PCB magnetic assembly

Abstract

This invention provides a PCB magnetic assembly comprising a multilayer circuit board support structure and a magnetic component. The multilayer circuit board support structure includes multiple circuit boards, with upper and lower surfaces respectively including upper and lower connection points. The multilayer circuit board includes an upper recess, a lower recess, and a support layer. The support layer is located between the upper and lower recesses. The support layer is an N-layer circuit board, N≧1, and includes a copper layer and M through-holes, M≧2. The copper layer is arranged around the holes to form a winding. The copper layer includes a first end electrically connected to the upper connection point of the multilayer circuit board and a second end electrically connected to the lower connection point of the multilayer circuit board. The upper and lower surfaces of the multilayer circuit board constitute the upper and lower surfaces of the PCB magnetic component. The magnetic component is disposed within the multilayer circuit board support structure. The magnetic component partially passes through the holes in the support layer.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This case concerns an assembly structure for an electronic component, particularly a PCB magnetic component, which uses a PCB to fabricate an inductor winding. The two leads of the winding are led out via PCB pads to improve the flatness of the overall module and enhance soldering quality. Prior Technology

[0002] With the rapid development and widespread application of microprocessors and communication devices, the current flowing through computing chips has increased rapidly, exceeding 1000 amperes. This change has brought great challenges to the voltage regulator that powers the chips.

[0003] Voltage regulators are generally required to have characteristics such as low output voltage, high current, high load transient performance and high efficiency. As an indispensable part of voltage regulators, the performance, size and cost of inductors are crucial to the entire system.

[0004] Traditional inductor manufacturing involves separately machining the winder and the magnetic core, then assembling the winder through the core to form an independent inductor, with the lead-out terminals on the inductor surface. This approach is problematic in several ways. First, machining precision can lead to significant deviations between the winder impedance and inductance coupling coefficient and the design values, hindering engineering applications and widespread adoption. Second, assembly precision affects subsequent soldering processes, requiring manual adjustments to the winder and core positions, which is detrimental to mass production. Furthermore, uneven lead-out terminals can negatively impact the soldering quality of the inductor module, ultimately affecting its usability.

[0005] In view of this, it is necessary to provide a PCB magnetic component that uses PCB to fabricate the inductor winding, with the two leads of the winding being led out in the form of PCB pads, in order to improve the flatness of the overall module, improve the soldering quality, and solve the deficiencies of the prior art. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of this invention is to provide a PCB magnetic component. The inductor winding is fabricated using a PCB, and the two leads of the winding are brought out via PCB pads to improve the overall flatness of the module and enhance soldering quality.

[0007] Another objective of this invention is to provide a PCB magnetic component. The inductor winding is integrated into a multi-layer circuit board support structure, with the two leads of the winding accessible via solder pads. This results in significantly higher overall flatness compared to traditional assembly methods and greatly improved soldering quality. Furthermore, during the PCB manufacturing process, controlled-depth milling is used to mill at least one pair of grooves in a designated area of ​​the PCB. These grooves are distributed on the upper and lower sides of the multi-layer circuit board, with their positions opposite each other. A support layer, consisting of at least one circuit board layer, is located between each pair of grooves. Depending on the size and shape of the magnetic core, at least two holes are drilled between the two grooves to facilitate subsequent assembly of the magnetic core via magnetic pillars. The support layer can be copper-plated in specific areas to form the winding, which is then electrically connected to the upper and lower surfaces of the multi-layer circuit board via electroplating and drilling or electroplating and drilling combined with PCB internal layer traces. The support layer of the multi-layer structure can also be used as the primary and secondary sides of a transformer to provide transformer functionality. The PCB magnetic component produced using the multi-layer circuit board support structure combined with the magnetic core features high flatness precision. The winding technology integrated into the PCB further improves the consistency of impedance and inductive coupling coefficient. Furthermore, PCB magnetic components can transmit control and sampling signals through internal traces and vias on multilayer circuit boards, connecting components or electrical networks above or below them. Additional circuit layers or circuit boards can be added to the PCB magnetic components to connect power circuits, forming modules with power transmission and conversion functions. Because the PCB magnetic components are routed internally through the circuit board, adding copper plating to the board edges significantly improves the overall module's functionality and electrical design flexibility, such as enabling external testing of input signals and facilitating module debugging. On the other hand, the magnetic cores can be assembled by bonding them through holes between two grooves; the cores simply need to be placed in the grooves for bonding the magnetic posts. Due to the high dimensional accuracy of the multilayer circuit board support structure produced by PCB technology, manual adjustment of the magnetic core position is unnecessary, improving module production yield and reducing production costs. Moreover, the assembly of the magnetic cores is not limited to bonding upper and lower cores; they can also be constructed using magnetic powder. Using a jig to press magnetic powder into a core reduces space waste caused by assembly tolerances, minimizes the gap between the core and the multilayer circuit board support structure, increases the effective volume of the core structure, and solves the core assembly tolerance problem. Furthermore, by employing a process that combines magnetic core molding with a multi-layer circuit board support structure, the voltage withstand capability of the inductor module has been better addressed.

