Integrated planar magnetics and connector

A substantially planar magnetics substrate for implementing magnetics components, the magnetics components being for use in association with a circuit of a substantially planar first substrate having an upper planar surface and a plurality of terminal pads thereon, each of the plurality of terminal pads being coupled to the first substrate circuit and receiving a conductive offset pin, each conductive offset pin extending orthogonally from its terminal pad, the magnetics substrate comprising:

• a plurality of layers positioned in a substantially parallel relationship with one another, each layer having upper and lower planar surfaces, the upper planar surface of one of the plurality of layers being an upper planar surface of the magnetics substrate, the lower planar surface of one of the plurality of layers being a lower planar surface of the magnetics substrate;
• a primary winding comprising a primary set of one or more planar windings lying on planar surfaces of one or more of the layers and being coupled to one another in series and positioned to be coaxially aligned with one another along a transformer core axis which is orthogonal to the layers, each primary set planar winding comprising one or more turns and first and second ends, a first terminal of the primary winding being the first end of one of the primary set planar windings, a second terminal of the primary winding being the second end of one of the primary set planar windings;
• a secondary winding comprising a secondary set of one or more planar windings lying on planar surfaces of one or more of the layers and being coupled to one another in series and positioned to be coaxially aligned with one another along the transformer core axis, each secondary set planar winding comprising one or more turns and first and second ends, a first terminal of the secondary winding being the first end of one of the secondary set planar windings, a second terminal of the secondary winding being the second end of one of the secondary set planar windings, the primary and secondary set planar windings being magnetically coupled to one another by their magnetic fluxes when the turns of the primary and secondary set planar windings conduct current so that the primary and secondary set planar windings may form a transformer when a transformer core is positioned along the transformer core axis;
• an inductive set of one or more planar windings lying on planar surfaces of one or more of the layers and being coupled to one another in series and positioned to be coaxially aligned with one another along an inductor core axis which is orthogonal to the layers and is spaced apart from the transformer core axis, each inductive set planar winding comprising one or more turns and first and second ends, the inductive set planar windings being magnetically coupled to one another by their magnetic fluxes when the turns of the inductive set planar windings conduct current so that the inductive set planar windings may form an inductor when an inductor core is positioned along the inductor core axis, a first inductor terminal being the first end of one of the inductive set planar windings, a second inductor terminal being the second end of one of the inductive set planar windings;
• one or more terminal pads lying on the lower planar surface of the magnetics substrate and being coupled to one or more of the terminals of the inductor and of the primary and secondary windings, each of the terminal pads being constructed to receive one of the conductive offset pins extending orthogonally from one of the terminals pads of the first substrate such that the magnetics substrate and the first substrate are positioned in a spaced-apart parallel relationship with one another, the conductive offset pins thereby coupling the transformer and inductor to the circuit of the first substrate;
• and
• an interconnect coupling the second secondary winding terminal to the first inductor terminal.

A substantially planar magnetics substrate for implementing a magnetics component, the magnetics component being for use in association with a circuit of a substantially planar first substrate having an upper planar surface and a plurality of terminal pads thereon, each of the plurality of terminal pads being coupled to the first substrate circuit and receiving a conductive offset pin, each conductive offset pin extending orthogonally from its terminal pad, the magnetics substrate comprising:

• a plurality of layers positioned in a substantially parallel relationship with one another, each layer having upper and lower planar surfaces, the upper planar surface of one of the plurality of layers being an upper planar surface of the magnetics substrate, the lower planar surface of one of the plurality of layers being a lower planar surface of the magnetics substrate;
• a primary winding comprising a primary set of one or more planar windings lying on planar surfaces of one or more of the layers and being coupled to one another in series and positioned to be coaxially aligned with one another along a transformer core axis which is orthogonal to the layers, each primary set planar winding comprising one or more turns and first and second ends, a first terminal of the primary winding being the first end of one of the primary set planar windings, a second terminal of the primary winding being the second end of one of the primary set planar windings;
• a secondary winding comprising a secondary set of one or more planar windings lying on planar surfaces of one or more of the layers and being coupled to one another in series and positioned to be coaxially aligned with one another along the transformer core axis, each secondary set planar winding comprising one or more turns and first and second ends, a first terminal of the secondary winding being the first end of one of the secondary set planar windings, a second terminal of the secondary winding being the second end of one of the secondary set planar windings, the primary and secondary set planar windings being magnetically coupled to one another by their magnetic fluxes when the turns of the primary and secondary set planar windings conduct current so that the primary and secondary set planar windings may form a transformer when a transformer core is positioned along the transformer core axis;
• and
• one or more terminal pads lying on the lower planar surface of the magnetics substrate and being coupled to one or more of the terminals of the primary and secondary windings, each of the terminal pads being constructed to receive one of the conductive offset pins extending orthogonally from one of the terminals pads of the first substrate such that the magnetics substrate and the first substrate are positioned in a spaced-apart parallel relationship with one another, the conductive offset pins thereby coupling the transformer to the circuit of the first substrate.

