Conical Broadband Inductor Structure for Wideband Low-Loss Filtering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional broadband inductors have limited bandwidth and high insertion loss, requiring multiple narrow band inductors in series or parallel, which increases complexity and reduces reliability, and are not optimized for high-frequency applications.
Innovation Solution
A broadband inductor is created using a photodefinable glass processing method, involving the formation of trenches and vias on a substrate, filled with conductive material, and assembled with precise mechanical tolerances to achieve a conical shape, allowing for a wide bandwidth and low insertion loss across UHF to millimeter-wave frequencies.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional broadband inductors are used, then the bandwidth is limited and insertion loss is high, but using multiple narrow band inductors in series or parallel increases device complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The inductor winding is segmented into multiple sections with different turn densities along the conical structure. The first section has a first turn density and the second section has a second turn density, allowing each section to contribute to different frequency ranges. This segmentation enables broadband operation while maintaining a single integrated component structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The inductor employs an asymmetric conical geometry where the diameter varies along the length, creating a non-uniform magnetic field distribution. The first section has a larger diameter than the second section, which creates different inductance characteristics in each section. This asymmetric design allows the inductor to achieve broadband performance without requiring multiple separate components.
2Manufacturing precision
If conventional inductor manufacturing methods are used, then production time is long and precision is limited to ±150 μm, but hand-wound inductors have better performance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical winding processes with a structured approach where conductive material is deposited into predefined trenches and vias in a substrate. This substitution of mechanical winding with a more controlled deposition process enables both high precision and automation, resolving the contradiction between manufacturing precision and productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The substrate is prepared in advance with precisely defined trenches, vias, and conical geometries before conductive material deposition. The mechanical structure is pre-formed with the exact dimensions and tolerances needed, eliminating the need for post-manufacturing adjustments and enabling automated production while maintaining hand-wound level precision.
3Area of stationary object
If traditional broadband inductor designs are used, then space on printed circuit board is excessive, but compact designs reduce performance
Solution Approach 1:
The inductor transitions from a planar two-dimensional layout to a three-dimensional conical structure with varying diameter along its length. By utilizing the vertical dimension and creating a tapered geometry, the inductor achieves higher inductance density in a smaller footprint, reducing PCB space occupation while maintaining or improving performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The conductive material is nested within the conical substrate structure, with trenches and vias embedded in the three-dimensional form. This nesting approach allows the inductor to occupy minimal PCB space while the internal conical geometry provides the necessary inductance and broadband characteristics.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides a high-performance broadband inductor with a usable bandwidth from 10 MHz to 40 GHz, significantly reducing insertion loss and improving reliability, with mechanical precision enhancing performance by over 30,000% compared to traditional machine-wound inductors.
Implementation Method 1
heating the photosensitive glass substrate for at least ten minutes above its glass transition temperature; cooling the photosensitive glass substrate to transform at least part of the exposed glass to a crystalline material
Implementation Method 2
cooling the photosensitive glass substrate to transform at least part of the exposed glass to a crystalline material to form a glass-crystalline substrate
Implementation Method 3
etching the glass-crystalline substrate trenches with an etchant
Implementation Method 4
filling the first and second vias with a conductive material; filling the second trenches with a conductive material
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention includes a method of a low cost, reliable novel broadband inductor that can be used with a capacitor to form a broadband filter.