High power PCB-embedded inductors based on ferrite powder

Rémy Caillaud (1, 2) , Cyril Buttay (2) , Johan Le Lesle (1, 2) , Florent Morel (2) , Roberto Mrad (1) , Nicolas Degrenne (1) , Stefan Mollov (1) , Céline Combettes (3)

1 MERCE-France - Mitsubishi Electric R&D Centre Europe [France]
2 EE - Ampère, Département Energie Electrique
3 LAPLACE - LAboratoire PLasma et Conversion d'Energie

Inductors used in power converters are usually large and complex to manufacture. As a consequence, it is desirable to integrate them within printed circuit boards, to use an otherwise wasted volume. Solid magnetic cores are brittle, and can be damaged during the PCB manufacturing (lamination). In this paper, we present a process based on ferrite powder instead of a solid core. Process details and electrical measurement results are given. Magnetic cores of up to 50 mm in diameter are produced. Magnetic permeability of up to 28 are achieved, using some MnZn ferrite powder. A final discussion summarises the advantages and disadvantages of this technique.

Mots clés: PCB; power electronics; manufacturing process; characterisation

Domaines: Sciences de l'ingénieur [physics]

Rémy Caillaud, Cyril Buttay, Johan Le Lesle, Florent Morel, Roberto Mrad, et al.. High power PCB-embedded inductors based on ferrite powder. 5th Micro/Nano-Electronics Packaging & Assembly, Design and Manufacturing Forum (MiNaPAD 2017, IMAPS, May 2017, Grenoble, France. ⟨hal-01535727⟩