[0008] Another objective of this invention is to provide a PCB magnetic component. The PCB magnetic component, formed by assembling a multilayer circuit board support structure and a magnetic core, can be electrically connected to other circuit networks, external devices, or components to form a power module. A power board is connected to the upper surface of the PCB magnetic component; a driver IC and other components can be mounted on the upper surface of the power board. A capacitor board is connected to the lower surface of the PCB magnetic component; capacitors and other components can be mounted on the side of the capacitor board opposite to the lower surface of the PCB magnetic component. Multiple electrical connection points are located on the other side of the capacitor board. When using controlled-depth milling technology to mill grooves in the magnetic core mounting area on the upper and lower surfaces of the multilayer circuit board support structure, a corresponding margin can be reserved. This groove margin provides space for placing capacitors and other components when soldering the capacitor board, thereby reducing the overall height and volume of the power module and increasing its power density. Furthermore, the PCB magnetic component can also be fabricated with circuit layers on its upper and lower surfaces using PCB manufacturing processes, forming a PCB magnetic component built into the magnetic component. The pads on the upper and lower surfaces of the PCB magnetic component can be connected to components or electrical networks to form a complete power module. Besides producing individual modules, PCB magnetic components can also be manufactured in a continuous production line, with multiple PCB magnetic components forming a PCB assembly. Using PCB manufacturing processes, circuit layers can be fabricated on the top and bottom surfaces of the PCB assembly, creating a composite PCB module with electrical functionality. Components can be placed on both sides, or internal traces can be routed to form a circuit network for electrical transmission to the outside, forming a power module assembly. The power module assembly can be segmented, producing multiple power modules at once. Because the PCB module adds two complete PCB surfaces, the area available for component placement is significantly increased. After reassembly using SMT and other processes, the PCB module can be better applied to various products, enabling the miniaturization and integration of inductor devices.

[0009] To achieve the above objectives, one aspect of this invention provides a PCB magnetic assembly including a multilayer circuit board support structure and a magnetic component. The multilayer circuit board support structure comprises multiple circuit boards having opposing upper and lower surfaces, each including an upper connection point and a lower connection point. The multilayer circuit board includes an upper recess, a lower recess, and a support layer. The upper recess is recessed from the upper surface to the lower surface, and the lower recess is recessed from the lower surface to the upper surface. The support layer is located between the upper and lower recesses. The support layer consists of N circuit boards, N ≥ 1, and includes a copper layer and M through holes, M ≥ 2. The copper layer is arranged around the holes to form a winding. The copper layer includes a first end electrically connected to the upper connection point on the upper surface of the multilayer circuit board and a second end electrically connected to the lower connection point on the lower surface of the multilayer circuit board. The upper and lower surfaces of the multilayer circuit board constitute the upper and lower surfaces of the PCB magnetic component. The magnetic component is disposed within the multilayer circuit board support structure, with a portion of the magnetic component passing through the holes in the support layer.

[0010] In one embodiment, the multilayer circuit board support structure includes opposing first and second sides, and opposing third and fourth sides. The first, second, third, and fourth sides are all spaced apart from the upper and lower recesses, and the multilayer circuit board allows signal transmission through an internal trace.

[0011] In one embodiment, the first side, second side, third side, and fourth side allow signal transmission via copper plating on the board edges.

[0012] In one embodiment, the magnetic component is a snap-fit ​​magnetic core comprising an upper magnetic core and a lower magnetic core.

[0013] In one embodiment, the magnetic component has a height difference with the upper and lower surfaces of the multilayer circuit board, respectively.

[0014] In one embodiment, the magnetic component is a magnetic powder core formed by pressing magnetic powder together.

[0015] In one embodiment, the upper and lower surfaces of the magnetic powder core are recessed inward from the upper and lower surfaces of the multilayer circuit board, respectively.

[0016] In one embodiment, the support layer is a multi-layer structure and can be configured as the primary and secondary sides of a transformer.

[0017] In one embodiment, the height of an upper surface of the magnetic component does not exceed the depth of the upper groove, and the height of the lower surface of the magnetic component does not exceed the depth of the lower groove.

[0018] In one embodiment, the connection points on the upper and lower surfaces of the PCB magnetic assembly are electrically connected to external circuits or components to form an electronic module.

