Inductor component

Abstract

To provide an inductor component that can suppress deterioration in the sealing performance of a connection pattern that connects a coil conductor to an external electrode.SOLUTION: An inductor component includes an element body made of an insulator, a coil conductor provided inside the element body, and a first external electrode and a second external electrode provided on the outer surface of the element body. The coil conductor includes a plurality of conductor patterns provided so as to form a part of a circular track on each of a plurality of imaginary inner surfaces arranged at intervals in the axial direction of the coil conductor. At least one of the plurality of conductor patterns is a specific conductor pattern having a plurality of conductor patterns connected to the first external electrode or the second external electrode. In the specific conductor pattern, a first width of each of the plurality of connecting patterns is equal to or smaller than a second width of a portion of the specific conductor pattern excluding the plurality of connecting patterns.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an inductor component having a coil conductor provided inside an element body. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a laminated inductor having a coil pattern provided therein. In the laminated inductor, electrical insulating layers and conductor patterns are alternately laminated, and the ends of each conductor pattern are connected in sequence. This forms a coil pattern in which each conductor pattern is superimposed in the lamination direction. The starting and ending ends of the coil pattern are connected to external electrodes via lead patterns.

[0003] In the multilayer inductor disclosed in Patent Document 1, the width of the lead pattern is formed to gradually increase toward the outside of the coil, with the aim of improving the reliability of the connection with the external electrodes and reducing stray capacitance, so that the width of the lead pattern is larger than the width of the coil pattern. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-354324 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] When the width of the lead pattern is larger than the width of the coil pattern, as in the laminated inductor disclosed in Patent Document 1, the electrical resistance of the lead pattern can be made smaller than the electrical resistance of the coil pattern.

[0006] However, if the width of the lead pattern is large, the following problem may occur. During firing in the manufacturing process of a multilayer inductor, a gap may occur between the lead pattern and the electrical insulating layer due to the difference in shrinkage between the lead pattern and the electrical insulating layers that sandwich the lead pattern from above and below. If the width of the lead pattern is large, the gap between the lead pattern and the electrical insulating layer becomes large. If the gap between the lead pattern and the electrical insulating layer becomes large, the sealing ability of the lead pattern by the electrical insulating layer in the multilayer inductor may be reduced.

[0007] An object of the present disclosure is to provide an inductor component that can suppress deterioration in the sealing performance of a connection pattern that connects a coil conductor to an external electrode. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] An inductor component according to one aspect of the present invention comprises: An element body made of an insulator; a coil conductor provided inside the element body; a first external electrode and a second external electrode provided on an outer surface of the element body, The coil conductor is a plurality of conductor patterns provided on a plurality of imaginary inner surfaces arranged at intervals in the axial direction of the coil conductor so as to form a part of a circular track, at least one of the plurality of conductor patterns is a specific conductor pattern having a plurality of connection patterns connected to the first external electrode or the second external electrode, In the specific conductor pattern, a first width of each of the plurality of connection patterns is equal to or smaller than a second width of a portion of the specific conductor pattern other than the plurality of connection patterns. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide an inductor component that can suppress deterioration in the sealing performance of a connection pattern that connects a coil conductor to an external electrode. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is an external perspective view of an inductor component according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; [Figure 2] An exploded perspective view of the inductor component shown in Figure 1. [Figure 3] Front view of one of the six insulation layers shown in Figure 2 [Figure 4] 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the IV-IV section of FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] An example of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following description is merely illustrative in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, its applications, or its uses. The drawings are schematic, and the ratios of dimensions and the like do not necessarily correspond to reality. Furthermore, in the following description, terms indicating specific directions or positions (e.g., terms including "upper," "lower," "right," "left," "front," and "rear") are used as necessary. However, the use of terms indicating specific directions or positions is intended to facilitate understanding of the present disclosure with reference to the drawings, and the meanings of these terms do not limit the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0012] FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an inductor component according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1 , an inductor component 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes an element body 2. In this embodiment, the element body 2 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape. In this embodiment, the outer surface 2A of the element body 2 includes an upper surface 3 facing upward, a lower surface 4 facing downward, and a front side surface 5, a rear side surface 6, a left side surface 7, and a right side surface 8 connecting the upper surface 3 and the lower surface 4. The front side surface 5 faces forward, and the rear side surface 6 faces backward. The left side surface 7 faces left, and the right side surface 8 faces right. In each figure, the X, Y, and Z directions are indicated by arrows. In this embodiment, the X direction is the front-to-back direction, the Y direction is the left-to-right direction, and the Z direction is the up-down direction. The X, Y, and Z directions are perpendicular to each other.

[0014] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the inductor component shown in FIG.

