IP Library Granted Patent US 10,002,694
Granted Patent B2
US 10,002,694 · App. 14/821,520 · Granted Jun 19, 2018

Inductor including alpha″-Fe16Z2 or alpha″-Fe16(NxZ1-x)2, where Z includes at least one of C, B, or O

Inventors: Jian-Ping Wang (Shoreview, MN); Yanfeng Jiang (Minneapolis, MN); Md Aminul Mehedi (Minneapolis, MN)
Assignee: Regents of the University of Minnesota
H01F1/0302H01F17/0006H01F41/046H01F1/065H01F17/0013
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,002,694
App. No.
14/821,520
Granted
Jun 19, 2018
Kind
B2
Abstract

An inductor may include a magnetic material that may include α″-Fe 16 (N x Z 1-x ) 2 or α′-Fe 8 (N x Z 1-x ), or a mixture of at least one of α″-Fe 16 N 2 or α′-Fe 8 N and at least one of α″-Fe 16 Z 2 or α′-Fe 8 Z, where Z includes at least one of C, B, or O, and x is a number greater than zero and less than one. In some examples, the magnetic material may include a relatively high magnetic saturation, such as greater than about 200 emu/gram, greater than about 242 emu/gram, or greater than about 250 emu/gram. In addition, in some examples, the magnetic material may include a relatively low coercivity or magnetocrystalline anisotropy. Techniques for forming the inductor including the magnetic material are also described.

Claims (61)

1. A device comprising:

a substrate;

a dielectric or insulator layer on the substrate; and

an inductor on the dielectric or insulator layer, wherein the inductor comprises a magnetic material comprising at least one of:

a plurality of α″-Fe 16 (N x Z 1-x ) 2 or α′-Fe 8 (N x Z 1-x ) phase domain, wherein x is a number greater than zero and less than one, and wherein respective [001] axes of the plurality of α″-Fe 16 (N x Z 1-x ) 2 or α′-Fe 8 (N x Z 1-x ) phase domains are randomly distributed within the magnetic material; or

a plurality of α″-Fe 16 N 2 or α′-Fe 8 N phase domains and a plurality of α″-Fe 16 Z 2 or α′-Fe 8 Z phase domains, wherein Z includes at least one of C, B, or O, and wherein respective [001] axes of the plurality of α″-Fe 16 N 2 or α′-Fe 8 N phase domains and respective [001] axes of the plurality of α″-Fe 16 Z 2 or α′-Fe 8 Z phase domains are randomly distributed within the magnetic material.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the inductor comprises a core, and wherein the core comprises the magnetic material.

3. The device of claim 2 , wherein the core comprises a substantially planar spiral portion.

4. The device of claim 2 , wherein the core comprises a plurality of substantially planar spiral portions.

5. The device of claim 2 , wherein the magnetic material comprises the plurality of α″-Fe 16 (N x Z 1-x ) 2 or α′-Fe 8 (N x Z 1-x ) phase domains, and wherein x is equal to about 0.5.

6. The device of claim 2 , wherein the magnetic material comprises the plurality of α″-Fe 16 (N x Z 1-x ) 2 or α′-Fe 8 (N x Z 1-x ) phase domain, and wherein x is equal to about 0.4667.

7. The device of claim 2 , wherein Z consists of C.

8. The device of claim 2 , wherein the magnetic material comprises a saturation magnetization of at least about 200 emu/gram.

9. The device of claim 2 , wherein the magnetic material comprises a saturation magnetization of greater than about 250 emu/gram.

10. The device of claim 2 , wherein the magnetic material comprises a magnetic coercivity of less than or equal to about 10 Oerstads.

11. The device of claim 2 , wherein the magnetic material comprises the plurality of α″-Fe 16 (N x Z 1-x ) 2 or α′-Fe 8 (N x Z 1-x ) phase domains, and wherein at least about 35 volume percent of the magnetic material is the plurality of α″-Fe 16 (N x Z 1-x ) 2 or α′-Fe 8 (N x Z 1-x ) phase domains.

12. The device of claim 2 , wherein at least about 60 volume percent of the magnetic material is the plurality of α″-Fe 16 (N x Z 1-x ) 2 or α′-Fe 8 (N x Z 1-x ) phase domains.

13. The device of claim 2 , wherein the magnetic material comprises the plurality of α″-Fe 16 N 2 or α′-Fe 8 N phase domains and the plurality of α″-Fe 16 Z 2 or α′-Fe 8 Z phase domains, and wherein the plurality of α″-Fe 16 N 2 or α′-Fe 8 N phase domains and the plurality of α″-Fe 16 Z 2 or α′-Fe 8 Z phase domains together form at least about 35 volume percent of the magnetic material.

14. The device of claim 2 , wherein the magnetic material comprises the plurality of α″-Fe 16 N 2 or α′-Fe 8 N phase domains and the plurality of α″-Fe 16 Z 2 or α′-Fe 8 Z phase domains, and wherein the plurality of α″-Fe 16 N 2 or α′-Fe 8 N phase domains and the plurality of α″-Fe 16 Z 2 or α′-Fe 8 Z phase domains together form at least about 60 volume percent of the magnetic material.

15. The device of claim 2 , further comprising an impedance matching circuit, wherein the impedance matching circuit comprises the inductor.

