Technical Articles From Radial Electronics

Embedded Inductors with Laser Machined Gap

Oct 30, 2019 | Jim Quilici

This work presents the fabrication of embedded inductors and the experimental laser machining of gaps in the underlying ferrite structure. (...) Energy efficiency is a major driver in the evolution of electronics and electronics packaging. To manage power consumption, portable appliances (smartphones, tablets, e-readers etc.) often use multiple supply voltages and DC/DC converters. Most are based on switch mode power conversion (SMPC). In a power converter, inductors and transformers are used to temporarily store energy during switching cycles. They also have the function of filtering noise. The power magnetics are often the largest and most expensive devices in the circuit. Integrating the magnetics into either a power converter module or system board can significantly reduce size and cost of the power converter function....