Patent ID: 8519815

Claim:
A multi-layered structure, comprising: a set of N inductor layers, where N is an integer greater than one, each inductor layer comprising a substrate and a first spiral inductor situated on a surface of that substrate, the first spiral inductor on each inductor layer having a center portion and a tail portion, the N inductor layers being stacked one directly upon another to form a stack having a top inductor layer, zero or more intermediate inductor layers, and a bottom inductor layer, the first spiral inductors on the N inductor layers being aligned with each other such that an electromagnetic field generated by each first spiral inductor overlaps, at least partially, with an electromagnetic field generated by at least one other first spiral inductor on another inductor layer; a first coupling structure electrically coupling the center portions of all of the first spiral inductors on the N inductor layers to each other; a second coupling structure electrically coupling the tail portions of all of the first spiral inductors on the N inductor layers to each other; a first ground layer comprising a first substrate and a first layer of conductive material covering a substantial portion of a surface of the first substrate, the first ground layer being disposed above the top inductor layer of the stack and the first substrate having a first thickness; and a second ground layer comprising a second substrate and a second layer of conductive material covering a substantial portion of a surface of the second substrate, the second ground layer being disposed below the bottom inductor layer and the second substrate having a second thickness; wherein the first thickness of the first substrate and the second thickness of the second substrate are selected to cause the first and second layers of conductive material to be sufficiently close to the set of N inductor layers to provide shielding for the set of N inductor layers, but yet sufficiently far from the set of N inductor layers so that relatively few of the electromagnetic fields generated by the first spiral inductors will actually ground through the first and second layers of conductive material.