Wire-Wound Power Inductors are 70% smaller than previous devices says Taiyo Yuden

The 70% smaller footprint of the BRC1608 series facilitates more compact DC-DC converters and thinner-profile product designs. Now being produced and shipped in mass quantities, BRC1608 series wire-wound power inductors are ideally suited for DC-DC converter choke coil applications in digital cameras, cell phones, MP3 players and other battery-powered electronic devices.

The continuing miniaturization trend in portable equipment is driving the need for more compact, high-efficiency DC-DC converters to maximize battery power and extend device run time by conserving electric power that is wasted as thermal energy. Typical power inductors used for this employ copper coils wound around a magnetic core. This configuration provides generally better performance but due to non-standardized physical characteristics does not lend itself to high-efficiency, automated pick-and-place manufacturing methods with their attendant cost benefits. On the other hand, multi-layer fabrication techniques are highly manufacturable, however, the high inductance / high current needs of power inductor applications provide a technological hurdle that has yet to be surmounted.

TAIYO YUDEN's material science and manufacturing expertise effectively bridges the gap between wire-wound performance and multi-layer manufacturability with its BRC1608 series. These wire-wound power inductors are now available in EIA 0603 case size, providing the high bias characteristics of wire-wound devices with the small size of multi-layer type devices that offer greater economies of scale.