[0015] 2, the element body 2 has a layered structure formed by stacking multiple insulator layers 9A to 9F. The element body 2 is made of an insulator. The insulator layers 9A to 9F are stacked in a direction (X direction) perpendicular to the front side surface 5 and the rear side surface 6 (see FIG. 1).

[0016] The element body 2 is made of, for example, ferrite. The element body 2 is not limited to ferrite, and may be made of, for example, a metallic magnetic material, or may be made of other materials.

[0017] The inductor component 1 includes a coil conductor 12 inside an element body 2. The coil conductor 12 is made of, for example, copper or silver. The coil conductor 12 includes a plurality of (five in this embodiment) conductor patterns 10A to 10E, one or more (four in this embodiment) via conductors 11A to 11D, and a plurality of connection patterns 14. In this embodiment, the coil conductor 12 includes two connection patterns 14 for each of the conductor patterns 10A and 10E. That is, the coil conductor 12 includes two sets of two connection patterns 14.

[0018] Each of the multiple conductor patterns 10A-10E is provided at one of the interfaces between the insulator layers 9A-9F and extends along the interface so as to form a portion of a circular track. Here, the interfaces can also be rephrased as multiple imaginary inner surfaces 2B that extend in the Y and Z directions and are spaced apart in the X direction within the element body 2. The multiple conductor patterns 10A-10E are provided so as to form a portion of a circular track on each of the multiple imaginary inner surfaces 2B. Note that the circular track may have any shape as long as it is circular. For example, in this embodiment, the circular track is rectangular, but it is not limited to a rectangular shape and may be circular, hexagonal, or the like.

[0019] Each of the via conductors 11A to 11D electrically connects two adjacent conductor patterns among the conductor patterns 10A to 10E. In this embodiment, the via conductors 11A to 11D are via hole conductors that penetrate one of the insulating layers 9B to 9E in the X direction (thickness direction of the insulating layer).

[0020] The coil conductor 12 is formed by alternately connecting a plurality of conductor patterns 10A-10E and one or more via conductors 11A-11D, and extends in a spiral shape around an axis 101 extending in the X direction. That is, in this embodiment, a coil is formed by the coil conductor 12, and the axial direction of the coil is the X direction. This allows the inductor component 1 to function as an inductor. Note that the axial direction of the coil formed by the coil conductor 12 is not limited to the X direction, and may be, for example, the Y direction or the Z direction.

[0021] Conductive patterns 10A to 10E have pads 13A to 13H at the connection portions with via conductors 11A to 11D.

[0022] The coil conductor 12 is formed by sequentially connecting the conductor pattern 10A, the via conductor 11A, the conductor pattern 10B, the via conductor 11B, the conductor pattern 10C, the via conductor 11C, the conductor pattern 10D, the via conductor 11D, and the conductor pattern 10E.

[0023] Via conductor 11A is connected to conductive pattern 10A through pad 13A, and is connected to conductive pattern 10B through pad 13B.

[0024] Via conductor 11B is connected to conductive pattern 10B through pad 13C, and is connected to conductive pattern 10C through pad 13D.

[0025] Via conductor 11C is connected to conductive pattern 10C through pad 13E, and is connected to conductive pattern 10D through pad 13F.

[0026] Via conductor 11D is connected to conductive pattern 10D through pad 13G, and is connected to conductive pattern 10E through pad 13H.

[0027] The shortest distance L between two adjacent conductor patterns among the conductor patterns 10A to 10E is, for example, 15 μm or more. In this embodiment, the shortest distance L is the thickness of each of the insulating layers 9B to 9E. For example, the shortest distance L between two adjacent conductor patterns 10A, 10B is the thickness of the insulating layer 9B. In the exploded perspective view of FIG. 2, the conductor pattern 10B is depicted separated from the insulating layer 9B. However, in reality, the conductor pattern 10B is in contact with the insulating layer 9B. The same applies to the other conductor patterns.

[0028] Note that the insulator layers 9A and 9F located at both ends in the X direction are illustrated as laminates made up of multiple insulator layers. Although the insulator layers 9A and 9F are made up of multiple insulator layers, for convenience they are simply referred to as insulator layers. Therefore, for example, if a conductor pattern is located inside the insulator layer 9A, the shortest distance between the conductor pattern and the conductor pattern 10A adjacent to the conductor pattern may be 7 μm or more.

[0029] The number of conductor patterns 10A to 10E and via conductors 11A to 11D connected in sequence to form the coil conductor 12, the number of turns of the coil conductor 12, and the number of stacked insulator layers 9A to 9F are not limited to those shown in the figure and can be any number.

[0030] 1, the inductor component 1 has two external electrodes 15 and 16 on the outer surface 2A of the element body 2. The external electrode 15 is an example of a first external electrode. The external electrode 16 is an example of a second external electrode. The external electrodes 15 and 16 are formed, for example, by plating an Ag base electrode with Ni and Sn.

