Introducing FCA, a new alloy for Power Systems on a chip and Wafer Level Magnetic applications

On chip integrated inductors and transformers require novel and improved materials and CMOS-compatible Wafer Level Magnetics (WLM) deposition techniques. In this work we are presenting an Fe-Co based amorphous magnetic alloy, called FCA that was specifically designed and developed by Enpirion to be used for the first time in volume production for highly integrated and miniaturized power management electronics. The FCA properties that make it suitable for use in a real product are: stable permeability to frequencies higher than 20MHz, high electrical resistivity ρ>120 μΩ-cm, high magnetic saturation B_s>1.5T, and ultra-low coercivity H_c<;1. The fully CMOS-compatible FCA electro-deposition is carried out in JCAP´s wafer production fab in China using customized electroplating equipment that was specifically developed for the FCA plating chemistry. A microinductor utilizing an FCA magnetic core is developed, characterized and integrated into a DC-DC converter. This work demonstrates a commercially viable and available to market 1Amp DC-DC switching converter operating at 18MHz with efficiency up to 90% that utilizes electroplated magnetic materials on wafer for the first time in the power management industry.