Samsung Electro-Mechanics, Industry's First Mass Production of Thin-Film 'Coupled Power Inductor'

Two Power Inductors Combined
Power Inductor Market Growing at an Average Annual Rate of About 9%

Samsung Electro-Mechanics announced on the 10th that it will mass-produce coupled power inductors that integrate two power inductors into a single chip. The company plans to target the market by expanding its high-end product lineup.

Power inductors, known as the "second MLCC," are key electronic components applied in power circuits that convert power from the battery into the power required by semiconductors and supply current stably.

Coupled power inductor developed by Samsung Electro-Mechanics.
[Photo by Samsung Electro-Mechanics]

The coupled power inductors developed by Samsung Electro-Mechanics come in two types with low resistance values (a characteristic that hinders current flow): size 2016 (2.0mm width, 1.6mm length) and size 2218 (2.2mm width, 1.8mm length).

This product is mounted around the CPU (Central Processing Unit), which acts as the brain of a PC, and plays the role of supplying stable current to the CPU. In particular, as CPUs become higher performance, the amount of current used increases, requiring power inductors with low power loss.

Power inductors consume power due to the resistance value of the coil wound inside. The higher the resistance value, the more power is consumed. Previously, two power inductors were connected in parallel to reduce resistance, but this had the disadvantages of increasing the number of components and limiting circuit design flexibility.

Accordingly, Samsung Electro-Mechanics applied a coupled structure that combines two coils into one chip. Samsung Electro-Mechanics’ coupled power inductors are thin-film products formed on a substrate by an electrolytic plating method (a method of applying a thin film on the surface) to create thin coil shapes. Compared to competing products that directly wind coils around magnetic materials (objects with magnetic properties), they feature superior electrical characteristics such as insulation (characteristics with less electromagnetic interference) and resistance values.

The power inductor market size is expected to grow at an average annual rate of about 9% to approximately $3.65 billion (4.85 trillion KRW) by 2028. The power inductor market is expected to steadily grow centered on high-performance products due to increased demand from the high-performance and multifunctionalization of electronic devices and the expansion of the automotive industry, such as autonomous driving and electric vehicles.

Jang Deok-hyun, CEO of Samsung Electro-Mechanics, said, "As the demand for high specifications and high performance of semiconductors continues, power inductors are becoming key components that differentiate semiconductor performance. Samsung Electro-Mechanics will leap forward as a top-tier tech company leading the power inductor market by developing differentiated products based on the world’s best materials and process technologies."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.