[0031] The external electrode 15 is provided on the entire left side surface 7 and on the left portions of the upper surface 3, lower surface 4, front side surface 5, and rear side surface 6. The external electrode 16 is provided on the entire right side surface 8 and on the right portions of the upper surface 3, lower surface 4, front side surface 5, and rear side surface 6. The external electrodes 15, 16 are spaced apart from each other.

[0032] 2, a connection pattern 14 extending from a conductor pattern 10A provided along the interface between insulator layer 9A and insulator layer 9B is connected to an external electrode 15. A connection pattern 14 extending from a conductor pattern 10E provided along the interface between insulator layer 9E and insulator layer 9F is connected to an external electrode 16. In this manner, one end of the coil conductor 12 is electrically connected to the external electrode 15 via the connection pattern 14 extending from the conductor pattern 10A. The other end of the coil conductor 12 is electrically connected to the external electrode 16 via the connection pattern 14 extending from the conductor pattern 10E. Note that the coil conductor 12 may be electrically connected to the external electrodes 15, 16 at portions other than the one end and the other end.

[0033] The positions at which the external electrodes 15, 16 are provided are not limited to the positions described above. For example, the external electrode 15 may be laminated on the entire upper surface 3 and on the upper parts of the lower surface 4, the front side surface 5, the rear side surface 6, and the left side surface 7. Furthermore, for example, the external electrode 16 may be provided on the entire lower surface 4 and on the lower parts of the upper surface 3, the front side surface 5, the rear side surface 6, and the right side surface 8.

[0034] The configuration of the external electrodes 15, 16 is not limited to the configuration described above. For example, the external electrode 15 may be provided only on the left side surface 7, or may be provided only on the left side surface 7 and the bottom surface 4. Furthermore, for example, the external electrode 16 may be provided only on the right side surface 8, or may be provided only on the right side surface 8, the front side surface 5, and the rear side surface 6.

[0035] The external electrodes 15, 16 are not limited to being provided on the outer surface 2A of the element body 2. For example, the external electrodes 15, 16 may be embedded in recesses provided in the element body 2, excluding the surface portions exposed to the outside.

[0036] The configuration of connection pattern 14 will be described below. Connection pattern 14 extending from conductor pattern 10A and connection pattern 14 extending from conductor pattern 10E have the same configuration in that they branch out into multiple patterns from the conductor pattern. Therefore, the configuration of connection pattern 14 extending from conductor pattern 10A will be described below with reference to FIG. 3. Meanwhile, a description of the configuration of connection pattern 14 extending from conductor pattern 10E will be omitted in principle and will be mentioned only as necessary.

[0037] Fig. 3 is a front view of one of the six insulator layers shown in Fig. 2. Specifically, Fig. 3 is a front view of one of the six insulator layers 9A to 9F shown in Fig. 2, that is, insulator layer 9B.

[0038] 3, as described above, the conductor pattern 10A is provided at the interface between the insulating layers 9A and 9B and extends along the interface to form part of a circular track. In this embodiment, the conductor pattern 10A is circular with a missing portion 19 between one end 10Aa and the other end 10Ab. The other conductor patterns 10B to 10E are similar.

[0039] The connection pattern 14 branches into two connection patterns 14A and 14B at a branch portion 17, which is one end portion 10Aa of the conductor pattern 10A. Of the five conductor patterns 10A to 10E, the conductor pattern 10A is an example of a specific conductor pattern. As described above, the two connection patterns 14A and 14B are connected to the external electrode 15. In other words, the two connection patterns 14A and 14B connect the conductor pattern 10A and the external electrode 15.

[0040] 2, the connection pattern 14 extending from the conductor pattern 10E branches into two connection patterns 14A and 14B at one end of the conductor pattern 10E. Like the conductor pattern 10A, the conductor pattern 10E is an example of a specific conductor pattern. The two connection patterns 14A and 14B extending from the conductor pattern 10E are connected to the external electrode 16 as described above. In other words, the two connection patterns 14A and 14B extending from the conductor pattern 10E connect the conductor pattern 10A and the external electrode 16.

[0041] 3, the connection pattern 14A extends from the branched portion 17 of the conductor pattern 10A in the Y direction toward the left side surface 7. The connection pattern 14A is exposed on the left side surface 7. As a result, the connection pattern 14A is connected to the external electrode 16 laminated on the left side surface 7.

[0042] The connection pattern 14B includes a first pattern 14Ba and a second pattern 14Bb. The first pattern 14Ba extends from the branch portion 17 of the conductor pattern 10A toward the lower surface 4 in the Z direction. The second pattern 14Bb is continuous with the first pattern 14Ba. The second pattern 14Bb extends from the first pattern 14Ba toward the left side surface 7 in the Y direction. The second pattern 14Bb is exposed at the left side surface 7. As a result, the connection pattern 14B is connected to the external electrode 16 stacked on the left side surface 7.

[0043] Both connection pattern 14A and second pattern 14Bb of connection pattern 14B are extended to the left side surface 7 along the Y direction. That is, each of the multiple connection patterns 14A, 14B is extended to the outside of the element body 2 parallel to each other. Note that the multiple connection patterns 14A, 14B extended to the outside of the element body 2 do not have to be perfectly parallel, and may deviate slightly from perfect parallelism due to tolerances or the like. That is, each of the multiple connection patterns 14A, 14B may be extended to the outside of the element body 2 approximately parallel to each other.

[0044] The distance L1 between the connection pattern 14A and the second pattern 14Bb of the connection pattern 14B is 100 μm or more. That is, the plurality of connection patterns 14A, 14B are each drawn out to the outside of the element body 2 at a distance of 100 μm or more from each other.

[0045] Each of the plurality of connection patterns 14A, 14B is spaced 100 μm or more from the other end 10Ab (pad 13A) of the conductive pattern 10 A. Specifically, the distance L2 between the other end 10Ab and the connection pattern 14B located closest to the other end 10Ab among the plurality of connection patterns 14A, 14B is 100 μm or more.

[0046] When viewed along the X direction, branch portions 17 where multiple connection patterns 14A, 14B branch off from conductor pattern 10A are located outside inner ring portion 18 of conductor pattern 10A. Inner ring portion 18 is the area inside inner edge 10Ae (shown by a dashed line in FIG. 3) of the coil formed by coil conductor 12. Inner edge 10Ae of the coil refers to the inner diameter of the coil formed by conductor pattern 10A, which is part of coil conductor 12.

[0047] When viewed along the extraction direction in which each of the multiple connection patterns 14A, 14B is extracted to the outer surface 2A of the base body 2, the multiple connection patterns 14A, 14B are located between one end and the other end of the conductor pattern in an orthogonal direction perpendicular to the axial direction and the extraction direction.

[0048] In this embodiment, when viewed along the Y direction, the multiple connection patterns 14A, 14B are located between one end 10Ac and the other end 10Ad of the conductor pattern 10A in the Z direction. In other words, when viewed along the Y direction, the multiple connection patterns 14A, 14B are located inside the outer edge 10Af (shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 3) of the coil formed by the coil conductor 12. The Y direction is the extension direction in which each of the multiple connection patterns 14A, 14B is extended to the outer surface 2A (left side surface 7) of the element body 2. The Z direction is an orthogonal direction perpendicular to the axial direction (X direction) and the extension direction (Y direction). The outer edge 10Af of the coil refers to the outer diameter of the coil formed by the conductor pattern 10A, which is part of the coil conductor 12.

[0049] The width of each of the multiple connection patterns 14 at a portion directly connected to the external electrode 15 is equal to or less than the width W1 of the conductor pattern 10A. In this embodiment, the width of each of the multiple connection patterns 14 is smaller than the width W1 of the conductor pattern 10A. The widths of the connection patterns 14 are width W2 of the connection pattern 14A and width W4 of the second pattern 14Bb. That is, each of widths W2 and W4 is equal to or less than width W1. Widths W2 and W4 are an example of a first width. Width W1 is the width of the portion of the conductor pattern 10A excluding the multiple connection patterns 14, and is an example of a second width.

[0050] In this embodiment, each of the widths W2 and W4 is 250 μm or less, that is, the width of each of the plurality of connection patterns 14A and 14B is 250 μm or less.

[0051] In this embodiment, the widths W2, W3, and W4 are equal to one another, but may be different from one another. The width W3 is the width of the first pattern Ba.

[0052] The sum of the widths of the connection patterns 14A and 14B is equal to or greater than the width W1 of the conductor pattern 10A. In other words, the sum of the width W2 and the width W3 (or the width W4) is equal to or greater than the width W1. This can be expressed as W2+W3>=W1 and W2+W4>=W1. In this embodiment, the sum of the width W2 and the width W3 (or the width W4) is greater than the width W1.

[0053] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the IV-IV cross section of FIG.

[0054] 4, the thickness T of each of the plurality of connection patterns 14A, 14B is 30 μm or less. In this embodiment, the thicknesses T of the plurality of connection patterns 14A, 14B are equal to each other, but may be different from each other.

