Off-Chip Inductor for IC Signal Equalization
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Solution Overview
Problem
The miniaturization and high-performance requirements in electronic apparatuses lead to inefficiencies due to the large area occupied by on-chip inductors, which also increase chip size and waste silicon chip area, and the need for additional regulators or decoupling devices to manage digital noise.
Innovation Solution
An electronic apparatus design incorporating an off-chip inductor connected to the substrate, with its inductance and capacitance adjusted to match the operation frequency of an equalizer, allowing for signal compensation and amplification without occupying valuable IC die space, and using a bonding wire or flip chip connection for efficient inductive peaking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If an on-chip type of inductor is provided in the IC, then signal amplification for a predetermined frequency band is achieved, but the IC die area is wasted due to the large area occupied by the inductor
Solution Approach 1:
The inductor is separated from the IC chip and placed on the substrate as an external component. The IC chip contains only the equalizer and subcircuits, while the inductor is provided separately and connected to the equalizer through bonding wires, thus segmenting the previously integrated structure to save IC die area.
Solution Approach 2:
The inductor is moved from the two-dimensional IC chip plane to the three-dimensional substrate level, allowing the IC chip to be smaller while the inductor occupies space on the substrate. This dimensional transition enables signal amplification functionality to be maintained without consuming precious IC die area.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If regulators or decoupling devices are added to the IC for power separation, then digital noise is managed, but the chip size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The power management functions are extracted from the IC chip by using external regulators and decoupling devices on the substrate. The IC chip itself remains free of these additional components, maintaining a compact size while digital noise is still managed by the external power separation circuitry.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the inductor is connected to the equalizer through bonding wire, then inductance can be adjusted by changing wire parameters, but connection complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The inductance value is adjusted by changing physical parameters of the bonding wire such as length, thickness, height, angle, or material. This provides flexibility in tuning the inductor-equalizer resonance frequency without requiring multiple discrete inductor components, simplifying the overall design while maintaining adaptability.
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
This approach reduces chip size by improving power noise characteristics and eliminating waste IC die area while maintaining signal compensation and amplification functions, and allows for adjustable inductance in the off-chip area, applicable across various silicon stacking and semiconductor packaging methods.
Implementation Method 1
an inductor of which a first end is connected to a power and a second end is connected to a power supplying terminal of the equalizer, and an inductance corresponds to an operation frequency of the equalizer
Implementation Method 2
The second end of the inductor and the equalizer may be connected by a bonding wire
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is an electronic apparatus including: a substrate; and an integrated circuit (IC) and an inductor provided in the substrate, the IC including: a plurality of subcircuits; and an equalizer configured to receive a signal from an outside of the IC, compensate the received signal for distortion or interference, and output the compensated signal to the subcircuit, and the inductor of which: a first end is connected to a power and a second end is connected to a power supplying terminal of the equalizer, and an inductance corresponds to an operation frequency of the equalizer.