Inductive component

Abstract

The invention relates to an inductive component, manufactured with the aid of thin layer technology, having a substrate, a magnetically conductive core and a winding, wherein at least a first portion of the winding is arranged on a top side of the core, and at least a second portion of the winding is arranged on a bottom side of the core, wherein the core has at least one through opening and wherein the winding extends through the through opening.

Description

[0001] Inductive component

[0002] The invention relates to an inductive component, produced using thin-film technology, comprising a substrate, a magnetically conductive core and a winding, wherein at least a first section of the winding is arranged on an upper side of the core and at least a second section of the winding is arranged on an underside of the core.

[0003] It is known to manufacture inductive components using thin-film technology. Thin-film technology refers to the production and processing of thin layers of different materials. The thickness of such layers is typically in the range of a few micrometers to a few nanometers. The layers are usually deposited over the entire surface of a substrate using physical vapor deposition (PVD) and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) processes. After deposition, the layers can be further processed, in particular, the layers can be structured. The structuring of the layers can be achieved, for example, by photolithography or directly by laser or electron beam processing. European patent EP 3 192 090 B1 discloses an inductive component manufactured using thin-film technology.

[0004] The invention is intended to improve the electrical properties of an inductive component manufactured using thin-film technology.

[0005] According to the invention, an inductive component with the features of claim 1 is provided for this purpose. Advantageous developments of the invention are mentioned in the subclaims.

[0006] An inductive component manufactured using thin-film technology comprises a substrate, a magnetically conductive core, and a winding, wherein at least a first portion of the winding is arranged on an upper side of the core and at least a second portion of the winding is arranged on an underside of the core. The core has at least one through-opening, and the winding extends through the through-opening.

[0007] By having at least one through-opening or so-called via in the core and by the winding extending through the through-opening, a vertical current flow through the core can be generated. In this way, the magnetic flux can be retained entirely, or at least to a significantly greater extent, in the core. This results in improved inductance density, improved magnetic flux density in the core, better saturation values, lower coupling capacitance, and a better coupling factor. Above all, the invention can improve the coupling factor without having to accept disadvantages in coupling capacitance or dielectric strength. The core of the invention therefore lies in generating a vertical current flow through the magnetic core. For this purpose, the core has at least one through-opening, and the winding extends through the through-opening.The cross-sectional shape of the through-hole(s) is arbitrary. Distances between the winding and the core in the region of the through-hole, as well as between a top or bottom of the core and the winding, can be adjusted to a suitable value. According to the invention, the winding can be returned laterally past the core, but can also be returned through another through-hole. The inductive component according to the invention can be designed, for example, as a coil, transformer, or sensor, in particular a magnetic field sensor. The through-holes can be designed as through-contacts, so-called vias.

[0008] In a further development of the invention, the winding is electrically insulated from the core through the through-opening.

[0009] In this way, leakage currents can be prevented from flowing through the magnetic core, which is usually also magnetically conductive.

[0010] In a further development of the invention, an electrically insulating material, in particular an electrically insulating plastic layer, is arranged in the region of the through opening between the winding and the core.

[0011] The arrangement of an electrically insulating material, in particular an electrically insulating plastic layer, on the inner circumference of the through-hole enables reliable insulation of the winding and the core in the area of ​​the through-hole.

[0012] In a further development of the invention, the winding is guided from the top of the core to the bottom of the core and vice versa exclusively through through openings in the core.

[0013] It has been found that this approach achieves particularly significant advantages with regard to the electrical and magnetic properties of the inductive component according to the invention. In particular, re-contacting of the windings at the edge of the core is omitted. The inductive component according to the invention is therefore fundamentally different in construction than conventional inductive components manufactured using thin-film technology. In a further development of the invention, the winding is routed from the top of the core to the bottom of the core and vice versa, not exclusively through through-holes in the core.

[0014] Within the scope of the invention, the winding can, for example, be routed along a side edge of the core. This allows for spatial constraints and / or electrical design requirements to be addressed.

[0015] In a further development of the invention, the winding is spiral-shaped, particularly in the form of a circular spiral, polygonal, oval, elliptical, helical, or the like. This allows compact inductive components to be constructed using thin-film technology that can be flexibly adapted to the spatial conditions and / or electrical requirements.

[0016] In a further development of the invention, the winding runs spirally and has a plurality of sections, in particular four sections, wherein each section extends over a part of 360°, in particular 90°, of the spiral and wherein winding sections adjacent to one another in the circumferential direction are arranged on different sides of the core.

[0017] The winding features conductor tracks applied to the substrate using thin-film technology and through-holes, known as vias, through the core in the area of ​​the core's through-holes. This allows the inductive component to be manufactured entirely using thin-film technology.

[0018] In a further development of the invention, the winding is formed at least in sections by means of at least two conductor tracks arranged parallel to one another.

[0019] In this way a transformer can be realized.

[0020] Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention in conjunction with the drawings. In the drawings:

[0021] Fig. 1 is a schematic, sectional view of an inductive component according to the invention, Fig. 2 is a top view of an inductive component according to the invention, wherein a substrate and insulating layers between the substrate, conductor tracks and core have been omitted for the sake of clarity,

[0022] Fig. 3 is a first side view of the inductive component of Fig. 2,

[0023] Fig. 4 is a second side view of the inductive component of Fig. 2,

[0024] Fig. 5 is a view of the inductive component of Fig. 2 from an angle above,

[0025] Fig. 6 is a view of the inductive component of Fig. 2 from below,

[0026] Fig. 7 is a view of the inductive component of Fig. 2 from below,

[0027] Fig. 8 is a schematic representation of an inductive component according to a further embodiment of the invention, viewed obliquely from above,

[0028] Fig. 9 is a sectional view of the inductive component of Fig. 8 from a different viewing angle,

[0029] Fig. 10 is a top view of the inductive component of Fig. 8,

[0030] Fig. 11 is a view of the inductive component of Fig. 8 from below,

[0031] Fig. 12 is a schematic representation of an inductive component according to a further embodiment of the invention from above,

[0032] Fig. 13 a view of the inductive component of Fig. 12 from below,

[0033] Fig. 14 is a partially schematic sectional view of the inductive component of the

[0034] Fig. 12,

[0035] Fig. 15 is a schematic representation of an inductive component according to a further embodiment of the invention from above and

[0036] Fig. 16 is a schematic, sectional view of the component of Fig. 15 from the

[0037] Page. Fig. 1 shows a partially schematic sectional view of an inductive component 10 according to the invention. The inductive component 10 has a substrate 12, on the upper side of which conductor tracks, insulating layers, and a magnetically conductive core 14 are formed in several thin layers. On an upper side of the substrate 12, a first layer 18 of the winding 16 is formed in the form of conductor tracks. On the upper side of the inductive component 10, a second layer 20 with further conductor tracks of the winding 16 is formed. The conductor tracks of the first layer 18 and the second layer 20 are electrically connected to one another by vertical sections 22, 24, 26 of the winding 16 running between the lower layer 18 and the upper layer 20. The representation in Fig. 1 is merely schematic.The lower layer 18 and the upper layer 20 are thus connected to each other by means of the vertical sections 22, 24, 26, resulting in a continuous winding with a shape suitable for generating a magnetic field. In other words, electrical connections and any electrical interruptions of the layers 18, 20 and the vertical sections 22, 24, 26 are not shown in the schematic representation of Fig. 1 for the sake of clarity.

[0038] An essential feature of the invention is that the layer forming the magnetically conductive core 14 has a plurality of through-openings 28, 30, 32, through each of which extends a vertical section 22, 24, 26 of the winding 16. In this way, a current flowing in the winding 16 can be conducted perpendicular to the layer and through the layer forming the core 14. Due to this current flow perpendicular to the core 14, significant advantages are achieved with regard to the electrical and magnetic properties of the inductive component 10 according to the invention compared to conventional inductive components using thin-film technology.