[0055] In this embodiment, the coil conductor 12 has two sets of two connection patterns 14. In this embodiment, two of the multiple conductor patterns 10A to 10E (conductor patterns 10A, 10E) are specific conductor patterns. One of the specific conductor patterns (conductor pattern 10A) is connected to the external electrode 15 (first external electrode), and the other specific conductor pattern (conductor pattern 10E) is connected to the external electrode 16 (second external electrode). However, the number of connection patterns 14 included in the coil conductor 12 is not limited to this. It is sufficient that at least one of the multiple conductor patterns is a specific conductor pattern having multiple connection patterns that connect to the first external electrode or the second external electrode.

[0056] For example, each of the conductor patterns 10A and 10E may have three or more connection patterns 14. Furthermore, for example, the number of connection patterns 14 included in the conductor pattern 10A and the number of connection patterns 14 included in the conductor pattern 10E may be the same as in the present embodiment, or may be different numbers, unlike in the present embodiment. In these cases, as in the present embodiment, two of the multiple conductor patterns 10A to 10E (conductor patterns 10A, 10E) are specific conductor patterns.

[0057] Furthermore, for example, one of the conductor patterns 10A, 10E may have one connection pattern 14, while the other of the conductor patterns 10A, 10E may have multiple connection patterns 14. That is, the coil conductor 12 may have only one set of multiple connection patterns 14. In this case, one of the multiple conductor patterns 10A to 10E (the other of the conductor patterns 10A, 10E) is a specific conductor pattern. The specific conductor pattern is connected to the external electrode 15 (first external electrode) or the external electrode 16 (second external electrode). The coil conductor 12 may have three or more sets of multiple connection patterns 14. When three or more of the multiple conductor patterns 10A to 10E have multiple connection patterns 14, the three or more conductor patterns, each having multiple connection patterns 14, are the specific conductor pattern.

[0058] Furthermore, for example, the connection pattern 14 may be provided on the conductor patterns 10B to 10D other than the conductor patterns 10A and 10E. In this case, the conductor pattern on which the connection pattern 14 is provided among the conductor patterns 10B to 10D is the specific conductor pattern.

[0059] The configurations of the plurality of connection patterns 14, such as the extending direction, width, thickness, and shape, are not limited to those shown in FIG.

[0060] For example, connection patterns 14A and 14B extending from conductor pattern 10A are both exposed on the left side surface 7 of element body 2, but connection patterns 14A and 14B may be exposed on different outer surfaces 2A. As a specific example, connection pattern 14A may be exposed on top surface 3 of element body 2, while connection pattern 14B may be exposed on the left side surface 7.

[0061] Furthermore, for example, connection pattern 14B includes first pattern 14Ba and second pattern 14Bb and is bent at the boundary between first pattern 14Ba and second pattern 14Bb, but connection pattern 14B does not have to be bent like connection pattern 14A. As a specific example, connection pattern 14B may extend along the Z direction and be exposed on the lower surface 4 of the element body 2. In this case, the other end 10Ab of conductor pattern 10A is positioned so as not to come into contact with connection pattern 14B.

[0062] The inductor component 1 is manufactured, for example, as follows.

[0063] In this embodiment, an aspect in which the element body 2 is made of a ferrite material will be described.

[0064] (1) Preparation of ferrite paste

[0065] First, a ferrite material is prepared. The ferrite material contains Fe, Zn, and Ni as main components, and optionally further contains Cu. Typically, the main components of the ferrite material are substantially oxides of Fe, Zn, Ni, and Cu (ideally, Fe2O3, ZnO, NiO, and CuO).

[0066] The ferrite material is made by weighing out Fe2O3, ZnO, CuO, NiO, and, if necessary, additional components to obtain the desired composition, mixing them, and pulverizing them. The pulverized ferrite material is then dried and calcined to obtain calcined powder. A predetermined amount of solvent (such as a ketone-based solvent), resin (such as polyvinyl acetal), and plasticizer (such as an alkyd-based plasticizer) are added to this calcined powder, and the mixture is kneaded using a planetary mixer or similar device. The mixture is then dispersed using a three-roll mill or similar device to produce a ferrite paste.

[0067] In the ferrite material, the Fe content is, for example, 40.0 mol % or more and 49.5 mol % or less in terms of Fe2O3 (based on the total of the main components, the same applies below).

[0068] In the ferrite material, the Zn content is, for example, 5.0 mol % or more and 35.0 mol % or less (based on the total of the main components, the same applies below) calculated as ZnO.

[0069] In the ferrite material, the Cu content is, for example, 4.0 mol % or more and 12.0 mol % or less (based on the total of the main components, the same applies below) calculated as CuO.

[0070] In the ferrite material, the Ni content is not particularly limited and may be the balance of the other main components Fe, Zn, and Cu. For example, the Ni content is 8.0 mol % or more and 44.0 mol % or less in terms of NiO.

