Coil Electronics

Abstract

A coil electronic component is provided. The coil electronic component includes: a substrate; a coil pattern formed on at least one of a first main surface and a second main surface of the substrate; a main body region filling at least a core region of the coil pattern and having a magnetic material; a lead portion forming an outermost region portion of the coil pattern and exposed to the outside of the main body region. The distance between the lead portion and a portion of the coil pattern that is adjacent to the lead portion and is disposed between the lead portion and the center of the coil pattern is greater than the distance between adjacent patterns of the coil pattern.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the invention patent application "Coil Electronic Components" with application date of February 5, 2016 and application number 201610082105.5. Technical Field

[0002] The present disclosure relates to a coil electronic assembly. Background Art

[0003] The inductor, which corresponds to the coil electronic component, is a representative passive element that constitutes an electronic circuit together with a resistor and a capacitor to remove noise.

[0004] Inductors can be classified into multilayer type inductors, thin film type inductors, and the like. Among these inductors, thin film type inductors are suitable for being manufactured relatively thin. Therefore, thin film type inductors have been utilized in a variety of fields recently, and attempts have been made to further reduce the thickness of components according to the trend of complication, multifunctionality, and thinning of device components. Therefore, a solution capable of ensuring high performance and reliability regardless of the trend of thinning of coil electronic components in the related art is required. Summary of the invention

[0005] One aspect of the present disclosure may provide a coil electronic component that can have improved reliability and high current and high inductance by appropriately adjusting the distance between a coil pattern and a lead portion included in the coil electronic component to significantly reduce the possibility of a short circuit between the coil pattern and the lead portion.

[0006] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a coil electronic component may include: a substrate; a coil pattern formed on at least one of a first main surface and a second main surface of the substrate; a main body region filling at least a core region of the coil pattern and having a magnetic material; a lead portion forming a portion of an outermost region of the coil pattern and exposed to the outside of the main body region. A distance between the lead portion and a portion of the coil pattern that is adjacent to the lead portion and disposed between the lead portion and the center of the coil pattern is greater than a distance between adjacent patterns of the coil pattern.

[0007] As described above, the distance between the outermost portion of the coil pattern and the lead portion may be larger than the pitch of the coil pattern (i.e., the distance between adjacent patterns), thereby reducing the possibility of a short circuit between the coil pattern and the lead portion due to excessive growth when performing a process (such as a plating process, etc.). BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will be more clearly understood through the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0009] Figure 1is a perspective view schematically showing the appearance of a coil electronic component according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0010] Figure 2 It is along Figure 1 A cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A';

[0011] Figure 3 and Figure 4 is a plan view showing a coil pattern and a lead portion according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0012] Figure 5 is a flow chart illustrating a method of manufacturing a coil electronic component according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0014] However, the present disclosure may be implemented in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that the present disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art.

[0015] In the drawings, the shapes and sizes of elements may be exaggerated for clarity, and the same reference numerals will be used throughout to designate the same or like elements.

[0016] Coil Electronics

[0017] Hereinafter, a coil electronic component (particularly, a thin film type inductor) according to an exemplary embodiment will be described by way of example. However, the coil electronic component according to the exemplary embodiment is not necessarily limited thereto.

[0018] Figure 1 is a perspective view schematically showing the appearance of a coil electronic component according to an exemplary embodiment. In addition, Figure 2 It is along Figure 1 The cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A' is Figure 3 and Figure 4 is a plan view illustrating a coil pattern and a lead part according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0019] Reference Figures 1 to 4 , a coil electronic component 100 according to an exemplary embodiment may include a substrate 102 , a coil pattern 103 , a body region 101 , and external electrodes 111 and 112 .

[0020] The substrate 102 may be provided in the body region 101 for supporting the coil pattern 103, and may be, for example, a polypropylene glycol (PPG) substrate, a ferrite substrate, a metal-based soft magnetic substrate, etc. In this case, a through hole may be formed in the central region of the substrate 102, and a magnetic material may be provided in the through hole to form a core region C. The core region C may constitute a part of the body region 101. As described above, the core region C provided with the magnetic material may improve the performance of the coil electronic component 100.