[0019] In one embodiment, the upper surface of the PCB magnetic component is connected to a first circuit board, and a power device is disposed on the upper surface of the first circuit board.

[0020] In one embodiment, a second circuit board is connected to the lower surface of the PCB magnetic component. The lower surface of the second circuit board has multiple electrical connection portions to achieve electrical transmission with an external device.

[0021] In one embodiment, an accommodating space is formed between the bottom surface of the magnetic core of the magnetic component and the upper surface of the second circuit board of the second circuit board for accommodating the component.

[0022] In one embodiment, the component is a passive component.

[0023] In one embodiment, the plurality of electrical connections on the lower surface of the second circuit board are BGA ball arrays.

[0024] In one embodiment, the upper surface of the PCB magnetic component is provided with an upper circuit layer, and the first outer surface of the upper circuit layer has at least one connection point, which is electrically connected to the lead-out terminal of the winding in the PCB magnetic component.

[0025] In one embodiment, a lower circuit layer is disposed on the lower surface of the PCB magnetic component, and the second outer surface of the lower circuit layer has a plurality of electrical connection portions.

[0026] In one embodiment, multiple PCB magnetic components are connected by a continuous strip to form a PCB component set.

[0027] In one embodiment, the upper and lower surfaces of the PCB assembly are respectively connected to a circuit board or multiple circuit layers, forming an electronic module assembly through electrical transmission with an external network or device.

[0028] In one embodiment, the upper and lower surfaces of the electronic module assembly include multiple electrical connection points for placing power devices or connecting to external networks.

[0029] In one embodiment, the electronic module set is divided into blocks to form multiple independently operable electronic modules.

[0030] In one embodiment, one end of the winding is led out from the upper connection point, and the other end of the winding is led out from the lower connection point.

[0031] The beneficial effects of this invention are that the embodiments provide a PCB magnetic assembly using a PCB to fabricate the inductor winding. The two leads of the winding can be led out via solder pads, resulting in a significantly higher overall flatness of the PCB magnetic assembly compared to traditional assembly methods, and greatly improving soldering quality. The winding technology integrated into the PCB further enhances the consistency of impedance and inductive coupling coefficient. Furthermore, the core assembly built into the multilayer PCB support structure is not limited to bonding upper and lower cores; it can also be constructed using magnetic powder, which helps solve core assembly tolerance issues, increases power density, improves module production yield, and reduces production costs. Simple Explanation of the Diagram

[0032] The following detailed description of the case and the schematic diagrams of the embodiments are intended to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the above content, and are not intended to limit the case.

[0033] Figure 1 shows a three-dimensional structural view of the PCB magnetic assembly in the first embodiment of this case;

[0034] Figure 2 shows an exploded view of the PCB magnetic assembly in the first embodiment of this case from a top view.

[0035] Figure 3 shows an exploded view of the PCB magnetic assembly of the first embodiment of this case from a bottom-view perspective;

[0036] Figure 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the PCB magnetic assembly in the first embodiment of this case;

[0037] Figure 5 shows a three-dimensional structural view of the electronic module using PCB magnetic components in the second embodiment of this case;

[0038] Figure 6 shows an exploded view of the electronic module using PCB magnetic components in the second embodiment of this case from a top perspective;

[0039] Figure 7 shows an exploded view of the electronic module using PCB magnetic components in the second embodiment of this case from a bottom-view perspective;

[0040] Figure 8 shows a cross-sectional view of the electronic module using PCB magnetic components in the second embodiment of this case;

[0041] Figures 9 to 14 illustrate the manufacturing process of the PCB magnetic component in the third embodiment of this case;

[0042] Figure 15 shows a cross-sectional view of the PCB magnetic assembly in the third embodiment of this case;

[0043] Figure 16 shows an exploded view of the PCB magnetic assembly in the fourth embodiment of this case;

[0044] Figure 17 shows a cross-sectional view of the PCB magnetic assembly in the fourth embodiment of this case;

[0045] Figure 18 shows a three-dimensional structural view of the PCB magnetic assembly in the fifth embodiment of this case;

[0046] Figure 19 shows an exploded structural diagram of the PCB magnetic assembly in the fifth embodiment of this case; and

[0047] Figure 20 shows a cross-sectional structural diagram of the PCB magnetic component in the fifth embodiment of this case. Implementation

