer facing each other, with the upper metal plate located inside the pattern of the inductor. By miniaturizing the LC resonator, the size of the filter can be made smaller than conventional filters, enabling high integration of components, and at the same time improving loss characteristics and performance.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a resonator, and more particularly to a resonator that constitutes a filter for selectively passing / blocking a frequency band signal.

Background Art

[0002] In the mobile communication frequency band, as more high-frequency applications are required, the demand for wireless communication components with high-frequency characteristics is increasing. The frequency band in which a normal resonator is utilized is a frequency band of about 2 GHz or less that supports the conventional mobile communication frequency band.

[0003] However, as the 5G / 6G mobile communication generations develop, the frequency band is rising to higher frequencies in order to secure a wider bandwidth. In 5G mobile communication, the Sub-6 GHz and millimeter wave bands are being utilized, and for the 6G frequency band, the 7 - 8 GHz band and the 14 - 15 GHz band are currently being considered as candidate frequency bands.

[0004] In a high frequency band, it is difficult to utilize conventional resonators and filter devices. In the prior art, SAW filters and BAW filter structures that are utilized in low-frequency mobile communication and combined with resonator devices based on acoustic waves have been used. Acoustic wave-based devices such as SAW / BAW can operate in the low-frequency region but have limitations in operation in the high-frequency region.

[0005] Therefore, in the high-frequency region, new high-performance resonators and filters are required. Instead of the structures of SAW filters and BAW filters that have been conventionally used, there are resonators and filters that utilize integrated passive elements as devices that have a small size, low loss, and exhibit high performance in the high-frequency band. Resonator devices that utilize integrated passive elements support high-frequency broadband signal transmission and at the same time have characteristics of low loss and small size, making them suitable for utilization in next-generation 5G / 6G mobile communication.

[0006] Integrated passive elements utilize fine pattern structures to form inductors and capacitors, and by combining inductors and capacitors, it becomes possible to construct resonator devices. However, simply forming inductors and capacitors individually occupies a large area, limiting the miniaturization of the device configuration. [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0007] Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and the object of the present invention is to provide a small resonator in which a part of the capacitor configuration is located inside the inductor pattern, as a measure to achieve high integration of components and low loss and high performance by making the filter that operates in the high frequency band of 5G / 6G mobile communication smaller than conventional filters. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] An LC resonator according to one embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above objective includes an inductor having a pattern formed on a first metal layer, and a capacitor formed by a first metal plate formed on the first metal layer and a second metal plate formed on the second metal layer facing each other.

[0009] The first metal layer and the second metal layer may be separated.

[0010] The first metal plate may be located inside the inductor pattern formed in the first metal layer.

[0011] The length and area of ​​the resonator when the first metal plate is located inside the inductor pattern may be shorter and narrower than the length and area of ​​the resonator when the first metal plate is not located inside the inductor pattern.

[0012] The inductor pattern may be an octagonal spiral.

[0013] The first and second metal plates forming the capacitor may be rectangular in shape.

[0014] The length and width of the rectangle may be longer than the width of the inductor pattern.

[0015] According to another aspect of the present invention, a capacitor is provided comprising a first metal plate and a second metal plate facing the first metal plate, wherein the first metal plate is located inside the pattern of an inductor connected to the capacitor. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, in a resonator utilizing integrated passive elements that operate in the high-frequency band of 5G / 6G mobile communication, the size of the resonator can be reduced by positioning a part of the capacitor's configuration inside the inductor pattern, ultimately making the filter size smaller than conventional filters. This enables high integration of components, and at the same time, improves loss characteristics and enhances performance. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0017] [Figure 1] This is a circuit diagram showing a basic series LC resonator. [Figure 2] This figure shows examples of inductors and capacitors implemented using integrated passive elements. [Figure 3] This figure shows examples of inductors and capacitors implemented using integrated passive elements. [Figure 4] This figure shows a compact LC resonator based on integrated passive elements. [Figure 5] This figure shows a compact LC resonator based on an integrated passive element according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0018] The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0019] The circuit diagram showing a basic series L-C resonator has a circuit configuration as shown in Fig. 1. The resonator causes a resonance phenomenon between the inductor and the capacitor with an input specific frequency signal, and serves to selectively pass only the signal that matches the resonance frequency.

[0020] In high-frequency bands such as 5G / 6G mobile communications, it is difficult to utilize ordinary inductors L and capacitors C, so an integrated passive device (IPD) process based on a microfabrication process is required.

[0021] Fig. 2 exemplifies inductors and capacitors realized by integrated passive devices. The integrated passive device forms a metal pattern on a glass substrate, a silicon substrate, a ceramic substrate, etc. based on a fine patterning process, utilizes a thin insulating film, and constructs a multilayer metal pattern, so that inductors and capacitors can be realized as shown in Fig. 2.

[0022] Fig. 3 exemplifies inductors and capacitors realized by integrated passive devices. Based on the multilayer metal pattern, the inductors and capacitors realized by the integrated passive device can be roughly divided into an upper metal layer and a lower metal layer as shown in Fig. 3. However, in the case of a capacitor, since the upper metal layer and the lower metal layer are separated from each other, a capacitor is formed through the space between the metal layers. In the case of an inductor, the upper metal layer is wound in a ring shape and is configured to cross and connect through the lower metal layer.

[0023] Fig. 4 is a diagram showing the structure of a small LC resonator based on an integrated passive device configured in series connection. When realizing a resonator with an integrated passive device, as in the circuit diagram of Fig. 1, an inductor and a capacitor can be connected to configure a circuit with the structure of Fig. 4 to form a resonator.