[0039] It can also be seen from Fig. 1 that the first layer 18 and the second layer 20 are separated from one another between the vertical sections 22, 24, 26 of the winding 16 by an electrically insulating layer 34. The electrically insulating layer 34 also extends over the inner wall of the through openings in the core 14. Thus, there is always electrically insulating material of the layer 34 between the vertically extending sections 22, 24, 26 of the winding 16 and the core 14. There is therefore no risk of leakage currents flowing from the winding 16 into the core 14.

[0040] Fig. 1 merely shows a schematic structure of the inductive component 10. On top of the layer 20 of the winding 16, for example, further insulating layers can be arranged in order to protect the layer 20 from environmental influences and to electrically insulate the layer 20.

[0041] Fig. 2 shows a plan view of an inductive component 10 according to the invention, wherein the substrate on which the inductive component 10 is constructed using thin-film technology (see Fig. 1) has been omitted for clarity. The insulating layer 34 has also been omitted (see Fig. 1). Thus, only the core 14 and the winding 16 are shown in Fig. 2.

[0042] Fig. 2 shows that the core 14 is constructed in the shape of a circular disk, although other designs of the core are possible within the scope of the invention, and has numerous through-openings through which sections of the winding 16 are guided. Fig. 2 shows a view of the top side of the inductive component 10 and Fig. 7 shows a view of the underside of the inductive component 10. It can be seen that the winding 16 is in the form of a circular spiral and consists of two conductor tracks 40, 42 which are run parallel to one another. The spiral-shaped winding 16 is divided into four sections, each approximately 90° apart. Sections which are adjacent to one another in the circumferential direction are alternately guided on the top side of the core 14, as can be seen in Fig. 2, and on the underside of the core 14, as can be seen in Fig. 7. A beginning 44 of the winding can be seen on the left in Fig. 2, an end 46 of the winding in Fig. 7 approximately in the middle of the core 14.

[0043] Fig. 1 already shows that all vertical sections of the winding (see Fig. 1) are routed through through-openings in the core 14. The winding 16 is thus not routed around the edge of the core 14, but rather the change in the conductor tracks 40, 42 between the top side of the core (see Fig. 2) and the bottom side of the core (see Fig. 7) occurs exclusively through through-openings in the core 14. In this way, there are numerous vertical sections of the winding 16 in which a current flows vertically to the core 14. This allows the electrical and magnetic properties of the inductive component 10 to be significantly improved.

[0044] Within the scope of the invention, the winding 16 can be deviated from a spiral design. An essential feature is the creation of sections of the winding 16 that are guided through through openings in the core 14, so that a vertical current flow is generated in the winding relative to the core 14. The design of the winding 16 in the form of two parallel conductor tracks can also be deviated from within the scope of the invention. For example, it is readily possible to form the winding 16 using a single conductor track or in the form of more than two parallel conductor tracks.

[0045] Fig. 3 shows a side view of the inductive component 10 of Fig. 2. The side view of Fig. 3 is created by folding the view of Fig. 2 by 90° to the left.

[0046] Fig. 4 shows a further side view of the inductive component 10 of Fig. 2. The side view of Fig. 4 is created by folding the view of Fig. 2 downwards by 90°.

[0047] Fig. 5 shows a view of the top side of the inductive component shown in Fig. 2, viewed obliquely from above. As already explained, an insulating layer 34, which, see Fig. 1, extends through the through-openings of the core 14 and is arranged on the top and bottom of the core, has been omitted from the illustrations in Figs. 2 to 7. Thus, in the illustrations in Figs. 2 to 7, there is a small distance between the conductor tracks 40, 42 on the top side of the core 14 and the conductor tracks 40, 42 on the bottom side of the core and the core 14 itself.

[0048] The inner circumference of the through-openings in the core 14 is also provided with insulating material of the layer 34, see Fig. 1, so that between the conductor tracks 40, 42 in the region of the vertical sections which are guided through the through-openings in the core 14 and in the inner circumference of the through-openings in the core 14 in the illustrations of Figs. 2 to 7 there is a distance which, however, is not recognizable due to the small scale in Figs. 2 to 7.

