Monolithic inductor
AssigneeTexas Instruments Incorporated
InventorGitty N. Nasserbakht
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The monolithic inductor (30) includes a substrate (38), a spiral metal trace (32) disposed insulatively above the substrate (38), where a parasitic capacitance (56) is generated between the spiral metal trace (32) and the substrate (38), and a depletion layer is generated under the spiral metal trace (32) with a depletion junction capacitance (58) coupled in series with the parasitic capacitance (56). The overall capacitance is thus reduced, which enhances the self-resonance frequency of the inductor (30). For the same self-resonance frequency, a thicker metal trace may be used to implement the inductor, resulting in an improved quality factor, Q.
Claims12
A method for improving the self-resonance frequency of a monolithic inductor in the form of an electrically conductive trace insulatively disposed above a substrate, comprising the steps of:
- providing a substrate having an inductor in the form of an electrically conductive trace insulatively disposed over said substrate, said trace being parasitically capacitively coupled to said substrate to provide a parasitic capacitance between said trace and said substrate;
- and
- providing a second capacitance in series with said parasitic capacitance between said trace and said substrate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.