16. The device of claim 2 , further comprising a low pass filter, wherein the low pass filter comprises the inductor.

17. The device of claim 2 , further comprising an AC-DC converter, wherein the AC-DC converter comprises the inductor.

18. The device of claim 2 , further comprising an antenna, wherein the antenna comprises a magnetic material comprising at least one of:

at least one α″-Fe 16 (N x Z 1-x ) 2 or α′-Fe 8 (N x Z 1-x ) phase domains, wherein x is a number greater than zero and less than one; or

at least one α″-Fe 16 N 2 or α′-Fe 8 N phase domain and at least one α″-Fe 16 Z 2 or α′-Fe 8 Z phase domain, wherein Z includes at least one of C, B, or O.

19. The device of claim 18 , wherein the antenna comprises a multiband antenna.

20. The device of claim 2 , further comprising a radio frequency energy harvesting device, wherein the radio frequency energy harvesting device comprises the inductor.

21. A method comprising:

forming a dielectric or insulator layer on a substrate; and

forming an inductor on the dielectric or insulator layer, wherein a core of the inductor comprises a magnetic material comprising at least one of:

a plurality of α″-Fe 16 (N x Z 1-x ) 2 phase domains, wherein x is a number greater than zero and less than one, and wherein respective [001] axes of the plurality of α″-Fe 16 (N x Z 1-x ) 2 phase domains are randomly distributed within the magnetic material; or

a plurality of α″-Fe 16 N 2 phase domain and plurality of α″-Fe 16 Z 2 phase domains, wherein Z includes at least one of C, B, or O, and wherein respective [001] axes of the plurality of α″-Fe 16 N 2 phase domains and respective [001] axes of the plurality of α″-Fe 16 N 2 phase domains are randomly distributed within the magnetic material.

22. The method of claim 21 , wherein forming the inductor comprises:

heating an iron source to form a vapor comprising an iron-containing compound;

depositing iron from the vapor comprising the iron-containing compound, nitrogen from a vapor comprising a nitrogen-containing compound, and at least one of carbon, boron, or oxygen from a vapor comprising the compound containing the at least one of carbon, boron, or oxygen on the dielectric or insulator layer to form a layer comprising iron, nitrogen, and the at least one of carbon, boron, or oxygen; and

annealing the layer comprising iron, nitrogen, and the at least one of carbon, boron, or oxygen to form the inductor.

23. The method of claim 21 , wherein forming the inductor comprises:

submerging a dielectric or insulator layer on a substrate in a coating solution comprising a nitrogen-containing solvent, an iron source, and a carbon source, wherein the coating solution is saturated with the iron source at a first temperature above a liquidus temperature of an iron-carbon-nitrogen mixture to be deposited from the coating solution;

cooling the coating solution to a second temperature to form a supersaturated coating solution, wherein the second temperature is below the liquidus temperature of the iron-carbon-nitrogen mixture;

maintaining the substrate in the supersaturated coating solution to allow a coating comprising iron, carbon, and nitrogen to form on the substrate; and

annealing the coating comprising iron, carbon, and nitrogen to form the inductor.

24. The method of claim 22 , further comprising:

defining a depression in the dielectric or insulator layer corresponding to a shape of at least part of the inductor;

wherein forming the inductor on the dielectric or insulator layer comprises forming the inductor in the depression.

25. The method of claim 23 , further comprising:

defining a depression in the dielectric or insulator layer corresponding to a shape of at least part of the inductor;

wherein forming the inductor on the dielectric or insulator layer comprises forming the inductor in the depression.

26. The method of claim 22 , wherein forming an inductor on the dielectric or insulator layer comprises:

forming a layer comprising the magnetic material on the dielectric or insulator layer; and

etching the layer comprising the magnetic material to define a shape of at least part of the inductor.

27. The method of claim 23 , wherein forming an inductor on the dielectric or insulator layer comprises:

forming a layer comprising the magnetic material on the dielectric or insulator layer; and

etching the layer comprising the magnetic material to define a shape of at least part of the inductor.

28. The method of claim 21 , further comprising forming an impedance matching circuit, wherein the impedance matching circuit comprises the inductor.

29. The method of claim 21 , further comprising forming a low pass filter, wherein the low pass filter comprises the inductor.

30. The method of claim 21 , further comprising forming an AC-DC converter, wherein the AC-DC converter comprises the inductor.

31. The method of claim 21 , further comprising forming an antenna on the dielectric or insulator layer, wherein the antenna comprises a magnetic material comprising at least one of:

at least one α″-Fe 16 (N x Z 1-x ) 2 or α′-Fe 8 (N x Z 1-x ) phase domain, wherein x is a number greater than zero and less than one; or

at least one α″-Fe 16 N 2 or α′-Fe 8 N phase domain and at least one α″-Fe 16 Z 2 or α′-Fe 8 Z phase domain, wherein Z includes at least one of C, B, or O.

32. The method of claim 31 , wherein the antenna comprises a multiband antenna.

33. The method of claim 31 , further comprising forming a radio frequency energy harvesting device, wherein the radio frequency energy harvesting device comprises the inductor.

Assignments (3)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 31, 2019
From: MEHEDI, MD AMINUL
To: REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
Reel/Frame 049919/0854 →
CONFIRMATORY LICENSE Recorded Apr 19, 2016
From: REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
To: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Reel/Frame 038316/0266 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 9, 2016
From: WANG, JIAN-PING; JIANG, YANFENG
To: REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
Reel/Frame 037934/0977 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 62035184 · Aug 8, 2014
Related Publication 20160042846A1 · Feb 11, 2016
Cited By (1)
US 12,620,511