High Q Planar Inductor Design via Vertical Stacking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Designing high-quality factor (Q) inductive components for Integrated Passive Devices (IPDs) is challenging, particularly for planar inductive devices, as achieving strong coupling between turns is difficult, especially in reduced-sized configurations.
Innovation Solution
A planar inductor design featuring a substrate with two coils, where the second coil is vertically aligned with the first coil and has twice the number of turns, each occupying a planar area equal to the first coil, providing strong mutual coupling and increasing the quality factor.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the inductor is configured as a planar device with reduced size, then the device compactness is improved, but the coupling between turns becomes weak and quality factor decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a single-planar inductor configuration to a three-dimensional stacked configuration with multiple inductors positioned at different heights (first inductor in first plane, second inductor in second plane). This vertical arrangement maintains strong magnetic coupling between turns while reducing the horizontal footprint, thereby achieving both compactness and high quality factor.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a nested configuration where the second inductor is positioned within the magnetic field region of the first inductor, with their turns interleaved in the vertical dimension. This nesting approach maximizes mutual coupling efficiency while minimizing the overall device area, resolving the contradiction between size reduction and coupling strength.
2Device complexity
If multiple passive components are integrated into a single chip structure, then the device complexity is reduced, but achieving strong coupling in planar inductors becomes problematic
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves the coupling problem in integrated planar inductors by utilizing vertical stacking, where inductors are arranged in multiple planes along the vertical axis. This three-dimensional arrangement enables strong magnetic coupling between adjacent inductors while maintaining the benefits of monolithic integration, thus achieving both high integration and strong coupling.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple inductor structures into a single integrated package with shared magnetic core and interleaved turns. This merging approach creates a unified magnetic circuit that enhances coupling efficiency while reducing the overall device complexity compared to discrete component assemblies.
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 design achieves a high quality factor and reduced size for inductive devices, enabling their use in RF and microwave circuits, such as resonant circuits and filters, with improved operational characteristics.
Implementation Method 1
a first coil having a first predetermined number of turns arranged in a first plane relative to one of the surfaces of such substrate, and a second coil having a second predetermined number of turns arranged in a second plane relative to one of the surfaces of such substrate, such second coil being vertically aligned with the first coil
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is methodology and apparatus for producing a planar inductor having a high quality (Q) factor. The inductor is formed by providing a first, relatively wide coil turn, and at least a pair of relatively more narrow second coil turns, displaced in a different plane from that occupied by the first coil turn. The configuration of such coil turns produces a high value of mutual coupling among the coil turns, resulting in an inductor having a high quality (Q) factor.