Ferrite Core Material Reduces Losses in Power Inductors

Nov 16, 2005 11:00 AM

Pulse, a Technitrol company, recently announced a new line in its family of through-hole, shielded, shaped-core power inductors designed for PC motherboard and server markets. The PG0322NL inductors have a high heating current rating of 32 A to 60 A, and a high current saturation capability from 30 A to 50 A, ideal for high current, mulitphase buck converter applications. The series has an operating temperature range of -40°C to 130°C, providing margin for thermal derating for high ambient temperature applications. The series offers a wide open circuit inductance (OCL), ranging from 0.28 µH to 1.20 µH, which enables choosing the inductance value for the smallest ripple current and fastest system transient response. The low direct current resistance (DCR) ranging from 0.60 mΩ to 1.65 mΩ yields high system efficiency due to lower copper losses. Both the OCL and DCR have tight tolerances of ±15% and ±8%, respectively, allowing for more accurate current sensing in systems using the inductor as the current sense element.

The PG0322NL Series is designed with a ferrite core material rather than the iron powder material typically used in existing motherboard inductor solutions. Inductors with an iron powder core have a high power loss in the core material. The ferrite core material has significantly lower core loss, resulting in greater efficiency. The ferrite core also eliminates the risk of thermal aging core failures.

The 14.5-mm × 14.5-mm × 9.5-mm package of the PG0322NL power cube inductor series is RoHS-compliant and meets the EIA481 standard. Parts in this series are available with prices averaging $0.18 per unit for a quantity of 100,000 units.

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