A substantially planar magnetics substrate for implementing a magnetics component, the magnetics component being for use in association with a circuit of a substantially planar first substrate having an upper planar surface and a plurality of terminal pads thereon, each of the plurality of terminal pads being coupled to the first substrate circuit and receiving a conductive offset pin, each conductive offset pin extending orthogonally from its terminal pad, the magnetics substrate comprising:

• a plurality of layers positioned in a substantially parallel relationship with one another, each layer having upper and lower planar surfaces, the upper planar surface of one of the plurality of layers being an upper planar surface of the magnetics substrate, the lower planar surface of one of the plurality of layers being a lower planar surface of the magnetics substrate;
• an inductive set of one or more planar windings lying on planar surfaces of one or more of the layers and being coupled to one another in series and positioned to be coaxially aligned with one another along an inductor core axis which is orthogonal to the layers, each inductive set planar winding comprising one or more turns and first and second ends, the inductive set planar windings being magnetically coupled to one another by their magnetic fluxes when the turns of the inductive set planar windings conduct current so that the inductive set planar windings may form an inductor when an inductor core is positioned along the inductor core axis, a first inductor terminal being the first end of one of the inductive set planar windings, a second inductor terminal being the second end of one of the inductive set planar windings;
• and
• one or more terminal pads lying on the lower planar surface of the magnetics substrate and being coupled to one or more of the terminals of the inductor, each of the terminal pads being constructed to receive one of the conductive offset pins extending orthogonally from one of the terminals pads of the first substrate such that the magnetics substrate and the first substrate are positioned in a spaced-apart parallel relationship with one another, the conductive offset pins thereby coupling the inductor to the circuit of the first substrate.

A stacked assembly of substrates for implementing magnetics components, the stacked assembly comprising:

• a substantially planar first substrate having a circuit coupled to a plurality of terminal pads on an upper planar surface of the first substrate;
• a substantially planar second substrate parallel to the first substrate and having a circuit coupled to a plurality of terminal pads on a lower planar surface of the second substrate;
• a transformer core;
• an inductor core;
• a magnetics substrate parallel to and interposed between the first and second substrates, the magnetics substrate having primary and secondary windings each having first and second terminals, the transformer core being positioned to magnetically couple the primary and secondary windings to one another so as to form a transformer, the magnetics substrate also having an inductive set of one or more windings, the inductor core being positioned to magnetically couple the inductive set windings to one another so as to form an inductor having first and second terminals, the first and second terminals of the inductor and a plurality of the terminals of the primary and secondary windings being coupled to a plurality of terminal pads on upper and lower planar surfaces of the magnetics substrate, the magnetics substrate further having one or more through-pads on its upper and lower planar surfaces, the pads of the substrates being axially aligned in a plurality of groups along axes which are spaced apart from one another and which are orthogonal to the substrates;
• and
• a plurality of conductive offset pins each fixedly connected to an axially aligned group of pads on the planar surfaces of the substrates such that the substrates are fixed in a spaced-apart parallel relationship with one another by the conductive offset pins extending orthogonally from the terminal pads on the upper planar surface of the first substrate through the terminal and through-pads on the lower and upper planar surfaces of the magnetics substrate and to the terminal pads on the lower planar surface of the second substrate, one or more of the conductive offset pins thereby coupling the circuits of the first and second substrates through the through-pads of the magnetics substrate, the remainder of the conductive offset pins thereby coupling the circuits of the first and second substrates to the transformer and inductor of the magnetics substrate.