Microelectromechanical tunable inductor
US7710232B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 9, 2007 |
| Grant date | May 4, 2010 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 21, 2028 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01F21/005
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A microelectromechanical tunable inductor is formed from a pair of substantially-identically-sized coils arranged side by side and coiled up about a central axis which is parallel to a supporting substrate. An in-plane stress gradient is responsible for coiling up the coils which. The inductance provided by the tunable inductor can be electrostatically changed either continuously or in discrete steps using electrodes on the substrate and on each coil. The tunable inductor can be formed with processes which are compatible with conventional IC fabrication so that, in some cases, the tunable inductor can be formed on a semiconductor substrate alongside or on top of an IC.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.