Circuit Modeling of Nonlinear Lossy Frequency-Dependent Thin-Film Magnetic Inductors

Thin-film magnetic inductors are useful for integrated power delivery solutions for microprocessors and mobile devices. In many of these applications, the inductor dimensions have to be optimized simultaneously with the other circuit components, and thus accurate circuit models are required. Hence, we present an accurate physics-based circuit model that can capture the frequency dependency, losses, and the nonlinear behavior of thin-film magnetic inductors both for the uncoupled and coupled configurations. The model is based on the magnetic circuit description of the inductors with additional elements to model the frequency dependency within the magnetic material. The model is verified using vector network analyzer measurements of direct current biased inductors.