[0048] Some typical embodiments embodying the features and advantages of the present invention will be described in detail in the following description. It should be understood that the present invention can be varied in different ways without departing from its scope, and the descriptions and drawings herein are for illustrative purposes only and not for limiting the invention. For example, if the following disclosure describes a first feature disposed on or above a second feature, it indicates that it includes embodiments where the first and second features are in direct contact, and also includes embodiments where additional features may be disposed between the first and second features, so that the first and second features may not be in direct contact. Furthermore, different embodiments in this disclosure may use repeated reference numerals and / or markings. These repetitions are for simplification and clarity and are not intended to limit the relationships between the various embodiments and / or the described appearance structures. Moreover, to facilitate the description of the relationship between one component or feature and another (plural) component or feature in the drawings, spatially related terms such as "upper," "lower," "top," "bottom," and similar terms may be used. In addition to the orientations illustrated in the diagrams, spatially related terms are used to cover different orientations of the device in use or operation. The device may also be positioned otherwise (e.g., rotated 90 degrees or located in other orientations), and the descriptions of the spatially related terms used will be interpreted accordingly. Furthermore, when a component is referred to as "connected to" or "coupled to" another component, it may be directly connected to or coupled to the other component, or there may be intervening components. Although the numerical ranges and parameters of the broad scope of this disclosure are approximate, the values ​​are stated as precisely as possible in specific examples. Additionally, it is understood that while terms such as "first," "second," and "third" may be used in the claims to describe different components, these components should not be limited by these terms, and the components described accordingly in the embodiments are represented by different component symbols. These terms are used to distinguish different components. For example, a first component may be referred to as a second component, and similarly, a second component may be referred to as a first component without departing from the scope of the embodiments. The term "and / or" as thus used includes any or all combinations of one or more of the related listed items.

[0049] Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the PCB magnetic assembly according to the first embodiment of this invention. Figure 2 shows an exploded view of the PCB magnetic assembly according to the first embodiment of this invention from a top view. Figure 3 shows an exploded view of the PCB magnetic assembly according to the first embodiment of this invention from a bottom view. Figure 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the PCB magnetic assembly according to the first embodiment of this invention. In this embodiment, the present invention provides a PCB magnetic assembly 1 including a multilayer circuit board support structure 10 and a magnetic assembly 20. The multilayer circuit board support structure 10 includes a multilayer circuit board 11, having an upper surface 12 and a lower surface 13 opposite to each other. The upper surface 12 and the lower surface 13 respectively include an upper connection position 121 and a lower connection position 131. In this embodiment, the multilayer circuit board 11 also includes an upper groove 14, a lower groove 15, and a support layer 16. The upper groove 14 is recessed from the upper surface 12 to the lower surface 13 (i.e., in the opposite Z-axis direction), and the lower groove 15 is recessed from the lower surface 13 to the upper surface 12 (i.e., in the Z-axis direction). In this embodiment, the support layer 16 is located between the upper groove 14 and the lower groove 15. The support layer 16 is, for example, an N-layer circuit board with a multilayer board structure, where N ≥ 1. In this embodiment, the support layer 16 includes a copper layer 161 and M through holes 162, where M ≥ 2. The copper layer 161 is arranged around the holes 162 to form a winding. Furthermore, the copper layer 161 has a first end electrically connected to an upper connection point 121 on the upper surface 12 of the multilayer circuit board 11, and a second end electrically connected to a lower connection point 131 on the lower surface 13 of the multilayer circuit board 11. It should be noted that, in this embodiment, the upper surface 12 and lower surface 13 of the multilayer circuit board 11 constitute the upper surface 12 and lower surface 13 of the PCB magnetic assembly 1. The magnetic assembly 20 is disposed within the multilayer circuit board support structure 10. In one embodiment, the magnetic component 20 is more, for example, a snap-fit ​​magnetic core comprising an upper magnetic core 21 and a lower magnetic core 22, wherein the upper magnetic core 21 and the lower magnetic core 22 are connected by passing through the holes 162 of the support layer 16, so that the magnetic component 20 is snapped into the multilayer circuit board support structure 10.

[0050] It is worth noting that the winding of the magnetic component 20 is housed in the PCB magnetic assembly 1 by means of a multilayer circuit board support structure 10. The two leads of the winding are allowed to be led out in the form of pads to the upper connection position 121 on the upper surface 12 and the lower connection position 131 on the lower surface 13. The upper surface 12 and the lower surface 13 of the PCB magnetic assembly 1 are formed by the upper surface 12 and the lower surface 13 of the multilayer circuit board 11. Its overall flatness is much higher than that of traditional assembly schemes, and it can greatly improve the soldering quality of the upper connection position 121 and the lower connection position 131.