[0049] Fig. 6 shows a view of the inductive component 10 of Fig. 2 obliquely from below. From the illustrations in Figs. 5 and 6, it can be seen that the winding 16 is divided into four sections 50, 52, 54 and 56. The two sections 50, 54 are arranged on the top side of the core 14, see Fig. 5, and the two sections 52, 56 are arranged on the underside of the core, see Fig. 6. The conductor tracks of the sections 50, 52, 54, 56 are connected to one another in the region of through-openings in the core by vertical sections of the winding 16. Within the scope of the invention, the number of sections, the area of ​​the core covered by the sections and the distribution of the sections of the winding 16 between the top and underside of the core can vary. In particular, asymmetrical arrangements between the top and underside of the core are possible within the scope of the invention.

[0050] Fig. 7 shows a view of the underside of the inductive component 10 of Fig. 2. From Fig. 2 and Fig. 7 it can again be seen that the sections 50, 54 are arranged on the top side of the core and the sections 52, 56 on the underside of the core.

[0051] Fig. 8 shows an inductive component 60 according to a further embodiment of the invention. The component 60 is designed as a transformer and has a plate-shaped core 62, a first winding 64, and a second winding 66. The windings 64, 66 are guided parallel to one another, as in the inductive component 10 of Figs. 1 to 7. The core has a plurality of through-openings 68, in the region of which the two windings 64, 66 are each guided through the core 62. The through-openings 68 are designed, see Fig. 1, such that the two windings 64, 66 are spaced apart in the region of the through-openings 68 both from the other winding 64, 66 and from the core 62. The through-openings 68 as well as the windings 64, 66 in the area of ​​the through-openings 68 are formed as through-contacts, so-called vias, using thin-film technology.

[0052] It can be seen from Fig. 8 that a total of twelve through openings 68 are arranged in a uniform grid in the core 62. The view in Fig. 8 is of the upper side of the inductive component 60, comparable to the top view in Fig. 10, and it can be seen that on the upper side of the core 62, the windings 64, 66 are aligned parallel to one another and, in all sections visible from the upper side, run from a narrow lower edge of the core 62 towards a narrow upper edge of the core 62.

[0053] Fig. 11 shows a view of the inductive component 60 from below. It can be seen that the windings 64, 66 on the underside of the core 62 are guided parallel to the course of the windings 64, 66 on the top side of the core 62 only in the region of the central through-openings 68. In the region of the upper row of through-openings 68 in Fig. 11 and in the region of the lower row of through-openings 68 in Fig. 11, the windings 64, 66 are guided perpendicular to the windings 64, 66 in the central region. The through-opening 68 arranged at the top right in Fig. 11 and the through-opening 68 arranged at the bottom left in Fig. 11 are provided with connection contacts (not shown in Fig. 11) for contacting the windings 64, 66. Fig. 9 shows a schematic, sectional representation of the inductive component 60 of Fig. 8. Fig.Fig. 9 is a schematic representation and illustrates how the windings 64, 66 are guided parallel to one another through the through-opening 68 in the core 62. The conductor tracks of the windings 64, 66 are also spaced apart from one another in the region of the through-openings 68 and also spaced apart from the respective wall of the through-opening 68. It can also be seen in Fig. 9 that the windings on both the underside and the top side of the core are spaced apart from the top and bottom of the core 62. The conductor tracks of the windings 64, 66 are thus also electrically insulated from the core 62 on the top and bottom of the core. The spaces between the conductor tracks of the windings 64, 66 and the core 62 can be filled with an electrically insulating material, for example a plastic material, both in the region of the top side, the bottom side and the through-openings 68 of the core 62.

[0054] The inductive component 60 of Figs. 8 to 11 is manufactured using thin-film technology.

[0055] Fig. 12 shows a plan view of an inductive component 70 according to another embodiment of the invention. The component 70 is designed as a so-called microstrip coil and has a magnetically conductive core 72 and a winding 74 that extends through the core 72 in the region of four through-openings 78.

[0056] Fig. 12 shows a view of the top side of the inductive component 70 and Fig. 13 shows a view of the bottom side of the inductive component 70.