[0021] The coil pattern 103 may be formed on at least one of the first main surface and the second main surface of the substrate 102. In the present exemplary embodiment, the coil pattern 103 is formed on both the first main surface and the second main surface of the substrate 102 to obtain high inductance. That is, the first coil pattern may be formed on the first main surface of the substrate 102, and the second coil pattern may be formed on the second main surface of the substrate 102 opposite to the first main surface of the substrate 102. In this case, the first coil pattern and the second coil pattern may be electrically connected by penetrating the substrate 102 via (not shown). In addition, the coil pattern 103 may have a spiral shape, and in order to be electrically connected to the external electrodes 111 and 112, the outermost portion of the coil pattern having the spiral shape may be provided with a lead portion T exposed to the outside of the body region 101. The lead portion T may form the outermost area portion of the coil pattern 103 and may be formed integrally with the coil pattern 103. Although not shown, the coil pattern 103 may be formed on only one of the first main surface and the second main surface of the substrate 102 according to another embodiment.

[0022] The coil pattern 103 may be formed of a metal having high electrical conductivity, such as silver (Ag), palladium (Pd), aluminum (Al), nickel (Ni), titanium (Ti), gold (Au), copper (Cu), platinum (Pt) or an alloy thereof. In this case, as an example of a preferred process for manufacturing a thin film shape, an electroplating method may be used. Alternatively, other processes known in the related art may also be used as long as an effect similar to that of the electroplating method can be achieved.

[0023] In this exemplary embodiment, referring to Figures 2 to 4, the distance d between the lead portion T and the portion of the coil pattern 103 disposed between the middle of the lead portion T and the coil pattern and adjacent to the lead portion T is greater than the pitch of the coil pattern 103 (i.e., the distance c between adjacent patterns). The coil pattern 103 can be formed in a spiral shape to be used as an inductor. Usually, the distance between the lead portion T formed integrally with the coil pattern 103 and the coil pattern 103 can be the same as the distance between adjacent coil patterns. However, in order to implement the coil electronic component 100 in a small size and increase the inductance of the coil electronic component 100, the width of the coil pattern needs to be widened, and the distance c between the coil patterns needs to be narrowed. Therefore, the possibility of short circuit occurring between adjacent coil patterns 103 or between the coil pattern 103 and the lead portion T increases. In particular, the outwardly exposed lead portion T may have an area larger than the area of the coil pattern 103 located in the main body region 101, so problems due to overgrowth may occur during the subsequent electroplating process.

[0024] Therefore, in the present exemplary embodiment, compared with the related art, the shape of the lead portion T can be changed to increase the distance between the coil pattern 103 and the lead portion T. As an example of this form, as Figure 3 and Figure 4 shown, the surface of the lead portion T facing the coil pattern 103 or the coil pattern 103' can be formed as a curved surface, and the radius of curvature of the curved surface can be different from the radius of curvature of the coil pattern 103 or the coil pattern 103'. When the radius of curvature of the curved surface is smaller than the radius of curvature of the coil pattern 103 or the coil pattern 103', it is easier to ensure a large distance d of the lead portion T. Referring to Figure 3 , the entire surface of the lead portion T facing the coil pattern 103 is curved. Optionally, referring to Figure 4 , the end TP of the lead portion T has a flat surface facing the coil pattern 103' and the remaining portion of the lead portion T has a curved surface facing the coil pattern 103'.

[0025] In addition, the distance d of the lead portion T can also be appropriately determined in relation to the distance c between adjacent patterns. Specifically, when the distance between adjacent patterns of the coil pattern 103 is c and the distance between the outermost portion of the coil pattern 103 and the lead portion T is d, the condition 1.5c < d can be satisfied. When d is greater than 1.5c, the reliability can be improved due to preventing short circuits and high inductance can be achieved, which is desired by the present inventors.

[0026] In addition, the width b of the narrowest part of the lead portion T can be appropriately determined in relation to the width a of the coil pattern 103. Specifically, when the width of the coil pattern 103 is a and the width of the narrowest part of the lead portion T is b, the condition 2a / 3 < b can be satisfied. In order to dispose the lead portion T at a position farther from the coil pattern 103 within a limited area, a method of forming the lead portion T with a relatively narrow width can be used. Even in such a case, since the electrical performance of the lead portion T connected to the outer electrodes 111 and 112 should not deteriorate significantly, the width b of the narrowest part of the lead portion T can be approximately 2 / 3 of the width a of the coil pattern 103.