[0051] In this embodiment, the multilayer circuit board support structure 10 includes opposing first side S1 and second side S2, and opposing third side S3 and fourth side S4. The first side S1, second side S2, third side S3, and fourth side S4 are all spaced apart from the upper groove 14 and lower groove 15. In other words, the upper groove 14 and lower groove 15 are defined in a designated area within the inner edge of the multilayer circuit board 11. Thus, at least one pair of upper grooves 14 and lower grooves 15 can be milled into the designated area of ​​the multilayer circuit board 11 using a controlled depth milling process. The upper grooves 14 and lower grooves 15 are distributed on the upper surface 12 and lower surface 13 of the multilayer circuit board 11, and their positions are opposite to each other. A support layer 16 is provided between each pair of upper grooves 14 and lower grooves 15, and the support layer 16 consists of at least one circuit board layer. Based on the size and shape of the upper magnetic core 21 and lower magnetic core 22, at least two holes 162 are drilled between the upper grooves 14 and lower grooves 15 to facilitate subsequent assembly of the upper magnetic core 21 and lower magnetic core 22. In this embodiment, the upper magnetic core 21 and the lower magnetic core 22 can be assembled, for example, by bonding through the hole 162 between the upper groove 14 and the lower groove 15. The upper magnetic core 21 and the lower magnetic core 22 only need to be placed into the upper groove 14 and the lower groove 15 respectively for bonding of the upper magnetic post 211 and the lower magnetic post 221. Since the multilayer circuit board support structure 10 produced by PCB process has high dimensional accuracy, there is no need to manually adjust the position of the upper magnetic core 21 and the lower magnetic core 22, which is beneficial to improving the production yield of the module and reducing production costs. Of course, this invention is not limited to this.

[0052] In this embodiment, the support layer 16 can form windings according to the copper layer 161 in a specific area, and then be electrically connected to the upper connection position 121 on the upper surface 12 and the lower connection position 131 on the lower surface 13 of the multilayer circuit board 11 by electroplating and drilling or electroplating and drilling combined with inner layer wiring. As shown in FIG4, in this embodiment, the multilayer circuit board 11 can determine the areas to be formed by controlling the depth of milling for the upper groove 14 and the lower groove 15 according to the shape and size of the upper magnetic core 21 and the lower magnetic core 22, and then control the depth of milling downward from the GTL layer to expose the G3 layer, and control the depth of milling upward from the GBL layer to expose the G4 layer. The G3 layer and the G4 layer are the support layer 16 in this embodiment. Then, holes 162 are formed in the areas of the upper groove 14 and the lower groove 15 according to the shape and size of the upper magnetic post 211 and the lower magnetic post 221, and penetrate the G3 layer and G4 layer for the installation of the upper magnetic post 211 and the lower magnetic post 221. In this embodiment, the copper plating of layers G3 and G4 can form partial windings according to the copper layer 161 in specific areas, and upper connection positions 121 and lower connection positions 131 on the upper surface 12 (i.e., GTL layer) and lower surface 13 (i.e., GBL layer) of the multilayer circuit board 11, respectively. The windings of layers G3 and G4 and the upper connection positions 121 and lower connection positions 131 can be electrically connected by electroplating and drilling or by electroplating and drilling combined with internal layer traces. That is, the multilayer circuit board 11 allows signal transmission through an internal trace. In addition, the support layer 16 of the multilayer structure can also be set as the primary and secondary sides of a transformer to provide the application of transformer function. In this embodiment, the first side S1, the second side S2, the third side S3 and the fourth side S4 can also allow signal transmission through copper plating 17 on the board edge. Of course, this case is not limited to this. The PCB magnetic component 1 produced by the application of the multilayer circuit board support structure 10 combined with the magnetic component 20 has the characteristics of high flatness accuracy. This further enhances the consistency of impedance and inductive coupling coefficient by incorporating the winding technology built into the PCB magnetic component 1.