[0057] In the area of ​​the through openings 78 arranged at the very top and very bottom in Fig. 13, connection contacts (not shown) are provided in order to electrically contact the winding 74.

[0058] As in the inductive component 60 of Figs. 8 to 11, the winding 74 is electrically insulated from the core 72 both in the region of the through openings 78 and in the sections parallel to the top or bottom of the core 72.

[0059] Fig. 14 shows a schematic, section-wise sectional view of the inductive component 70 of Figs. 12 and 13. The plate-like core 72 can be seen with two through-openings 78 in the form of so-called through-contacts or vias. The winding 74 is passed through the core 72 in the region of the through-openings 78. The winding 74 is arranged in the region of the through-openings 78 so as to be electrically insulated from the core 72 and also in the sections in which the winding 74 is passed parallel to the top or bottom of the core 72, the winding 74 is spaced from the top or bottom of the core 72 and electrically insulated from the core 72. This can be brought about, for example, by means of a plastic layer which is arranged between the top or bottom.bottom side of the core 72 and the respective section of the winding 74 and which is also arranged between the winding 74 in the region of the through openings 78 and the respective wall of the through openings 78 of the core 72.

[0060] Fig. 15 shows a plan view of another inductive component 80 according to the invention. The inductive component 80 is designed as a so-called microstrip coil. In the inductive component 80, the winding 84 is partially guided through through-openings 88 in a plate-shaped core 82 and is guided at the upper edge of the core 82 (in Fig. 15) and at the lower edge of the core 82 (in Fig. 15) outside the core 82 from the top side to the bottom side or from the bottom side to the top side of the core 82, respectively. The routing of the winding 84 in the region of the upper edge or lower edge of the core 82 is referred to as recontacting.

[0061] Fig. 16 shows a partially schematic side view of the inductive component 80 of Fig. 15. It can be seen how the winding 84 is guided through the through openings 88 indicated by dashed lines in Fig. 16 and that the winding 84 is guided around the edge of the core 82 located at the bottom in Fig. 15 and Fig. 16 outside the core 82.

[0062] The inductive component 80 is also manufactured using thin-film technology.

Claims

Patent claims 1. Inductive component (10), manufactured using thin-film technology, with a substrate (12), a magnetically conductive core (14) and a winding (16), wherein at least a first section (50, 54) of the winding (16) is arranged on an upper side of the core (14) and at least a second section (52, 56) of the winding (16) is arranged on an underside of the core (14), characterized in that the core (14) has at least one through-opening (28, 30, 32) and that the winding (16) extends through the through-opening (28, 30, 32).

2. Inductive component (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the winding (16) is guided through the through opening (28, 30, 32) in an electrically insulated manner to the core.

3. Inductive component (10) according to claim 2, characterized in that an electrically insulating material is arranged in the region of the through opening (28, 30, 32) between the winding (16) and the core (14).

4. Inductive component according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the winding (16) has conductor tracks (40, 42) applied to the substrate 12 using thin-film technology and through-contacts through the core (14) in the region of the through-opening (28, 30, 32) of the core.

5. Inductive component (10) according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the winding (16) is guided from the top side of the core (14) to the bottom side of the core (14) and vice versa exclusively through through openings (28, 30, 32) in the core.

6. Inductive component (10) according to at least one of the preceding claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the winding (16) is guided from the top side of the core (14) to the bottom side of the core (14) and vice versa not exclusively through through openings (28, 30, 32) in the core 7. Inductive component (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the winding (16) is spiral-shaped, in particular in the form of a circular spiral, polygonal, oval, elliptical, helical or the like.

8. Inductive component (10) according to claim 5, characterized in that the winding (16) has a plurality of sections (50, 52, 54, 56), in particular four sections, each section extending over a part of 360 degrees, in particular 90 degrees, of the spiral and circumferentially adjacent sections (50, 52, 54, 56) being arranged on different sides of the core (14).

9. Inductive component (10) according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the winding (16) is formed at least in sections by means of at least two conductor tracks (40, 42) arranged parallel to one another and that the inductive component is designed as a transformer.

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