[0071] In one embodiment, the ferrite material contains 40.0 mol % or more and 49.5 mol % or less of Fe, calculated as Fe2O3, 5.0 mol % or more and 35.0 mol % or less of Zn, calculated as ZnO, 4.0 mol % or more and 12.0 mol % or less of Cu, calculated as CuO, and 8.0 mol % or more and 44.0 mol % or less of Ni, calculated as NiO.

[0072] In the present disclosure, the ferrite material may further contain additional components. Examples of additional components in the ferrite material include, but are not limited to, Mn, Co, Sn, Bi, and Si. The contents (addition amounts) of Mn, Co, Sn, Bi, and Si may be 0.1 to 1 part by weight, calculated as Mn3O4, Co3O4, SnO2, Bi2O3, and SiO2, respectively, per 100 parts by weight of the total of the main components (Fe (as Fe2O3), Zn (as ZnO), Cu (as CuO), and Ni (as NiO)). The ferrite material may further contain impurities that are unavoidable during manufacturing.

[0073] It is safe to assume that the Fe content (converted to Fe2O3), Mn content (converted to Mn2O3), Cu content (converted to CuO), Zn content (converted to ZnO), and Ni content (converted to NiO) in the sintered ferrite are substantially no different from the Fe content (converted to Fe2O3), Mn content (converted to Mn2O3), Cu content (converted to CuO), Zn content (converted to ZnO), and Ni content (converted to NiO) in the ferrite material before sintering.

[0074] (2) Preparation of conductive paste for coil conductor

[0075] First, a conductive material is prepared. Examples of conductive materials include Au, Ag, Cu, Pd, and Ni. A predetermined amount of conductive material powder is weighed out and mixed with predetermined amounts of a solvent (e.g., eugenol), a resin (e.g., ethyl cellulose), and a dispersant using a planetary mixer or similar, and then dispersed using a three-roll mill or similar to produce a conductive paste for coil conductors.

[0076] (3) Fabrication of inductor components

[0077] (3-1) Preparation of unfired laminated blocks First, a ferrite sheet is prepared. The ferrite sheet can be produced by forming the ferrite material (calcined powder) produced above into a sheet shape using a doctor blade method or the like.

[0078] Next, the conductive paste is printed over the entire area where the conductive pattern 10A is to be formed, to form a conductive paste layer.

[0079] In the manner described above, the insulating layer 9B on which the conductive paste layer is printed is produced.

[0080] Next, the insulator layers 9C to 9F are fabricated in the same manner as the insulator layer 9B. In this embodiment, the insulator layer 9F is fabricated thicker than the insulator layers 9C to 9E by stacking a plurality of ferrite sheets.

[0081] Next, the insulator layer 9A is fabricated. The insulator layer 9A is fabricated by stacking a plurality of ferrite sheets fabricated in the same manner as the insulator layer 9B. However, in this embodiment, the insulator layer 9A is not printed with conductive paste. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the insulator layer 9A, like the insulator layer 9F, is fabricated to be thicker than the insulator layers 9C to 9E.

[0082] The prepared insulator layers 9A to 9F are stacked in the order shown in Figure 2 and subjected to warm isostatic pressing (Wip) at a temperature of 70 to 90°C and a pressure of 60 to 100 MPa to prepare an unfired laminate block. In this way, an assembly of elements (laminate block) is obtained.

[0083] (3-2) Firing Next, the unfired laminated block obtained above is cut with a dicer or the like to separate into individual elements.

[0084] The green element is then fired, for example, at a temperature of 900° C. to 920° C. for 1 to 4 hours, to obtain element 2 of inductor component 1.

[0085] The obtained element body 2 may then be subjected to barrel processing to remove the corners of the element body and form roundness. The barrel processing may be performed on an unsintered laminate or on a sintered laminate. The barrel processing may be either dry or wet. The barrel processing may be performed by rubbing elements together, or may be performed together with media.

[0086] (3-3) Formation of external electrodes Next, an Ag paste for forming external electrodes containing Ag and glass is applied to the end surfaces of the element body 2 and baked at 800°C to 820°C to form a base electrode. The thickness of the base electrode can be 1 μm to 10 μm. Next, a Ni coating and a Sn coating are sequentially formed on the base electrode by electroplating. The thicknesses of the Ni coating and the Sn coating can be 1 μm to 10 μm. In this manner, external electrodes 15 and 16 are formed, and an inductor component 1 such as that shown in FIG. 1 is obtained.

[0087] The inductor component 1 described above can achieve the following effects.

[0088] According to this embodiment, multiple connection patterns 14A, 14B branch off from the conductor pattern 10A, and the widths W2, W4 of each connection pattern 14A, 14B are equal to or smaller than the width W1 of the conductor pattern 10A. Therefore, compared to a configuration in which the widths W2, W4 of each connection pattern 14A, 14B are larger than the width W1 of the conductor pattern 10A, it is possible to prevent the gaps between each connection pattern 14A, 14B and the element body 2 from becoming larger. As a result, it is possible to prevent a decrease in the sealing ability of the element body 2 to seal the connection patterns 14.