[0053] On the other hand, since the upper surface 12 and lower surface 13 of the PCB magnetic component 1 are formed by the upper surface 12 and lower surface 13 of the multilayer circuit board 11, the magnetic component 20 is disposed within the multilayer circuit board support structure 10 without affecting the overall flatness. Therefore, the upper magnetic core 21 of the magnetic component 20 does not extend beyond the upper surface 12 of the multilayer circuit board 11, and the upper surface 210 of the upper magnetic core 21 maintains a height difference D1 with the upper surface 12 of the multilayer circuit board 11. Similarly, the lower magnetic core 22 of the magnetic component 20 does not extend beyond the lower surface 13 of the multilayer circuit board 11, and the lower surface 220 of the lower magnetic core 22 maintains a height difference D2 with the lower surface 13 of the multilayer circuit board 11. In this embodiment, the multilayer circuit board support structure 10 forms an upper groove 14 with a depth H1 on the upper surface 12 of the multilayer circuit board 11 and a lower groove 15 with a depth H2 on the lower surface 13 of the multilayer circuit board 11 by controlled depth milling. Furthermore, the upper magnetic core 21 is composed of an upper magnetic post 211 and an upper magnetic cover 212, with the upper magnetic cover 212 having a height h1. The lower magnetic core 22 is composed of a lower magnetic post 221 and a lower magnetic cover 222, with the lower magnetic cover 222 having a height h2. When the upper magnetic post 211 of the upper magnetic core 21 and the lower magnetic post 221 of the lower magnetic core 22 are bonded together through the hole 162 between the upper groove 14 and the lower groove 15, the upper magnetic cover 212 of the upper magnetic core 21 fits more closely to the bottom surface of the upper groove 14. At this time, the height h1 of the upper magnetic cover 212 is the height of the upper surface 210 of the magnetic component 20 relative to the bottom surface of the upper groove 14, which does not exceed the depth H1 of the upper groove 14. Therefore, the upper surface 210 of the upper magnetic core 21 will not exceed the upper groove 14 after assembly. Furthermore, when the upper magnetic post 211 of the upper magnetic core 21 and the lower magnetic post 221 of the lower magnetic core 22 are bonded together through the hole 162 between the upper groove 14 and the lower groove 15, the lower magnetic cover 222 of the lower magnetic core 22 is not limited to fitting the bottom surface of the lower groove 15, allowing a gap space 151 to remain. At this time, the height h2 of the lower magnetic cover 222 is less than the height of the lower surface 220 of the magnetic component 20 relative to the bottom surface of the lower groove 15, and less than the depth H2 of the lower groove 15, so the lower surface 220 of the lower magnetic core 22 will not exceed the lower groove 15 after assembly. Of course, the form of the magnetic component 20 and the way it is set in the multilayer circuit board support structure 10 can be changed according to the actual application requirements, and this case is not limited to this.

[0054] Figure 5 shows a perspective view of the electronic module using the PCB magnetic component in the second embodiment of this invention. Figure 6 shows an exploded view of the electronic module using the PCB magnetic component in the second embodiment of this invention from a top view. Figure 7 shows an exploded view of the electronic module using the PCB magnetic component in the second embodiment of this invention from a bottom view. Figure 8 shows a cross-sectional view of the electronic module using the PCB magnetic component in the second embodiment of this invention. In this embodiment, the PCB magnetic component 1 is similar to the PCB magnetic component 1 shown in Figures 1 to 4, and the same component designation represents the same component, structure, and function, which will not be described again here. In this embodiment, the upper surface 12 and lower surface 13 of the PCB magnetic component 1 are further connected to the first circuit board 30 and the second circuit board 40, respectively, to form an electronic module 2. The first circuit board 30 is, for example, a power board, and a power device 33 is disposed on the upper surface 31 of the first circuit board. The upper connection position 121 of the upper surface 12 of the PCB magnetic component 1 is electrically connected to the power device 33 through the connection position 321 of the lower surface 32 of the first circuit board. Additionally, the lower connection position 131 on the lower surface 13 of the PCB magnetic component 1 is electrically connected to the connection position 411 on the upper surface 41 of the second circuit board, and the lower surface 42 of the second circuit board 40 has multiple electrical connection portions 44 for electrical transmission with external devices. In this embodiment, the second circuit board 40 is, for example, a capacitor board, and the multiple electrical connection portions 44 on the lower surface 42 of the second circuit board are, for example, a BGA ball array. In other embodiments, the upper connection position 121 on the upper surface 12 and the lower connection position 131 on the lower surface 13 of the PCB magnetic component 1 can be electrically connected to external circuits or components to form an electronic module 2, preferably passive components, but not limited thereto. It is worth noting that in this embodiment, the PCB magnetic component 1 is further enhanced with the connection of the first circuit board 30 and the second circuit board 40 to a power circuit to form an electronic module 2 with power transmission function. In other applications, the PCB magnetic component 20 formed after the multilayer circuit board support structure 10 and the magnetic component 20 are assembled can be electrically connected to other networks or external devices or components to form an electronic module 2, such as a power module. The PCB magnetic component 1 can achieve circuit connection and maintain overall flatness through internal wiring of the multi-layer circuit board 11 or PCB copper embedding 18. If copper plating 17 is added to the board edge of the whole module (see Figure 1), the functionality of the electronic module 2 and the freedom of electrical design can be greatly improved. For example, it can input signals from the external test module, which facilitates the debugging of the module. Of course, this case is not limited to this.

[0055] On the other hand, in this embodiment, when the multilayer circuit board support structure 10 forms the upper groove 14 on the upper surface 12 and the lower groove 15 on the lower surface 13 of the multilayer circuit board 11 using a controlled depth milling process, a corresponding margin can be reserved. After the magnetic component 20 is fastened to the multilayer circuit board support structure 10, a receiving space 152 can be formed between the bottom surface of the magnetic core of the magnetic component 20 (i.e., the lower surface 220 of the lower magnetic core 22) and the upper surface 41 of the second circuit board 40, to accommodate the components 43 on the upper surface 41 of the second circuit board. This reduces the height and volume of the electronic module 2, thereby increasing the overall power density. Of course, this invention is not limited to this.