[0027] Meanwhile, as described above, the lead portion T can be obtained by the following method: forming the lead portion with a large width as in the prior art and then removing a part of the lead portion. Depending on the required performance, design conditions, etc., the curved surface of the lead portion T can be formed in a gentle form (a form with a large radius of curvature) as shown in Figure 3 or can be formed in a form with a large inclination (a form with a small radius of curvature) as shown in Figure 4 .

[0028] The main body region 101 can have a form in which at least the core region C of the coil pattern 103 is filled with a magnetic material or the like, and can form the appearance of the coil electronic component 100 of the present exemplary embodiment. In this case, the main body region 101 can be formed of any material exhibiting magnetic properties and can be composed of, for example, ferrite or metal magnetic particles in a resin portion.

[0029] As specific examples of these materials, the ferrite can be, for example, materials such as Mn-Zn-based ferrite, Ni-Zn-based ferrite, Ni-Zn-Cu-based ferrite, Mn-Mg-based ferrite, Ba-based ferrite, Li-based ferrite, etc., and the main body region 101 can have a form in which ferrite particles are dispersed in a resin (e.g., epoxy resin, polyimide, etc.).

[0030] In addition, the metal magnetic particles can include one or more selected from the group consisting of Fe, Si, Cr, Al, and Ni. For example, the metal magnetic particles can be Fe-Si-B-Cr-based amorphous metal, but are not limited thereto. The metal magnetic particles can have a diameter of approximately 0.1 μm to 30 μm, and similar to the ferrite particles described above, the main body region 101 can have a form in which the metal magnetic particles are dispersed in a resin (e.g., epoxy resin, polyimide, etc.).

[0031] Method for manufacturing a coil assembly

[0032] Hereinafter, an example of a method of manufacturing the coil electronic component 100 having the structure described above will be described. Refer to Figures 1 to 4, and a method of manufacturing the coil electronic assembly 100 Figure 5 First, a coil pattern 103 may be formed on a substrate 102 (S10). Here, the coil pattern 103 may be preferably formed using a plating process, but is not limited thereto. As described above, the coil pattern 103 may have a spiral shape, and in order to be electrically connected to the external electrodes 111 and 112, a lead portion T exposed to the outside of the body region 101 and connected to the coil pattern may be formed at the outermost portion of the coil pattern (S10).

[0033] In this case, as described above, the distance d between the lead portion T and the portion of the coil pattern 103 located between the lead portion T and the middle portion of the coil portion 103 and adjacent to the lead portion T is greater than the pitch of the coil pattern 103 (i.e., the spacing c between adjacent patterns). For this reason, a portion of the lead portion T may be appropriately removed. That is, after the lead portion T is formed to be separated from the coil pattern 103 by the same distance as the pitch of the coil pattern 103, a partial area of ​​the lead portion T may be removed to increase the distance d of the lead portion T. Alternatively, a plating process may be used to form the lead portion T having a desired shape and pattern the lead portion T, rather than additionally removing the lead portion T.

[0034] Meanwhile, although not separately shown, an insulating layer coating the coil pattern 103 may be formed to protect the coil pattern 103. The insulating layer may be formed by a known method such as screen printing, exposure and development of photoresist (PR), and spraying.

[0035] Next, as an example of forming the main body region 101, magnetic sheets may be stacked on and below the substrate 102 where the coil pattern 103 is formed, and pressed and then hardened (S20). The sheet-like magnetic sheet may be manufactured by mixing a metal magnetic powder and an organic material (such as a binder, a solvent, etc.) with each other to prepare a slurry, applying the slurry to a carrier film with a thickness of several tens of micrometers by a doctor blade method, and then drying the applied slurry.

[0036] A through hole for the core region C may be formed in the central region of the substrate 102 by mechanical drilling, laser drilling, sandblasting, punching, etc. The through hole may be filled with a magnetic material to form the core region C while the magnetic sheets are stacked, pressed, and hardened.

