Inductor Manufacturing Using Simulator Optimization
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The existing manufacturing processes for inductors/transformers are costly and difficult to scale down due to the need for thick conductive layers to achieve high quality factors, making it challenging to integrate them into RFICs and SoC designs efficiently.
Innovation Solution
A manufacturing method that uses a simulator to input inductance, quality factor, and self-resonance frequency to optimize the area size, number of conductive layers, line width, and line space, allowing for conductive layers thinner than 1 μm, and employs Monte-Carlo simulations for process variability analysis, enabling integration into generic logic circuits and reducing substrate loss with a floating pattern shield.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the thickness of the conductive layer is increased to improve the quality factor, then the quality factor is improved, but the manufacturing difficulty increases and it becomes more difficult to manufacture by generic logic circuit process
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the thickness parameter of the conductive layer from traditional thick layers to thin layers below 1 μm, while compensating for the quality factor through optimized geometric parameters (area size, line width, line space, number of turns) determined by simulator analysis and Monte-Carlo simulation, thereby achieving high quality factor with thin layers suitable for generic logic circuit manufacturing
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the inductor/transformer compatible with generic logic circuit manufacturing processes by using thin conductive layers that can be fabricated using standard CMOS logic circuit processes, enabling the same manufacturing line to produce both logic circuits and passive elements without requiring specialized thick-film or thin-film processes
2Measurement precision
If a variety of inductors are manufactured and measured to extract inductance, quality factor, and self-resonance frequency, then accurate parameter extraction is achieved, but the manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary simulator analysis and Monte-Carlo simulation before actual manufacturing to determine the optimal geometric parameters (area size, line width, line space, number of turns) that will achieve the desired inductance, quality factor, and self-resonance frequency, thereby reducing the need for manufacturing and measuring multiple inductor variants for parameter extraction
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses simulator models and Monte-Carlo simulation to create virtual copies of the inductor behavior, allowing parameter extraction and optimization in the virtual domain before physical manufacturing, thereby avoiding the need to manufacture and measure multiple physical inductor samples
3Reliability
If the area size, number of conductive layers, line width, number of turns, and line space are optimized to achieve specific inductance, quality factor, and self-resonance frequency, then the performance is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from optimizing primarily in the vertical dimension (conductive layer thickness) to optimizing in the horizontal dimensions (area size, line width, line space, number of turns), enabling performance optimization through planar geometric parameters that are more easily controlled in standard manufacturing processes
Data Source
AI summary
A manufacturing method for the inductor/transformer is disclosed. A simulator is used to simulate the inductance, the quality factor, and the self-resonance frequency of said inductor/transformer to generate at least one group of the area size, the number of the conductive layer, the line width, the number of turns, and/or the line space of the conductive layers and the first conductive layer; the inductor/transformer is manufactured according to the factors. Thereafter, the Monte-Carlo simulation is used to initiate the process variability analysis of the factors of the conductive layer and the first conductive layer, and the geometric size of the inductor/transformer can be modulated according to the results of the process variability analysis during the manufacturing process, such that the inductor/transformer can be manufactured by the process of the generic logic circuit.