[0089] According to this embodiment, a plurality of connection patterns 14A, 14B are provided, which makes it possible to suppress current concentration on the connection pattern 14 more effectively than in a configuration in which only one connection pattern 14 is provided.

[0090] According to this embodiment, the total width (W2+W3 or W2+W4) of the multiple connection patterns 14A, 14B is equal to or greater than the width W1 of the conductor patterns 10A, 10E. Therefore, the electrical resistance to the current flowing through the multiple connection patterns 14A, 14B can be reduced compared to a configuration in which the total width of the multiple connection patterns 14A, 14B is smaller than width W1.

[0091] According to this embodiment, the widths W2 and W4 of each connection pattern 14A and 14B are 250 μm or less, and therefore the gap between each connection pattern 14A and 14B and the base body 2 can be prevented from becoming larger than in a configuration in which the width of each connection pattern is greater than 250 μm.

[0092] If the thickness T of the connection patterns 14A, 14B is large, there is a risk of a large gap between the connection patterns 14A, 14B and the element body 2. According to the present embodiment, the thickness T of each connection pattern 14A, 14B is 30 μm or less, and therefore the gap between each connection pattern 14A, 14B and the element body 2 can be prevented from becoming large compared to a configuration in which the thickness of each connection pattern 14A, 14B is greater than 30 μm.

[0093] According to this embodiment, the connection patterns 14A, 14B are spaced apart by 100 μm or more and extend to the outside (left side surface 7) of the element body 2. This reduces the possibility of short-circuiting between the multiple connection patterns 14A, 14B compared to a configuration in which the distance L1 between the connection patterns 14A, 14B is less than 100 μm.

[0094] According to this embodiment, each of the connection patterns 14A, 14B is spaced 100 μm or more from the other end 10Ab of the conductor pattern 10 A. This reduces the possibility of a short circuit between the connection patterns 14A, 14B and the conductor pattern 10 A, compared to a configuration in which each of the connection patterns 14A, 14B is spaced less than 100 μm from the other end 10Ab of the conductor pattern 10 A.

[0095] When the width of each connection pattern 14A, 14B can be set to 250 μm or less, in the case of an inductor component 1 set to the maximum value of 250 μm, the possibility of the short circuit can be reduced by having each connection pattern 14A, 14B be more than 100 μm away from the other end 10Ab of the conductor pattern 10A.

[0096] According to this embodiment, the multiple connection patterns 14A, 14B are drawn parallel or approximately parallel to each other to the outer surface (left side surface 7) of the element body 2. In this case, the multiple connection patterns 14A, 14B are drawn to a common outer surface (left side surface 7) among the multiple outer surfaces of the element body 2. As a result, the connectivity between the connection patterns 14 and the external electrodes 15 can be improved.

[0097] According to this embodiment, when viewed along the extraction direction (Y direction), the multiple connection patterns 14A, 14B are located between one end 10Ac and the other end 10Ad of the conductor pattern 10A in the orthogonal direction (Z direction). That is, according to this embodiment, the multiple connection patterns 14A, 14B are provided at positions away from the ends of the element body 2 in the orthogonal direction (in FIG. 3 , near the boundaries between the surface of the insulator layer 9B on which the conductor pattern 10A is provided and the upper surface 3 and the lower surface 4). Here, if the connection patterns 14A, 14B are provided at the ends of the element body 2 in the orthogonal direction, the connection patterns 14A, 14B are more likely to be cut off during the manufacturing process of the inductor component 1. According to this embodiment, as described above, the multiple connection patterns 14A, 14B are provided at positions away from the ends of the element body 2 in the orthogonal direction. Therefore, the possibility of the connection patterns 14A, 14B being cut off during the manufacturing process of the inductor component 1 can be reduced compared to a configuration in which the connection patterns 14A, 14B are provided at the ends of the element body 2 in the orthogonal direction.

[0098] When viewed along the axial direction (X direction), if branch portion 17 is located inside ring 18 of conductor pattern 10A, the magnetic path of magnetic flux generated inside ring 18 may be blocked by branch portion 17. According to the present embodiment, when viewed along the axial direction, branch portion 17 is located outside ring interior 18 of conductor pattern 10A. Therefore, it is possible to prevent branch portion 17 from blocking the magnetic path of magnetic flux generated inside ring 18.

[0099] The inductor component described above can also be expressed as follows.

