The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 25, 2007
Filed:
Dec. 12, 2006
Jayakannan Jayapalan, San Jose, CA (US);
Shuxian Chen, Fremont, CA (US);
Liping LI, Campbell, CA (US);
Jayakannan Jayapalan, San Jose, CA (US);
Shuxian Chen, Fremont, CA (US);
Liping Li, Campbell, CA (US);
Altera Corporation, San Jose, CA (US);
Abstract
The present invention is directed to an inductor fabricated above a substrate surface comprising a first set of inductors in a lower dielectric layer, a second set of inductors in an upper dielectric layer, and interconnects extending between the first and second sets of conductors to form a single continuous helical current path that turns around a central region. Since each turn of the inductor includes only one leg close to the substrate, the parasitic capacitance between the inductor and the substrate can be reduced and there is more free space in the upper and lower layers for increasing the width of the conductors and thereby reducing the series resistance of the inductor. Meanwhile, since the magnetic field generated by the inductor is substantially confined in a closed tube defined by its turns, there is less interference between the inductor and its neighboring components on the same and/or surrounding substrates.