US5884990A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Integrated circuit inductor
Assignee: International Business Machines Corp
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Filing: 1997-10-14
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Granted: 1999-03-23
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Expires: 2017-10-14
Abstract
Abstract High quality factor (Q) spiral and toroidal inductor and transformer are disclosed that are compatible with silicon very large scale integration (VLSI) processing, consume a small IC area, and operate at high frequencies. The spiral inductor has a spiral metal coil deposited in a trench formed in a dielectric layer over a substrate. The metal coil is enclosed in ferromagnetic liner and cap layers, and is connected to an underpass contact through a metal filled via in the dielectric layer. The spiral inductor also includes ferromagnetic cores lines surrounded by the metal spiral coil. A spiral transformer is formed by vertically stacking two spiral inductors, or placing them side-by-side over a ferromagnetic bridge formed below the metal coils and cores lines. The toroidal inductor includes a toroidal metal coil with a core having ferromagnetic strips. The toroidal metal coil is segmented into two coils each having a pair of ports to form a toroidal transformer.
Inventors
- 👤 Joachim Norbert Burghartz
- 👤 Daniel Charles Edelstein
- 👤 Christopher Vincent Jahnes
- 👤 Cyprian Emeka Uzoh
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-31 19:34
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10W; H10W20/00; H10W20/40; H10W20/497; H01; H01F; H01F17/00; H01F17/0006; H01F17/0033; H01F27/00; H01F27/28; H01F27/2804; H01F27/2895; H01F30/00; H01F30/06; H01F30/16; H01F41/00; H01F41/02; H01F41/04; H01F41/041; H01F41/042; H01F41/046; H01F17/04; H01F17/06; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T29/00; Y10T29/49; Y10T29/49002; Y10T29/4902
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 6
Claim 1
Independent Claim
116 words
A method of forming a planar monolithic inductor comprising the steps of: (a) forming a first dielectric layer over a substrate; and (b) forming a toroidal metal coil in said first dielectric layer, wherein said toroidal metal coil is formed by forming a first trench in said first dielectric layer; depositing a first metal in said first trench; segmenting said first metal to form first metal segments; forming a second dielectric layer over said first metal segments; forming, in said second dielectric layer, vias over ends of said first metal segments, and a plurality of trenches between opposing vias of adjacent first metal segments; and depositing a second metal in said plurality of trenches and vias.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
116 words
A method of forming a planar monolithic inductor comprising the steps of: (a) forming a first dielectric layer over a substrate; and (b) forming a toroidal metal coil in said first dielectric layer, wherein said toroidal metal coil is formed by forming a first trench in said first dielectric layer; depositing a first metal in said first trench; segmenting said first metal to form first metal segments; forming a second dielectric layer over said first metal segments; forming, in said second dielectric layer, vias over ends of said first metal segments, and a plurality of trenches between opposing vias of adjacent first metal segments; and depositing a second metal in said plurality of trenches and vias.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method of claim 1 further comprising forming ferromagnetic strips in a core defined by an inner surface of said toroidal metal coil.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method of claim 1 further comprising separating said toroidal metal coil into two toroidal metal coils, each having a pair of ports to act as a toroidal transformer.
Claim 5
Independent Claim
114 words
A method of forming a planar monolithic inductor comprising the steps of: (a) forming a first dielectric layer over a substrate; and (b) forming a toroidal metal coil in said first dielectric layer, wherein said toroidal metal coil is formed by forming a first set of trenches in said first dielectric layer; depositing a first metal in said first set of trenches to form metal segments; forming a second dielectric layer over said metal segments; forming, in said second dielectric layer, vias over ends of said metal segments, and a second set of trenches between opposing vias of adjacent metal segments; and depositing a second metal in said second set of trenches and vias.
Claim 6
Independent Claim
114 words
A method of forming a planar monolithic inductor comprising the steps of: (a) forming a first dielectric layer over a substrate; and (b) forming a toroidal metal coil in said first dielectric layer, wherein said toroidal metal coil is formed by forming a first set of trenches in said first dielectric layer; depositing a first metal in said first set of trenches to form metal segments; forming a second dielectric layer over said metal segments; forming, in said second dielectric layer, vias over ends of said metal segments, and a second set of trenches between opposing vias of adjacent metal segments; and depositing a second metal in said second set of trenches and vias.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2002-03-22 | 2002-09-21 | 2003-03-23 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2006-03-22 | 2006-09-21 | 2007-03-23 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2010-03-22 | 2010-09-21 | 2011-03-23 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |