Coil component

Abstract

The invention provides a coil assembly. The coil assembly includes a main body, a first coil, a second coil, a coupling adjustment portion, and first to fourth external electrodes, the first coil including a first coil portion having a winding shaft oriented in a first direction, and a first lead-out portion and a second lead-out portion, the second coil comprises a second coil part, a third leading-out part and a fourth leading-out part, the second coil part is provided with a winding shaft oriented in the first direction, and the coupling adjusting part comprises a first area and a second area. The first coil portion has a first region in at least a partial region where a first core of the first coil portion and a second core of the second coil portion overlap in a first direction, and a second region in at least a partial region surrounding the first region in a lateral direction and having a magnetic permeability different from that of the first region. The first to fourth external electrodes are connected to the first to fourth lead-out portions, respectively.

Description

[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority from Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0135243 filed on October 11, 2023 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. Technical Field

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

[0003] With the miniaturization and thinning of electronic devices such as digital televisions (TVs), mobile phones, notebook computers, etc., miniaturization and thinning of coil components used in electronic devices are also required, and in order to meet the requirements, research and development of various wound coil components or thin film coil components are being actively carried out.

[0004] The main problem with miniaturization and thinning of coil components is to achieve equivalent characteristics to the past despite such miniaturization and thinning. In order to meet these requirements, the ratio of magnetic material in the core filled with magnetic material should be increased, but depending on the strength and insulation of the inductor body, there may be a limit to the increase in ratio due to changes in frequency characteristics, etc.

[0005] In addition, there is a growing demand for an array type coil assembly having the advantage of reducing the installation area of ​​the coil assembly. The array type coil assembly may have an uncoupled inductor, a coupled inductor, or a hybrid inductor thereof, depending on the coupling coefficient or mutual inductance between the plurality of coils. In such an array type inductor, it is necessary to ensure the saturation current (I sat ) and other characteristics. Summary of the invention

[0006] One aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a coil component suitable for effectively achieving a target coupling coefficient and improving characteristics such as a saturation current (I sat ) and other characteristics.

[0007] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a coil component includes: a main body; a first coil, arranged in the main body, and including a first coil portion and a first lead-out portion and a second lead-out portion, the first coil portion having a winding axis oriented along a first direction; a second coil, arranged in the main body, spaced apart from the first coil portion, and including a second coil portion and a third lead-out portion and a fourth lead-out portion, the second coil portion having a winding axis oriented along the first direction; a coupling adjustment portion, arranged between the first coil and the second coil to support the first coil and the second coil, and including a first area and a second area, the first area being located in at least a portion of an area where a first core of the first coil portion and a second core of the second coil portion overlap in the first direction, the second area being located in at least a portion of an area surrounding the first area in a lateral direction and having a magnetic permeability different from that of the first area; a first external electrode and a second external electrode, connected to the first lead-out portion and the second lead-out portion, respectively; and a third external electrode and a fourth external electrode, connected to the third lead-out portion and the fourth lead-out portion, respectively.

[0008] In an embodiment, the first coil portion and the second coil portion may be respectively provided on portions of first and second surfaces of the coupling adjustment portion that are opposite to each other and are located in the second region.

[0009] In an embodiment, the second region may extend onto a side surface of the body.

[0010] In an embodiment, the second region may be disposed outside the first coil portion and the second coil portion.

[0011] In an embodiment, the second region may be surrounded by the body in the lateral direction.

[0012] In an embodiment, the first region may extend into a region where the first coil portion and the second coil portion overlap in the first direction.

[0013] In an embodiment, the second region may extend into a region where the first core of the first coil part and the second core of the second coil part overlap in the first direction.

[0014] In embodiments, the first region may be integral with the body.

[0015] In an embodiment, the magnetic permeability of the second region may be lower than the magnetic permeability of the first region.

[0016] In an embodiment, a filling rate of magnetic particles in the first region may be higher than a filling rate of magnetic particles in the second region.

[0017] In an embodiment, the first region may include two or more types of magnetic particles having different sizes of D50.

[0018] In an embodiment, the second region may include a magnetic sheet.

[0019] In an embodiment, the magnetic sheet may include ferrite.

[0020] In an embodiment, the first lead-out portion may be arranged at the same height as the first coil portion in the first direction, and the second lead-out portion may be arranged at the same height as the second coil portion in the first direction, the third lead-out portion may be arranged at the same height as the second coil portion in the first direction, and the fourth lead-out portion may be arranged at the same height as the first coil portion in the first direction.

[0021] In an embodiment, the first coil portion may include a plurality of coil layers, and the first lead portion and the second lead portion may be arranged on one side of the first coil portion relative to the coupling adjustment portion, and the second coil portion may include a plurality of coil layers, and the third lead portion and the fourth lead portion may be arranged on one side of the second coil portion relative to the coupling adjustment portion.

[0022] In an embodiment, an absolute value of a coupling coefficient of the first coil and the second coil may be in a range of 0.495 to 0.605.

[0023] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a coil component includes: a main body; a first coil, arranged in the main body, and including a first coil portion and a first lead-out portion and a second lead-out portion, the first coil portion having a winding axis oriented along a first direction; a second coil, arranged in the main body, spaced apart from the first coil portion, and including a second coil portion and a third lead-out portion and a fourth lead-out portion, the second coil portion having a winding axis oriented along the first direction; a coupling adjustment portion, arranged between the first coil and the second coil, and including a first area and a second area, the first area being located in at least a portion of an area where a first core of the first coil portion and a second core of the second coil portion overlap in the first direction, and the second area being located in at least a portion of an area surrounding the first area in a lateral direction; a first external electrode and a second external electrode, connected to the first lead-out portion and the second lead-out portion, respectively; and a third external electrode and a fourth external electrode, connected to the third lead-out portion and the fourth lead-out portion, respectively, wherein the coupling adjustment portion includes an Fe-based alloy, and wherein a composition of the Fe-based alloy included in the first area is different from a composition of the Fe-based alloy included in the second area.

[0024] In an embodiment, an amount of Fe included in the Fe-based alloy in the first region may be higher than an amount of Fe included in the Fe-based alloy in the second region.

[0025] In an embodiment, the Fe-based alloy is a Fe—Si-based alloy, and the amount of Si in the Fe—Si-based alloy included in the first region may be higher than the amount of Si in the Fe—Si-based alloy included in the second region.

[0026] In an embodiment, the amount of Si included in the Fe—Si based alloy in the first region may be greater than or equal to 6.5 wt %, and the amount of Si included in the Fe—Si based alloy in the second region may be less than 6.5 wt %.

[0027] In an embodiment, an amount of Si in the Fe—Si based alloy included in the second region may be in a range of 1 wt % to 5 wt %.

[0028] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a coil component includes: a main body; a first coil, arranged in the main body, and including a plurality of first coil layers and a first lead-out portion and a second lead-out portion, the plurality of first coil layers having a winding axis oriented along a first direction; a second coil, arranged in the main body, and including a plurality of second coil layers and a third lead-out portion and a fourth lead-out portion, the plurality of second coil layers having a winding axis oriented along the first direction; a coupling adjustment portion, arranged between the plurality of first coil layers and the plurality of second coil layers, and including a first region and a second region, the first region being located in at least a portion of a region where the first cores of the plurality of first coil layers and the second cores of the plurality of second coil layers overlap in the first direction, the second region being located in at least a portion of a region surrounding the first region in a lateral direction and having a magnetic permeability different from that of the first region; a first external electrode and a second external electrode, connected to the first lead-out portion and the second lead-out portion, respectively; and a third external electrode and a fourth external electrode, connected to the third lead-out portion and the fourth lead-out portion, respectively.

[0029] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a coil component includes: a first coil, arranged around a first core and having a winding axis oriented along a first direction, the first coil including a first lead-out portion and a second lead-out portion connected to a first external electrode and a second external electrode, respectively; a second coil, arranged around a second core and having a winding axis oriented along the first direction, the second coil including a third lead-out portion and a fourth lead-out portion connected to a third external electrode and a fourth external electrode, respectively; a coupling adjustment portion, arranged between the first coil and the second coil, wherein a first region of the coupling adjustment portion at least partially overlaps with the first core and the second core, and a second region of the coupling adjustment portion surrounds the first region in a direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction, wherein a magnetic permeability of the second region is less than a magnetic permeability of the first region. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will be more clearly understood through the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a coil component according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0031] Figure 2 It is observed from above Figure 1 A plan view of the coil assembly.

[0032] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 An exploded perspective view of the coil and coupling adjustment portion in the coil assembly.

[0033] Figure 4 yes Figure 1 Cross-sectional view of the coil assembly.

[0034] Figure 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a first region of the coupling adjustment portion.

[0035] Figure 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the second region of the coupling adjustment portion.

[0036] Figure 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a first region of a coupling adjustment portion in a modified example.

[0037] Figure 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a first region of a coupling adjustment portion in a modified example.

[0038] Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a coil component according to a modified example.

[0039] Fig.10 is a cross-sectional view of a coil component according to a modified example.

[0040] Fig.11 is a cross-sectional view of a coil component according to a modified example.

[0041] Fig.12 is a perspective view schematically showing a coil component according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0042] Fig.13 yes Fig.12 An exploded perspective view of a first coil and a second coil in a coil assembly.

[0043] Fig.14 yes Fig.12 Cross-sectional view of the coil assembly.

[0044] Fig.15 is a perspective view schematically showing a coil component according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0045] Fig.16 yes Fig.15 An exploded perspective view of the coil and coupling adjustment portion in the coil assembly. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to specific embodiments and the accompanying drawings. However, embodiments of the present disclosure may be modified to have various other forms, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described below. In addition, embodiments of the present disclosure may be provided to more completely explain the present disclosure to those skilled in the art. Therefore, in order to describe more clearly, the shapes and sizes of the components in the accompanying drawings may be exaggerated, and the components indicated by the same reference numerals in the accompanying drawings may be the same components.

[0047] Various types of electronic components can be used in electronic devices, and various types of coil components can be appropriately used in these electronic components for purposes such as noise removal. In other words, the coil components in electronic devices can be used as power inductors, high frequency (HF) inductors, general-purpose magnetic beads, high frequency magnetic beads (for example, magnetic beads suitable for GHz bands), common mode filters, etc.

[0048] Figure 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a coil component according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2 It is observed from above Figure 1 A plan view of the coil assembly, and Figure 3 yes Figure 1 An exploded perspective view of the coil and coupling adjustment portion in the coil assembly. Figure 4 yes Figure 1 Cross-sectional view of the coil assembly.

[0049] Reference Figures 1 to 4According to the present embodiment, the coil component 100 may include a main body 110, a first coil 121, a second coil 122, a coupling adjustment portion 130, and a first external electrode 141, a second external electrode 142, a third external electrode 143, and a fourth external electrode 144, respectively, and may be implemented as an array-type inductor in which the first coil 121 and the second coil 122 are magnetically coupled. In this case, the coupling adjustment portion 130 may include a first region R1 and a second region R2 surrounding the first region R1 in a lateral direction, and the first region R1 and the second region R2 may be implemented to have different magnetic permeabilities, and the coupling degree of the first coil 121 and the second coil 122 may be appropriately adjusted. The details thereof will be described later, and in the following, the main elements constituting the coil component 100 of the present embodiment will be described.

[0050] The main body 110 may have a first coil 121 and a second coil 122 disposed therein, etc., and may form the overall appearance of the coil component 100. In this case, the main body 110 may include an upper surface and a lower surface that are relatively oriented in the first direction D1 and a plurality of side surfaces connecting them. The main body 110 may include an insulating resin and a magnetic material. Specifically, the main body 110 may be formed by stacking one or more magnetic composite sheets in which a magnetic material is dispersed in an insulating resin. The magnetic material may be ferrite or metal magnetic powder particles. Examples of ferrites may include at least one of spinel ferrites (such as Mg-Zn-based ferrites, Mn-Zn-based ferrites, Mn-Mg-based ferrites, Cu-Zn-based ferrites, Mg-Mn-Sr-based ferrites, Ni-Zn-based ferrites, etc.), hexagonal ferrites (such as Ba-Zn-based ferrites, Ba-Mg-based ferrites, Ba-Ni-based ferrites, Ba-Co-based ferrites, Ba-Ni-Co-based ferrites, etc.), garnet ferrites (such as Y-based ferrites, etc.), and Li-based ferrites. The metal magnetic powder particles may include one or more selected from the group consisting of iron (Fe), silicon (Si), chromium (Cr), cobalt (Co), molybdenum (Mo), aluminum (Al), niobium (Nb), copper (Cu), and nickel (Ni). For example, the metal magnetic powder particles may be at least one of pure iron powder, Fe-Si-based alloy powder, Fe-Si-Al-based alloy powder, Fe-Ni-based alloy powder, Fe-Ni-Mo-based alloy powder, Fe-Ni-Mo-Cu-based alloy powder, Fe-Co-based alloy powder, Fe-Ni-Co-based alloy powder, Fe-Cr-based alloy powder, Fe-Cr-Si-based alloy powder, Fe-Si-Cu-Nb-based alloy powder, Fe-Ni-Cr-based alloy powder, and Fe-Cr-Al-based alloy powder. The metal magnetic powder particles may be amorphous or crystalline. For example, the metal magnetic powder particles may be Fe-Si-B-Cr-based amorphous alloy powder particles, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The ferrite and the metal magnetic powder particles may have an average diameter of about 0.1 μm to 30 μm, respectively, but are not limited thereto. The body 110 may include two or more types of magnetic materials dispersed in the resin. In this case, the term "different types of magnetic materials" means that the magnetic materials dispersed in the resin can be distinguished from each other by at least one of the average diameter, composition, crystallinity, and shape. The insulating resin may include epoxy resin, polyimide, liquid crystal polymer, etc. in a single form or in a combined form, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0051] As an example of a manufacturing method, the main body 110 may be formed using a lamination method. Specifically, a plurality of unit stacks for manufacturing the main body 110 may be prepared and stacked on the upper and lower portions of the first coil 121 and the second coil 122. In this case, the unit stack may be prepared as a sheet type by mixing magnetic particles (e.g., metal particles, etc.) and an organic material (such as a thermosetting resin, an adhesive, a solvent, etc.) to form a slurry, applying the slurry to a carrier film to a thickness of several tens of μm by a doctor blade method, and drying it. Therefore, the unit stack may be manufactured in a form in which magnetic particles are dispersed in a thermosetting resin (such as an epoxy resin, a polyimide, etc.).

[0052] The first coil 121 may be disposed in the main body 110, and may include a first coil portion 121C having a winding axis oriented in the first direction D1, and a first lead-out portion 121A and a second lead-out portion 121B. In addition, the second coil 122 may be disposed in the main body 110, may be spaced apart from the first coil portion 121C, and may include a second coil portion 122C having a winding axis oriented in the first direction D1, and a third lead-out portion 122A and a fourth lead-out portion 122B. In the present embodiment, the first coil portion 121C and the second coil portion 122C may each have a single-layer structure. In other words, the first lead-out portion 121A of the first coil 121 may be disposed at the same height as the first coil portion 121C, and the second lead-out portion 121B may be disposed at the same height as the second coil portion 122C. In this case, the end of the first coil portion 121C and the second lead-out portion 121B may be connected by a conductive via V1. Similarly, the third lead portion 122A of the second coil 122 may be disposed at the same height as the second coil portion 122C, and the fourth lead portion 122B may be disposed at the same height as the first coil portion 121C. In this case, the end of the second coil portion 122C and the fourth lead portion 122B may be connected by a conductive via V2.

[0053] like Figure 2 As shown, the first coil portion 121C and the second coil portion 122C may have a shape that may include both an area where the cores C1 and C2 overlap in the winding axis direction and an area where the cores C1 and C2 do not overlap in the winding axis direction. Specifically, a portion of the first core C1 of the first coil portion 121C may form a shared core area that overlaps with the second core C2 of the second coil portion 122C oriented in the first direction D1, and at least a portion of the different areas may form a non-shared core area that does not overlap with the second core C2 of the second coil portion 122C. Similarly, a portion of the second core C2 of the second coil portion 122C may form a non-shared core area that does not overlap with the first core C1 of the first coil portion 121C oriented in the first direction D1.

[0054] In the first coil 121 and the second coil 122, a plating pattern may be formed using a plating process used in the art (such as pattern plating, anisotropic plating, isotropic plating, etc.), and the plating pattern may be formed into a multilayer structure using a variety of these processes. Examples of materials constituting the first coil 121 and the second coil 122 may include a conductive material (such as copper (Cu), aluminum (Al), silver (Ag), tin (Sn), gold (Au), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), titanium (Ti), chromium (Cr), or alloys thereof), but the material is not limited thereto.

[0055] The first external electrode 141 and the second external electrode 142 may be connected to the first coil 121, and specifically to the first lead-out portion 121A and the second lead-out portion 121B, respectively. The third external electrode 143 and the fourth external electrode 144 may be connected to the second coil 122, and specifically to the third lead-out portion 122A and the fourth lead-out portion 122B, respectively. In this case, the first external electrode 141 and the second external electrode 142 may be disposed on the same side surface of the body 110 and may extend to the lower surface of the body 110, and similarly, the third external electrode 143 and the fourth external electrode 144 may be disposed on the same side surface of the body 110 and may extend to the lower surface of the body 110. The first external electrodes 141 to the fourth external electrodes 144 may be formed using a paste including a metal having excellent conductivity, and the paste may be, for example, a conductive paste including nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), tin (Sn), silver (Ag), or an alloy thereof. In addition, a plating layer may be provided to cover each of the first external electrodes 141 to the fourth external electrodes 144. 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.

[0056] The coupling adjustment portion 130 may include a first region R1 and a second region R2 having different magnetic permeabilities. More specifically, the first region R1 may be located in at least a portion of a region where the first core C1 of the first coil portion 121C and the second core C2 of the second coil portion 122C overlap in the first direction D1. Therefore, the first coil portion 121C and the second coil portion 122C may form a magnetic flux path (coupling) that couples with each other in at least a portion of the first region R1. Figure 4 ). The second region R2 may be located in at least a portion of a region surrounding the first region R1 in a lateral direction (e.g., a direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction) and have a different magnetic permeability from the first region R1. At least a portion of the second region R2 may be located in a leakage magnetic flux path ( Figure 4). In this way, the magnetic permeability of the first region R1 located in the coupling magnetic flux path and the second region R2 located in the leakage magnetic flux path can be changed to effectively control the coupling coefficient of the first coil 121 and the second coil 122. For example, when the coupling coefficient of the first coil 121 and the second coil 122 is targeted to be greater than or equal to 0.495 and less than 0.605 (based on the absolute value), it may not be easy to adjust the coupling coefficient by accurately controlling the gap between the first coil 121 and the second coil 122, the magnetic material of the body 110, etc. Therefore, the coupling adjustment portion 130 can be disposed between the first coil 121 and the second coil 122 to achieve the target coupling coefficient value without making the gap between the first coil 121 and the second coil 122 too large or too small.

[0057] As a specific example, the second region R2 may have a lower magnetic permeability than the first region R1. The first region R1 may form an integral structure with the main body 110. The first region R1 may be manufactured separately from the main body 110 and may be formed using magnetic particles having different types or sizes. As in the present embodiment, the magnetic permeability of the second region R2 may be set to be relatively low, and even if the first coil portion 121C and the second coil portion 122C do not need to be excessively reduced, the size of each leakage magnetic flux may be reduced, and a reduction in the saturation current (I sat ) effect. The first region R1 may have a relatively high magnetic permeability. When the magnetic permeability of the first region R1 is reduced to a level similar to that of the second region R2, the size of the coupling magnetic flux is reduced. In order to compensate for this, it may be necessary to increase the number of turns of the first coil portion 121C and the second coil portion 122C or to reduce the gap between the first coil portion 121C and the second coil portion 122C. As in the present embodiment, the first region R1 may be set to have a relatively high level of magnetic permeability, and even if the number of turns of the first coil portion 121C and the second coil portion 122C is not increased or the gap between the first coil portion 121C and the second coil portion 122C is not excessively reduced, the size of the coupling magnetic flux can be fully ensured, and the target coupling coefficient can be effectively achieved thereby.

[0058] When describing the specific form of the coupling adjustment portion 130, first, as in the present embodiment, the first coil portion 121C and the second coil portion 122C may be respectively disposed on the first surface and the second surface (corresponding to the upper surface and the lower surface, respectively, based on the drawings) of the coupling adjustment portion 130 that are opposite to each other, and are located in the second region R2. In this case, the first coil 121 and the second coil 122 may be supported by the coupling adjustment portion 130. In addition, the second region R2 of the coupling adjustment portion 130 may extend to the side surface of the body 110. Therefore, the second region R2 may be disposed outside the first coil portion 121C and the second coil portion 122C. In this way, the second region R2 having a relatively low magnetic permeability in the coupling adjustment portion 130 may be disposed in an area corresponding to the space between the first coil portion 121C and the second coil portion 122C, and in an area corresponding to the outside of the first coil portion 121C and the second coil portion 122C, the size of the leakage magnetic flux of the first coil 121 and the second coil 122 may be effectively reduced.

[0059] According to the desired coupling coefficient or other characteristics, the area where the coupling adjustment portion 130 is formed may be changed, and the reference Figures 9 to 11 First, as in Fig. 9 In a modified example of , the second region R2 of the coupling adjustment portion 130 may be implemented as a configuration surrounded by the body 110 in the lateral direction. In this case, the second region R2 may be limitedly formed in the region in which the first coil portion 121C and the second coil portion 122C are formed, and may not be formed outside the first coil portion 121C and the second coil portion 122C. When the coupling adjustment portion 130 has such an arrangement, the size of the coupling magnetic flux of the first coil 121 and the second coil 122 outside the first coil portion 121C and the second coil portion 122C may be increased.

[0060] Next, as in Fig.10 In a modified example, the coupling adjustment portion 130 may have a configuration in which the first region R1 is extended. For example, the first region R1 may extend to an area where the first coil portion 121C and the second coil portion 122C overlap in the first direction D1. In this case, the area in which the second region R2 is formed may be limited to the outside of the first coil portion 121C and the second coil portion 122C.

[0061] Next, as in Fig.11 In a modified example, the second region R2 of the coupling adjustment portion 130 may partially expand in the inward direction. For example, the second region R2 may be implemented as a configuration extending in the direction in which the cores of the first coil portion 121C and the second coil portion 122C are located.

[0062] As described above, in the coupling adjustment portion 130, the magnetic permeability of the first region R1 may be different from the magnetic permeability of the second region R2. For example, the magnetic permeability of the second region R2 may be lower than the magnetic permeability of the first region R1. When it is difficult to measure the magnetic permeability of each region in the state of the coil component 100, the type, particle size, filling rate, etc. of the magnetic material included in the first region R1 and the second region R2 may be analyzed to compare the magnetic permeabilities of the first region R1 and the second region R2. Hereinafter, reference will be made to Figures 5 to 8 A configuration is described in which the magnetic permeability of the first region R1 and the magnetic permeability of the second region R2 are adjusted, and the filling rate of the magnetic particles in the second region R2 is adjusted to be lower than the filling rate of the magnetic particles in the first region R1.

[0063] First, refer to Figure 5 and Figure 6 , the first region R1 may include magnetic particles P11, and an insulating material 131 such as a resin may be interposed between the magnetic particles P11. Similarly, the second region R2 may include magnetic particles P21, and an insulating material 132 such as a resin may be interposed between the magnetic particles P21. As shown in the figure, the filling rate of the magnetic particles P11 in the first region R1 may be higher than the filling rate of the magnetic particles P21 in the second region R2. As an example of a method of obtaining the filling rate, after obtaining SEM images of the first region R1 and the second region R2, the ratio of the area occupied by the magnetic particles (P11 and P21) to the total area may be calculated. In this case, in order to obtain a more accurate value, the value of the filling rate may be obtained from a plurality of cross sections.

[0064] When there is no significant difference in the size of the magnetic particles P11 in the first region R1 and the magnetic particles P21 in the second region R2, for example, when the difference between the D50 of the magnetic particles P11 in the first region R1 and the D50 of the magnetic particles P21 in the second region R2 is 10% or less, the filling rate of the magnetic particles P11 and P21 may affect the magnetic permeability in the region corresponding thereto. In this case, the difference in D50 of 10% or less means that the ratio of the difference between the large value and the small value of D50 relative to the large value of D50 is 10% or less. As an example, the magnetic particles P11 included in the first region R1 may have a diameter range of 5μm to 61μm, and similarly, the magnetic particles P21 included in the second region R2 may have a diameter range of 5μm to 61μm.

[0065] In order to increase the filling rate of the magnetic particles, magnetic particles having different particle size distributions may be used. For example, the first region R1 may include two or more types of magnetic particles having different sizes of D50. Figure 7 An example using two types of particles (P11 and P12) is shown, and Figure 8An example of using three types of particles (P11, P12, and P13) is shown. In this way, a plurality of magnetic particles having different sizes of D50 can be used to improve the filling rate of the magnetic particles, and thus the magnetic permeability of the region corresponding thereto can be increased. In this case, the first magnetic particles P11 included in the first region R1 may have a diameter range of 5 μm to 61 μm, the second magnetic particles P12 may have a diameter range of 0.9 μm to 4.5 μm, and the third magnetic particles P13 may have a diameter range of 10 nm to 800 nm.

[0066] The diameter of the magnetic particles (P11 to P13 and P21) present in the coupling adjustment portion 130 can be measured from the cross section of the coupling adjustment portion 130. Specifically, after photographing a plurality of equally spaced regions (e.g., 5 or 10 regions) in the second direction D2, etc. with a scanning electron microscope relative to the D1-D3 cross section passing through the center of the body 110, the diameter of the magnetic particles (P11 to P13 and P21) can be obtained using an analysis program. In this case, as a specific example, the image pixel size in the SEM image can be fixed to 10nm*10nm, and the working distance can be fixed to 8mm. A backscattering mode can be used. Then, an image analysis program (e.g., a deep learning tool from ORS (Object Research System)) can be used to calculate the average value of the diameter. The magnetic particles (P11 to P13 and P21) may have a spherical shape or a substantially spherical shape, but are not limited thereto. For example, the magnetic particles (P11 to P13 and P21) may have a non-spherical shape. These shapes can be obtained when the sphericity of the magnetic particles (P11 to P13 and P21) is reduced during the oxidation process. When the magnetic particles (P11 to P13 and P21) have any shape that does not maintain a spherical shape, the above diameter can be interpreted as being replaced by the Feret diameter, and the average value of the diameter can also be interpreted as being replaced by the average value of the Feret diameter. As a method of calculating the average diameter, a tool in image processing software can be used, and the particle size distribution can be obtained by particle size analysis of each area. In the above description, the diameter of the magnetic particles (P11 to P13 and P21) can be measured by taking multiple sections from the magnetic component, but when it is difficult to take multiple sections, the diameter of the magnetic particles can also be measured on one section (e.g., D1-D3 section, D1-D2 section, etc.) passing through the center of the body 110.

[0067] In the above-described embodiment, the magnetic permeability of the coupling adjustment portion 130 is changed, and for this purpose, the filling rate of the magnetic particles in each region is adjusted. In contrast, the first region R1 and the second region R2 may have different materials constituting the magnetic particles, thereby adjusting the magnetic permeability. Specifically, the coupling adjustment portion 130 may include an Fe-based alloy, and, in this case, the Fe-based alloy included in the first region R1 and the Fe-based alloy included in the second region R2 may have different compositions. In this case, the Fe amount of the Fe-based alloy included in the first region R1 may be higher than the Fe amount of the Fe-based alloy included in the second region R2, and the Fe amount may be wt%. In addition, considering that Si also affects the magnetic permeability in addition to Fe, the amount of Fe and Si may be adjusted together or the amount of Si may be adjusted independently of Fe. For example, the Fe-based alloy included in the coupling adjustment portion 130 may be an Fe-Si-based alloy, and the Si amount of the Fe-Si-based alloy included in the first region R1 may be higher than the Si amount of the Fe-Si-based alloy included in the second region R2. Specifically, the amount of Si in the Fe-Si based alloy included in the first region R1 may be greater than or equal to 6.5wt%, and the amount of Si in the Fe-Si based alloy included in the second region R2 may be less than 6.5wt%. More specifically, the amount of Si in the Fe-Si based alloy included in the second region R2 may be greater than or equal to 1wt% and less than or equal to 5wt%. In addition, when the Fe-based alloy included in the first region R1 and the Fe-based alloy included in the second region R2 have different compositions, the types of elements included therein may be different. For example, the elements included in the Fe-based alloy of the first region R1 may not be included in the Fe-based alloy of the second region R2, and vice versa.

[0068] Unlike the previous embodiment, the second region R2 in the coupling adjustment portion 130 may also be implemented as a sheet material instead of magnetic particles. For example, the second region R2 may include a magnetic sheet, and in this case, the magnetic sheet may include ferrite. In this case, the first region R1 may include magnetic particles formed using an Fe-based alloy having a relatively higher magnetic permeability than ferrite.

[0069] Hereinafter, embodiments in which the specific form of the coil is different from the previous embodiments will be described. Even if not specifically stated, all of the previous embodiments are also applicable to the following second and third embodiments. Figure 12 to Figure 14In the second embodiment shown, the coil component 200 may include a body 210, a first coil 221, a second coil 222, a coupling adjustment portion 230, and a first external electrode 241, a second external electrode 242, a third external electrode 243, and a fourth external electrode 244, and may be implemented as an array-type inductor in which the first coil 221 and the second coil 222 are magnetically coupled. In this case, the coupling adjustment portion 230 may include a first region R1 and a second region R2 surrounding the first region R1 in a lateral direction (i.e., a direction substantially perpendicular to the winding axes of the first coil and the second coil), and the first region R1 and the second region R2 may be implemented to have different magnetic permeabilities, and the coupling degree of the first coil 221 and the second coil 222 may be appropriately adjusted.

[0070] As a structure different from the previous embodiment, in the present embodiment, the first coil 221 and the second coil 222 may have a plurality of coil layers, respectively. Specifically, the first coil portion may include a plurality of coil layers 221C1 and 221C2. The insulating layer 221D may be interposed between the plurality of coil layers 221C1 and 221C2, and the plurality of coil layers 221C1 and 221C2 may be connected to each other through the conductive vias V1. The first lead-out portion 221A and the second lead-out portion 221B may be arranged on one side of the first coil portion (in the upward direction in the figure) relative to the coupling adjustment portion 230. In addition, the second coil portion may include a plurality of coil layers 222C1 and 222C2. The insulating layer 222D may be interposed between the plurality of coil layers 222C1 and 222C2, and the plurality of coil layers 222C1 and 222C2 may be connected to each other through the conductive vias V2. The third lead-out portion 222A and the fourth lead-out portion 222B may be arranged on one side of the second coil portion (in the downward direction in the figure) relative to the coupling adjustment portion 230.

[0071] Next, in Fig.15 and Fig.16 In the third embodiment shown, the coil component 300 may include a body 310, a first coil 321, a second coil 322, a coupling adjustment portion 330, and a first external electrode 341, a second external electrode 342, a third external electrode 343, and a fourth external electrode 344, and may be implemented as an array-type inductor in which the first coil 321 and the second coil 322 are magnetically coupled. In this case, the coupling adjustment portion 330 may include a first region R1 and a second region R2 surrounding the first region R1 in a lateral direction, and the first region R1 and the second region R2 may be implemented to have different magnetic permeabilities, and the coupling degree of the first coil 321 and the second coil 322 may be appropriately adjusted.

[0072] As a structure different from the aforementioned embodiment, in the present embodiment, some areas of the first coil 321 and the second coil 322 may have a shape alternately wound around the same winding axis. Specifically, the first coil 321 may include a plurality of first coil layers 321C1 and 321C2 and a first lead-out portion 321A and a second lead-out portion 321B, and the second coil 322 may include a plurality of second coil layers 322C1 and 322C2 and a first lead-out portion 322A and a second lead-out portion 322B. The coupling adjustment portion 330 may be disposed between the plurality of first coil layers 321C1 and 321C2 and between the plurality of second coil layers 322C1 and 322C2. The first coil layer 321C1 and the second coil layer 322C1 may be disposed on the upper side of the coupling adjustment portion 330, and may have a structure alternately wound relative to the winding axis in the same direction. The first coil layer 321C2 and the second coil layer 322C2 may be spaced apart at a lower side of the coupling adjustment portion 330 , and may be connected to the coil layers 321C1 and 322C1 disposed at an upper side of the coupling adjustment portion 330 through conductive vias V1 and V2 , respectively.

[0073] The coil assembly according to an example of the present disclosure may be suitable for effectively achieving a target coupling coefficient and may improve factors such as saturation current (I sat ) and other characteristics.

[0074] While example embodiments have been shown and described above, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications and variations may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A coil assembly, comprising: main body; a first coil disposed in the body and including a first coil portion and a first lead-out portion and a second lead-out portion, the first coil portion having a winding axis oriented in a first direction; a second coil disposed in the body, spaced apart from the first coil portion, and including a second coil portion and third and fourth lead-out portions, the second coil portion having a winding axis oriented in the first direction; a coupling adjustment portion provided between the first coil and the second coil to support the first coil and the second coil, and including a first region and a second region, the first region being located in at least a portion of a region where a first core of the first coil portion and a second core of the second coil portion overlap in the first direction, and the second region being located in at least a portion of a region surrounding the first region in a lateral direction and having a magnetic permeability different from that of the first region; A first external electrode and a second external electrode, connected to the first lead-out portion and the second lead-out portion, respectively; as well as The third external electrode and the fourth external electrode are connected to the third lead-out portion and the fourth lead-out portion, respectively.

2. The coil assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The first coil portion and the second coil portion are respectively provided on portions of a first surface and a second surface of the coupling adjustment portion that are opposed to each other and are located in the second region.

3. The coil assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The second region extends onto a side surface of the body.

