The integration of on-chip inductors with magnetic materials into silicon process technology has been a major challenge in the move towards monolithic solutions for wireless microelectronics, power delivery, and EMI noise reduction. Thin film soft-magnetic cores, being central to this integration are now receiving considerable attention. The key requirements for these cores to operate at frequencies in the hundreds of MHz range are low loss, high resistivty soft Magnetic materials suitable for use at CMOS compatible processing temperature.

Electrodeposited amorphous Co-P alloys tend to show perpendicular anisotropy with the appearance of strong stripe domains making it unsuitable for use in high frequency applications. We have used and optimised pulse reverse waveform in electroplating technique to generate Co rich and Co deficient multi-nano-layers of CoP having low loss and high permeability retaining up to 300 MHz.

Magnetic characterization of CoP electrodeposited soft magnetic multi-nano-layers for high frequency application

Projects:

[1] ‘High Frequency Magnetic Materials for Integrated Power Conversion Applications’ - funded by Enterprise Ireland in innovation partnership - started Jan 2005. Two Ph.D. students are guided within this project.

[2] ‘Industry Led Research Programme (ILRP) on Power Electronics for magnetics’ - funded by Enterprise Ireland in PEIG-Magnetics - started Jan 2006. One Postdoctoral Research Associate is guided within this project.

Contact: Dr. Saibal Roy, Email: saibal.roy@tyndall.ie | webpage

Publications:

[1] ‘High Frequency Nanostructured Magnetic Materials for Integrated Inductors’, P. McCloskey, B. Jamieson, T. O’Donnell, D. Gardner, M. Morris, S. Roy; SMM18, Cardiff, UK, 2-5th sept, 2007

[2] ‘High frequency permeability of electroplated CoNiFe and CoNiFe-C alloys’; Fernando M. F. Rhen, Paul McCloskey, Terence O’Donnell and Saibal Roy; SMM18, Cardiff, UK, 2-5th sept, 2007