Design methodology and manufacture of a microinductor

Potential core materials to supersede ferrite in the 0.5-10 MHz frequency range are investigated. The performance of electrodeposited nickel-iron, cobalt-iron-copper alloys and the commercial alloy Vitrovac 6025 have been assessed through their inclusion within a custom-made solenoid microinductor. Although the present inductor, at 500 KHz, achieves 77% power efficiency for 24.7 W/cm³ power density, an optimized process predicts a power efficiency of 97% for 30.83 W/cm³ power density. The principle issues regarding microinductor design and performance are discussed.