Patent ID: 8053864

Claim:
An inductor comprising: a coil: an induced current film in which a current is induced by a current flowing in the coil; and a switching element comprising: a pair of main terminals facing each other in parallel on a semiconductor substrate across a continuity control region, a control terminal formed on the semiconductor substrate over the continuity control region, and a continuity control unit connected to the control terminal and configured to control a width of a channel connecting the pair of main terminals formed within the continuity control region by changing a value of a control voltage applied to the control terminal, wherein the induced current film is electrically connected to the pair of main terminals of the switching element, a notch is provided in the induced current film in a flow path of the induced current, and the continuity control region of the switching element is situated in the notch, so that the inductance of the inductor is continuously variable, and wherein thickness of an insulator on or over the continuity control region is changed along a width direction of the channel.