[0056] Figures 9 to 14 illustrate the manufacturing process of the PCB magnetic component according to the third embodiment of this invention. Figure 15 illustrates the cross-sectional structure of the PCB magnetic component according to the third embodiment of this invention. In this embodiment, the PCB magnetic component 1a is similar to the PCB magnetic component 1 shown in Figures 1 to 4, and the same component designation represents the same component, structure, and function, which will not be described again here. In this embodiment, the magnetic component 20a is a magnetic powder core formed by pressing magnetic powder. The assembly of the multilayer circuit board support structure 10' and the magnetic component 20a is completed by filling the upper groove 14, lower groove 15, and holes 162 of the multilayer circuit board 11 with magnetic powder. The assembly process of the multilayer circuit board support structure 10' and the magnetic component 20a is described below.

[0057] First, as shown in Figure 9, a protective film 80 is attached to the upper surface 12 of the multilayer circuit board 11 to protect the upper connection points 121 of the upper surface 12. Similarly, a protective film 81 is attached to the lower surface 13 of the multilayer circuit board 11 to protect the pads of the lower surface 13. Then, as shown in Figure 10, the protected multilayer circuit board support structure 10' is placed into the internal space 90 of the lower mold 91, and the lower boss 93 in the internal space 90 is aligned with the lower groove 15. Next, as shown in Figure 11, magnetic powder 200 can be injected through the upper groove 14 of the multilayer circuit board 11. The magnetic powder 200 includes, for example, a magnetic wet material composed of magnetic powder and epoxy resin, which can fully fill the space between the lower groove 15 and the lower boss 93 through the upper groove 14 and the holes 162. In one embodiment, the lower mold 91, along with the multilayer circuit board support structure 10' and the magnetic powder 200, is heated together. As the temperature gradually rises from room temperature to 180°C, the fluidity of the mixed powder increases, exhibiting a slurry-like state. Simultaneously, vibration of the lower mold 91 allows the magnetic powder 200 to fill the upper groove 14, the holes 162, and the lower groove 15 on the lower boss 93. Then, the upper mold 92 is paired and installed with the alignment hole 95 of the lower mold 91 via pins 96, allowing the upper boss 94 to press the magnetic powder 200 in the upper groove 14, as shown in Figures 12 and 13. The pressing pressure is gradually increased until the mold is completely closed. In this embodiment, the pressing pressure is gradually increased from 2 tons to 4 tons, and then held for a period of time. A schematic diagram of the multilayer circuit board support structure 10' and the magnetic component 20a after assembly is shown in Figure 14. After the pressure holding is completed, the multilayer circuit board support structure 10' with the magnetic powder embedded integrally molded is demolded and removed, and then placed in an oven for drying and baking. In this embodiment, the drying and baking temperature is controlled, for example, at 150-200℃ for 3-5 hours, to remove moisture from the magnetic powder and some organic matter from the epoxy adhesive, thus avoiding problems such as moisture absorption of the subsequent PCB magnetic component 1a. The effect after molding is shown in Figure 15.

[0058] In this embodiment, the upper surface 210 of the magnetic component 20a does not extend beyond the upper surface 12 of the multilayer circuit board 11, and the upper surface 210 and the upper surface 12 of the multilayer circuit board 11 maintain a height difference D1. Similarly, the lower surface 220 of the magnetic component 20a does not extend beyond the lower surface 13 of the multilayer circuit board 11, and the lower surface 220 and the lower surface 13 of the multilayer circuit board 11 maintain a height difference D2. In this embodiment, the multilayer circuit board support structure 10 forms an upper groove 14 with a depth H1 on the upper surface 12 of the multilayer circuit board 11 and a lower groove 15 with a depth H2 on the lower surface 13 of the multilayer circuit board 11 by a controlled depth milling process. In addition, the magnetic component 20a has a height h1 relative to the support layer 16 at the bottom of the upper groove 14, which is less than the depth H1 of the upper groove 14. The magnetic component 20a has a height h2 relative to the support layer 16 at the bottom of the lower groove 15, which is less than the depth H2 of the lower groove 15. In this embodiment, to avoid the possibility that the surface of the magnetic powder core of the magnetic component 20a may be higher than the surface pads of the multilayer circuit board 11 due to high-temperature warping of the circuit board in subsequent SMT processes, the design of the lower boss 93 of the lower mold 91 and the upper boss 94 of the upper mold 92 will ensure that the upper surface 210 and lower surface 220 of the formed magnetic component 20a are at least 0.2 mm lower than the upper surface 12 of the multilayer circuit board 11. Therefore, the upper surface 210 and lower surface 220 of the magnetic powder core are recessed inward from the upper surface 12 and lower surface 13 of the multilayer circuit board 11, respectively, which can effectively reduce problems such as open solder joints and cold solder joints.

