A varainductor includes a signal line over a substrate. The varainductor further includes a first ground plane over the substrate. The varainductor further includes a first floating plane over the substrate, wherein the first floating plane is between the first ground plane and the signal line, and the first floating plane is a same distance from the substrate as the first ground plane. The varainductor further includes a first transistor configured to selectively electrically connect the first ground plane to the first floating plane. The varainductor further includes a second transistor configured to selectively electrically connect the first ground plane to the first floating plane, wherein a gate of the first transistor is connected to a gate of the second transistor.

An inductive switch comprises an inductor that has a primary metallic winding having a boundary configured in shape of a figure eight, such as in two loops, and a plurality of secondary metallic windings arranged within the boundary of the primary metallic winding. The inductive switch includes a plurality of switches, each switch arranged in series with a respective one of the plurality of secondary metallic windings. An equal number of the secondary windings is arranged within each loop. A tunable inductor comprises at least one main metallic loop and at least one secondary metallic loop, wherein the at least one secondary metallic loop comprises a switch that is arranged to configure the at least one secondary metallic loop into at least one shorted metallic loop or at least one closed metallic loop. The at least one shorted loop is floating.

A technique for tuning a ladder-shaped inductor that achieves a finer tuning resolution by severing one or more shorts, skipping the severing of one or more shorts, and severing one or more subsequent shorts within the ladder-shaped inductor. This technique can be applied to a voltage-controlled oscillator using a differential or single-ended ladder-shaped inductor as part of the resonant circuit. Within an oscillator, such a technique provides for a more precise modulation of the effective inductance of the ladder-shaped inductor, which enables an improved tuning resolution of the operating frequency of the oscillator.

A varainductor includes a signal line, a ground plane, and a floating plane over a substrate. The ground plane is disposed on a side of the signal line, and the first floating plane is disposed between the ground plane and the signal line. An array of switches includes at least two switches configured to selectively electrically connect the ground plane to the floating plane.

An integrated circuit structure includes a substrate, an integrated inductor, multiple components, multiple metal interconnections, a first shielding structure, and a second shielding structure. The integrated inductor is substantially formed in a first layer of the integrated circuit structure. The metal interconnections are coupled to the integrated inductor and the components. The first shielding structure is formed between the first layer and the substrate and is substantially beneath the integrated inductor. The second shielding structure is formed between the first layer and the substrate, has substantially the same distribution as the metal interconnections, and is substantially beneath the metal interconnections. The first shielding structure and the second shielding structure are equipotential.

Techniques are provided for segmented windings of a coupled inductor within a DC-DC voltage converter or regulator. In an example, a coupled inductor circuit can include a first winding comprising a conductive coil having a central axis, and a second winding configured to magnetically couple with the first winding. The second winding can have a plurality of individual segments. Each individual segment can form a fraction of one turn of the second winding. Each segment can include a first conductor, a ground conductor, and a first switch to selectively couple, and selectively isolate, the first conductor and the ground conductor.

A slow wave inductive structure includes a first substrate. The slow wave inductive structure further includes a first conductive winding over the first substrate. The slow wave inductive structure further includes a second substrate over the first substrate, wherein a distance between the first conductive winding and the second substrate ranges from about 1 micron (m) to about 2 m, and the second substrate comprises polysilicon or doped silicon. The slow wave inductive structure further includes a second conductive winding on an opposite side of the second substrate from the first conductive winding.

An electronic component includes a first terminal, a second terminal, a first capacitor electrode, a second capacitor electrode, and a third capacitor electrode. The third capacitor electrode is connected to the first terminal. The first capacitor electrode defines a first capacitor along with the third capacitor electrode. The second capacitor electrode defines a second capacitor along with the third capacitor electrode. The second capacitor electrode is connected to the second terminal. A plurality of dielectric layers include a connection layer where a first portion of the first terminal and a second portion of the second terminal are disposed. An inductance of a path from the second capacitor electrode to the second portion is lower than an inductance of a path from the third capacitor electrode to the first portion.

An apparatus is provided that includes an inductor, a pair of modulating coils, a first switch and a second switch. The inductor includes two sub-loops electrically coupled with each other. The modulating coils include a first modulating coil and a second modulating coil respectively disposed corresponding to each of the two sub-loops. The first switch and the second switch are respectively disposed at the first modulating coil and the second modulating coil. Each of the first modulating coil and the second modulating coil forms an open loop when the first switch and the second switch are under an open status, and each of the first modulating coil and the second modulating coil forms a closed loop when the first switch and the second switch are under a closed status that enables a modulation of an inductance of the inductor.

A slow wave inductive structure includes a first substrate, a first conductive winding over the first substrate, and a second substrate over the first substrate. The second substrate has a thickness ranging from about 50 nanometers (nm) to about 150 nm. A distance between the first conductive winding and the second substrate ranges from about 1 micron (m) to about 2 m. A slow wave inductor includes a first substrate and a first conductive winding over the first substrate. The slow wave inductor further includes a second substrate over the first substrate and a plurality of switches in the second conductive substrate. The first conductive winding is connected to each switch of the plurality of switches.