[0100] (1) An inductor component according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: An element body made of an insulator; a coil conductor provided inside the element body; a first external electrode and a second external electrode provided on an outer surface of the element body, The coil conductor is a plurality of conductor patterns provided on a plurality of imaginary inner surfaces arranged at intervals in the axial direction of the coil conductor so as to form a part of a circular track, at least one of the plurality of conductor patterns is a specific conductor pattern having a plurality of connection patterns connected to the first external electrode or the second external electrode, In the specific conductor pattern, a first width of each of the plurality of connection patterns is equal to or smaller than a second width of a portion of the specific conductor pattern other than the plurality of connection patterns.

[0101] (2) In the inductor component of (1), The sum of the first widths of each of the plurality of connection patterns may be equal to or greater than the second width.

[0102] (3) In the inductor component of (1) or (2), The first width of each of the plurality of connection patterns may be 250 μm or less.

[0103] (4) In any one of the inductor components (1) to (3), The thickness of each of the plurality of connection patterns may be 30 μm or less.

[0104] (5) In any one of the inductor components (1) to (4), The plurality of connection patterns may be spaced apart from one another by 100 μm or more and extended to the outside of the element body.

[0105] (6) In any one of the inductor components (1) to (5), The plurality of connection patterns may branch off at one end of the specific conductor pattern, Each of the plurality of connection patterns may be spaced apart from the other end of the specific conductor pattern by 100 μm or more.

[0106] (7) In any one of the inductor components (1) to (6), The plurality of connection patterns may be extended to the outer surface of the element body in parallel or approximately parallel to one another.

[0107] (8) In any one of the inductor components (1) to (7), When viewed along a direction in which each of the plurality of connection patterns is drawn out to the outer surface of the base body, the plurality of connection patterns may be located between one end and the other end of the specific conductor pattern in an orthogonal direction perpendicular to the axial direction and the draw-out direction.

[0108] (9) In any one of the inductor components (1) to (8), When viewed along the axial direction, a branch portion where the plurality of conductor patterns branch off from the specific conductor pattern may be located outside the inside of the ring of the specific conductor pattern.

[0109] Any of the various embodiments described above may be combined appropriately to achieve the effects of each of them.

[0110] While the present invention has been fully described in connection with preferred embodiments, with appropriate reference to the drawings, various changes and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art, and it is to be understood that such changes and modifications are included within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims unless they depart therefrom. [Explanation of symbols]

[0111] 1. Inductor components 2 Base 2B Virtual inner surface 10A Conductor Pattern (Specific Conductor Pattern) 10Aa One end 10Ab other end 10Ac one end 10Ad other end 10B Conductor Pattern 10C Conductor Pattern 10D conductor pattern 10E Conductor pattern (specific conductor pattern) 12 Coil conductor 14 Connection Patterns 14A connection pattern 14B Connection Pattern 15 External electrode 16 External electrode 17 Branch 18 Inside the ring

Claims

1. An element body made of an insulator; a coil conductor provided inside the element body; a first external electrode and a second external electrode provided on an outer surface of the element body, The coil conductor is a plurality of conductor patterns provided on a plurality of imaginary inner surfaces arranged at intervals in the axial direction of the coil conductor so as to form a part of a circular track, at least one of the plurality of conductor patterns is a specific conductor pattern having a plurality of connection patterns connected to the first external electrode or the second external electrode, an inductor component, wherein in the specific conductor pattern, a first width of each of the plurality of connection patterns is equal to or smaller than a second width of a portion of the specific conductor pattern other than the plurality of connection patterns;

2. The inductor component according to claim 1 , wherein the sum of the first widths of each of the plurality of connection patterns is equal to or greater than the second width.

3. 3. The inductor component according to claim 1, wherein the first width of each of the plurality of connection patterns is 250 [mu]m or less.

4. 3. The inductor component according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of connection patterns has a thickness of 30 [mu]m or less.

5. 3. The inductor component according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of connection patterns is spaced apart from one another by 100 [mu]m or more and extends to the outside of the element body.

6. the plurality of connection patterns branch off at one end of the specific conductor pattern, 3. The inductor component according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of connection patterns is spaced apart from the other end of the specific conductor pattern by 100 [mu]m or more.

7. 3. The inductor component according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of connection patterns are extended to the outer surface of the element body in parallel or approximately parallel to one another.

8. 3. An inductor component as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein, when viewed along a direction in which each of the plurality of connection patterns is drawn to the outer surface of the base body, the plurality of connection patterns are positioned between one end and the other end of the specific conductor pattern in an orthogonal direction perpendicular to the axial direction and the draw-out direction.

9. 3. The inductor component according to claim 1, wherein, when viewed along the axial direction, a branch portion where the plurality of conductor patterns branch off from the specific conductor pattern is located outside the inside of a ring of the specific conductor pattern.

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