A Physical Model for Thin-Film Magnetic Inductors

Abstract

This paper presents a new, physical model implemented in Verilog-A for thin-film magnetic power inductors. Using analytical equations to model the device behavior can be highly complex and inaccurate. Instead, an equivalent circuit model was proposed using simulated behavior and physical measurements to model the relationship between physical device dimensions and inductor phenomena such as parasitic capacitances, AC power losses, and current saturation. Behavior was verified against high frequency electromagnetic field (HFSS) simulations and physical measurements, demonstrating a high degree of accuracy across a wide frequency range leading up to the self-resonant frequency. To our knowledge, this is the first scalable, physical model for thin-film magnetic power inductors that allows designers to accurately simulate behavior across a wide range of frequencies, opening the way for future implementation of thin-film magnetic power inductors in microelectronics.