[0037] Next, a first external electrode 111 and a second external electrode 112 may be formed on the surface of the body region 101 to be connected to the lead portions T exposed to the two surfaces of the body region 101, respectively (S30). The external electrodes 111 and 112 may be formed of a paste containing a metal having good electrical conductivity, such as a conductive paste containing nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), tin (Sn), or silver (Ag) or an alloy thereof. In addition, a plating layer (not shown) may be formed on the external electrodes 111 and 112. In this case, the plating layer may include one or more selected from the group consisting of nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), and tin (Sn). For example, a nickel (Ni) layer and a tin (Sn) layer may be sequentially formed in the plating layer.

[0038] Except for the above description, description of features overlapping with those of the coil electronic component according to the exemplary embodiment described above will be omitted.

[0039] As described above, according to an exemplary embodiment, the distance between the coil pattern and the lead portion included in the coil electronic component can be appropriately adjusted to significantly reduce the possibility of a short circuit between the coil pattern and the lead portion, thereby improving the reliability of the coil electronic component and achieving high current and high inductance of the electronic component.

[0040] While exemplary embodiments have been shown and described above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined by the claims.

Claims

1. A coil electronic assembly, comprising: substrate; a coil pattern having a spiral shape and formed on at least one of the first main surface and the second main surface of the substrate; a main body region encapsulating the substrate and the coil pattern; an external electrode disposed on a surface of the main body region; a lead portion connected to the outermost region of the coil pattern and extending toward the outside of the body region to be exposed to the outside of the body region and contacting and electrically connected to the external electrode, The inner surface of the lead portion and the inner surface of the outermost area of ​​the coil pattern are smoothly transitioned, and The inner surface of the lead portion has a curved surface facing the coil pattern, and the curved surface of the lead portion is concave. The spacing distance between the curved surface and a portion of the coil pattern that is arranged between the center of the area defined by the lead portion and the outermost contour of the coil pattern and adjacent to the lead portion first gradually increases and then gradually decreases, and the spacing distance between the inner surface of the lead portion and a portion of the coil pattern that is arranged between the center of the area defined by the lead portion and the outermost contour of the coil pattern and adjacent to the lead portion is greater than the distance c between adjacent patterns of the coil pattern.

2. The coil electronic component according to claim 1, wherein: A surface of a portion of the coil pattern adjacent to the lead wire portion is a curved surface.

3. The coil electronic component according to claim 2, wherein: The curved surface of the lead portion has a different curvature radius from a curvature radius of the portion of the coil pattern immediately adjacent to the lead portion.

4. The coil electronic component according to claim 3, wherein: The curved surface of the lead portion has a smaller curvature radius than a curvature radius of the portion of the coil pattern immediately adjacent to the lead portion.

5. The coil electronic component according to claim 1, wherein: The width a of the coil pattern and the width b of the narrowest part of the lead portion satisfy 2a / 3 <b。 6. The coil electronic component according to claim 1, wherein: A distance d between the narrowest portion of the lead portion and a portion of the coil pattern immediately adjacent to the lead portion and the distance c satisfy 1.5c<d.

7. The coil electronic component according to claim 2, wherein: The distance between the outermost coil pattern of the coil pattern and the portion of the coil pattern adjacent to the outermost coil pattern is smaller than the spacing distance between the inner surface of the lead portion in the entire area of ​​the curved surface of the lead portion and the portion of the coil pattern that is arranged between the lead portion and the center of the area defined by the outermost contour of the coil pattern and adjacent to the lead portion.

8. The coil electronic component according to claim 1, wherein: The main body region includes a metallic magnetic material.

9. The coil electronic component according to claim 1, wherein: The entire surface of the lead portion facing the coil pattern is arc-shaped.

10. The coil electronic component according to claim 1, wherein: The lead portion includes a distal end having a flat surface facing the coil pattern, and a remaining portion of the lead portion has a curved surface facing the coil pattern.

11. The coil electronic component according to claim 2, wherein: A distance between a narrowest portion of the lead portion and the portion of the coil pattern immediately adjacent to the lead portion is greater than a distance between both ends of the lead portion and the portion of the coil pattern immediately adjacent to the lead portion.

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