4. The coil assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The second region is provided outside the first coil portion and the second coil portion.

5. The coil assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The second region is surrounded by the body in the lateral direction.

6. The coil assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The first region extends into a region where the first coil portion and the second coil portion overlap in the first direction.

7. The coil assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The second region extends into a region where the first core of the first coil part and the second core of the second coil part overlap in the first direction.

8. The coil assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The first region is integral with the body.

9. The coil assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The magnetic permeability of the second region is lower than the magnetic permeability of the first region.

10. The coil assembly according to claim 9, wherein: The filling rate of magnetic particles in the first region is higher than the filling rate of magnetic particles in the second region.

11. The coil assembly according to claim 10, wherein: The first region includes two or more types of magnetic particles having different sizes of D50.

12. The coil assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The second region includes a magnetic sheet.

13. The coil assembly according to claim 12, wherein: The magnetic sheet includes ferrite.

14. The coil assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The first lead portion is disposed at the same height as the first coil portion in the first direction, and the second lead portion is disposed at the same height as the second coil portion in the first direction, and The third lead-out portion is disposed at the same height as the second coil portion in the first direction, and the fourth lead-out portion is disposed at the same height as the first coil portion in the first direction.

15. The coil assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The first coil portion includes a plurality of coil layers, and the first lead-out portion and the second lead-out portion are disposed on one side of the first coil portion relative to the coupling adjustment portion, and The second coil portion includes a plurality of coil layers, and the third lead-out portion and the fourth lead-out portion are disposed on one side of the second coil portion with respect to the coupling adjustment portion.

16. The coil assembly according to claim 1, wherein: An absolute value of a coupling coefficient between the first coil and the second coil is in a range of 0.495 to 0.

605.

17. A coil assembly, comprising: main body; a first coil disposed in the body and including a first coil portion and a first lead-out portion and a second lead-out portion, the first coil portion having a winding axis oriented in a first direction; a second coil disposed in the body, spaced apart from the first coil portion, and including a second coil portion and third and fourth lead-out portions, the second coil portion having a winding axis oriented in the first direction; a coupling adjustment portion disposed between the first coil and the second coil and including a first region located in at least a portion of a region where a first core of the first coil portion and a second core of the second coil portion overlap in the first direction, and a second region located in at least a portion of a region surrounding the first region in a lateral direction; A first external electrode and a second external electrode, connected to the first lead-out portion and the second lead-out portion, respectively; as well as A third external electrode and a fourth external electrode are connected to the third lead-out portion and the fourth lead-out portion, respectively. Wherein, the coupling adjustment part comprises an Fe-based alloy, and The composition of the Fe-based alloy included in the first region is different from the composition of the Fe-based alloy included in the second region.

18. The coil assembly according to claim 17, wherein: An amount of Fe of the Fe-based alloy included in the first region is higher than an amount of Fe of the Fe-based alloy included in the second region.

19. The coil assembly according to claim 17, wherein: The Fe-based alloy is a Fe-Si-based alloy, and Here, the amount of Si in the Fe—Si based alloy included in the first region is higher than the amount of Si in the Fe—Si based alloy included in the second region.

20. The coil assembly of claim 19, wherein: The amount of Si included in the Fe—Si based alloy in the first region is greater than or equal to 6.5 wt %, and the amount of Si included in the Fe—Si based alloy in the second region is less than 6.5 wt %.

21. The coil assembly of claim 20, wherein: An amount of Si of the Fe—Si based alloy included in the second region is in a range of 1 wt % to 5 wt %.

22. A coil assembly, comprising: a first coil disposed around the first core and having a winding axis oriented in a first direction, the first coil including a first lead-out portion and a second lead-out portion connected to the first external electrode and the second external electrode, respectively; a second coil disposed around the second core and having a winding axis oriented in the first direction, the second coil including a third lead-out portion and a fourth lead-out portion connected to a third external electrode and a fourth external electrode, respectively; a coupling adjustment portion disposed between the first coil and the second coil, wherein a first region of the coupling adjustment portion at least partially overlaps the first core and the second core, and a second region of the coupling adjustment portion surrounds the first region in a direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction, The magnetic permeability of the second region is smaller than the magnetic permeability of the first region.

23. The coil assembly of claim 22, further comprising a body encapsulating the first coil, the second coil and the coupling adjustment portion, wherein: The first, second, third, and fourth external electrodes are disposed on a side surface of the body oriented in the first direction.

24. The coil assembly of claim 22, wherein: The coupling adjustment portion includes magnetic particles, and wherein a filling rate of the magnetic particles in the first region is greater than a filling rate of the magnetic particles in the second region.

25. The coil assembly of claim 22, wherein: The coupling adjustment portion includes an Fe-based alloy, and wherein an amount of Fe in the first region in terms of wt % is greater than an amount of Fe in the second region in terms of wt %.

26. The coil assembly of claim 22, wherein: The first region extends into a region where the first coil and the second coil overlap in the first direction.

Images