High quality factor RF inductors using low loss conductor featured with skin effect suppression for standard CMOS/BiCMOS

Integrated on-chip inductors with high quality factors are demonstrated using a low loss artificial conductor technology. This concept is based on an artificial layered meta-material comprising a bi-layered Ni₈₀Fe₂₀/Cu superlattice. By properly tailoring the thickness ratio between the non-magnetic and magnetic metallic layers, the skin effects can be effectively suppressed within a wide frequency range, and can be tuned to a minimum at the frequency of interest up to 67 GHz. The quality factor has been increased by 41% of a 2nH inductor at 14.5GHz. The bandwidth of skin effect suppression is obtained between 10-18 GHz.