[0024] The proposed LC resonator can receive a signal and perform filtering by filtering signals within a specific frequency band using the input signal before outputting the result. However, such a structure, being simply an inductor and a capacitor connected together, has the disadvantage of being long from side to side and therefore large in size.

[0025] Therefore, in the embodiments of the present invention, a structure is shown that can reduce the size of the LC resonator used in the filter by further integrating the integrated passive elements. This is a technique to miniaturize the LC resonator by positioning the capacitor configuration of the LC resonator inside the inductor pattern.

[0026] Figure 5 shows the structure of a small LC resonator according to one embodiment of the present invention. The small LC resonator according to the embodiment of the present invention is composed of a plurality of terminals 110, 140, an inductor 120, and capacitors 131, 132.

[0027] The inductor 120 is formed in a spiral pattern on the upper metal layer (red). More specifically, the pattern of the inductor 120 is realized as an octagonal spiral.

[0028] Capacitors 131 and 132 are formed across the upper metal layer (red) and the lower metal layer (purple). Capacitors 131 and 132 are composed of the upper metal plate 131 and the lower metal plate 132.

[0029] Since one end of the octagonal spiral pattern of inductor 120 is connected to the upper metal plate 131 of the capacitor, inductor 120 and capacitors 131 and 132 are connected in series, and thus may function as an LC resonator.

[0030] The upper metal plate 131 is formed in part of the upper metal layer, and the lower metal plate 132 is formed in part of the lower metal layer. Since the upper and lower metal layers are separated by a certain distance, the upper metal plate 131 and the lower metal plate 132 are also separated. Furthermore, since the upper metal plate 131 and the lower metal plate 132 are formed in positions opposite to each other, they function as a capacitor.

[0031] The upper metal plate 131 and lower metal plate 132 that form the capacitor are rectangular, and the width and height of the rectangle are made to be more than twice the pattern width of the inductor 120.

[0032] On the other hand, the upper metal plate 131 of the capacitor is located inside the octagonal spiral pattern of the inductor 120 formed in the upper metal layer. When viewed from above, the lower metal plate 132 of the capacitor is also located inside the octagonal spiral pattern of the inductor 120.

[0033] Thus, since the upper metal plate 131 of the capacitor is located inside the octagonal spiral pattern of the inductor 120, and the lower metal plate 132 of the capacitor is formed opposite the upper metal plate 131, the LC resonator according to the embodiment of the present invention has a shorter and narrower area than an LC resonator realized in a structure in which the upper metal plate 131 is not located inside the pattern of the inductor 120.

[0034] On the other hand, in the embodiment of the present invention, the upper metal layer and the lower metal layer are not connected in any part and are separated by a small gap. That is, not only are the upper metal plate 131 and the lower metal plate 132 not connected, but the terminal 140 and the lower metal plate 132 of the capacitor are also not connected. On the other hand, the terminal 140 and the lower metal plate 132 of the capacitor may be connected via a via.

[0035] Thus, the compact LC resonator utilizing the integrated passive element according to the embodiment of the present invention is realized in a form in which a capacitor is inserted at the point where the upper metal layer and the lower metal layer intersect and are interconnected in the inductor structure of the conventional integrated passive element.

[0036] In embodiments of the present invention, capacitance is formed within the inductor structure without interconnecting the upper and lower metal layers, and an LC resonator is constructed in a form in which the inductor and capacitor coexist. This achieves miniaturization in space and, at the same time, reduces the length component, improving performance from a loss perspective.

[0037] Up to this point, we have described in detail, using preferred embodiments, a small LC resonator that integrates a capacitor inside an inductor based on an integrated passive element stacked structure.

[0038] The miniature LC resonator achievable by the above embodiment offers advantages in terms of size and integration, and is also expected to provide performance improvements such as low loss. As mobile communication generations develop in the future, it is anticipated that there will be a demand for ultra-miniature, high-performance components in the high-frequency band, and the potential for utilizing the embodiments of the present invention is expected to increase.

[0039] On the other hand, it is also possible to realize only the capacitors that constitute the LC resonator presented in the above embodiment. That is, it is possible to realize the capacitor with an upper metal plate and a corresponding lower metal plate, while configuring the upper metal plate or the lower metal plate to be located inside the pattern of the inductor connected to the capacitor, and in this case as well, the technical idea of ​​the present invention may be applied.

[0040] Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the attached drawings, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. It is clear to any person with ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs that various modifications or alterations can be conceived within the scope of the technical intent described in the claims, and these are also understood to fall within the technical scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An inductor having a pattern formed on a first metal layer, A capacitor is formed by a first metal plate formed in a first metal layer and a second metal plate formed in a second metal layer facing each other. An LC resonator characterized by including [a specific component].

2. The first metal layer and the second metal layer are, The LC resonator according to claim 1, characterized by being spaced apart.

3. The first metal plate is The LC resonator according to claim 1, characterized in that it is located inside the pattern of an inductor formed in the first metal layer.

4. The LC resonator according to claim 1, characterized in that the length and area of ​​the resonator when the first metal plate is located inside the inductor pattern are shorter and narrower than the length and area of ​​the resonator when the first metal plate is not located inside the inductor pattern.

5. The inductor pattern is, The LC resonator according to claim 1, characterized in that it is an octagonal spiral.

6. The first metal plate and the second metal plate that form the capacitor are, The LC resonator according to claim 1, characterized in that it is rectangular.

7. The length and width of the rectangle are, The LC resonator according to claim 6, characterized in that it is longer than the width of the inductor pattern.

8. In a capacitor, The first metal plate and A second metal plate facing the first metal plate and Includes, The first metal plate is A capacitor characterized by being located inside the pattern of an inductor connected to a capacitor.

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