Ultra-high-Q air-core slab inductors for on-chip power conversion

Abstract

Air-core slab inductors with specially designed current return paths are proposed to achieve the ultra-high Q required for on-chip power delivery and management at >90% efficiency. Uniquely optimized for buck converter circuits, this CMOS-compatible structure avoids the challenges of thin-film magnetics. Q∼25-30 at 200-300MHz is experimentally demonstrated.