[0059] As shown in Figure 15, the PCB magnetic component 1a is composed of a multilayer circuit board support structure 10' in which magnetic powder 200 is embedded in an integral molded structure. Layers G1, G2, G3, G4, G5, G6, G7, and G8 are the inner layers of the multilayer circuit board 11, used for internal wiring and copper plating. Layers GTL and GBL are the surface layers of the multilayer circuit board 11, used for setting the soldering positions for the upper connection 121 and lower connection 131. Electrical connections between the inner layers of the multilayer circuit board 11 and between the inner and surface layers can be achieved through electroplating and drilling. The process of using the multilayer circuit board support structure 10' in which magnetic powder 200 is embedded in an integral molded structure reduces space waste caused by assembly tolerances, minimizes the gap between the magnetic component 20a and the multilayer circuit board 11, increases the effective volume of the magnetic structure, and solves the problem of magnetic core assembly tolerance. Furthermore, the process of combining magnetic core molding with the multilayer circuit board support structure 10' better solves the problem of the withstand voltage of the inductor winding.

[0060] Figure 16 shows an exploded view of the PCB magnetic component in the fourth embodiment of this invention. Figure 17 shows a cross-sectional view of the PCB magnetic component in the fourth embodiment of this invention. In this embodiment, the PCB magnetic component 1 is similar to the PCB magnetic components 1 shown in Figures 1 to 4, and the same component designation represents the same component, structure, and function, which will not be described again here. In this embodiment, the aforementioned multiple PCB magnetic components 1 (see Figure 1) can be connected by the connecting piece 100 to form a PCB component set 1'. In this embodiment, the upper surface 101 and lower surface 102 of the component set 1' are respectively connected to circuit boards 71 ​​and 72, and then form electrical transmission with an external network or device to form an electronic module set 3. In other embodiments, circuit boards 71 ​​and 72 can be replaced by multiple circuit layers, for example, and this invention is not limited thereto. In this embodiment, the upper surface 73 and lower surface 74 of the component set 3 of the electronic module set 3 include multiple electrical connection points 731 and 744 for placing power devices or connecting to an external network. In this embodiment, the electronic module set 3 is divided into blocks to form multiple independently operable electronic modules 2 (see Figure 5).

[0061] Therefore, it can be seen that the PCB magnetic component 1 can also be fabricated with circuit layers on its upper and lower surfaces using PCB manufacturing processes, forming a magnetic component 20 with the PCB magnetic component 1 embedded within it. The pads on the upper and lower surfaces of the PCB magnetic component 1 can be used to connect components or electrical networks as needed, thus forming a complete power module. Furthermore, in addition to producing individual modules, the PCB magnetic component 1 can also be produced in a continuous production mode, with multiple PCB magnetic components 1 forming a PCB component set 1'. Using PCB manufacturing processes, circuit layers can be fabricated on the upper and lower surfaces of the PCB component set 1', or circuit boards can be added to form a composite PCB module with electrical functions. Components can be placed on both sides, or circuit networks can be formed through internal traces on the circuit board to transmit electrical signals to the outside, forming a power module set 3. The power module set 3 can be further divided into blocks, producing multiple power modules at once, which helps improve module production efficiency and reduce production costs. Of course, the application of dividing the PCB component set 1' into PCB magnetic components 1 or constructing the power module set 3 can be adjusted according to actual application needs, and this case is not limited to this.

[0062] Figure 18 shows a perspective view of the PCB magnetic component according to the fifth embodiment of this invention. Figure 19 shows an exploded view of the PCB magnetic component according to the fifth embodiment of this invention. Figure 20 shows a cross-sectional view of the PCB magnetic component according to the fifth embodiment of this invention. In this embodiment, the PCB magnetic component 1b is similar to the PCB magnetic component 1 shown in Figures 1 to 4, and the same component designation represents the same component, structure, and function, which will not be described again here. In this embodiment, the PCB magnetic component 1b further uses PCB manufacturing processes such as PP lamination, exposure, development, etching, and film stripping to set an upper circuit layer 111 on the upper surface 12' of the magnetic component 20 after it is snapped together. The first outer surface 12" of the upper circuit layer 111 has at least one upper connection position 121" as a pad, allowing the power device 33 to be directly placed. In this embodiment, at least one upper connection 121” can be electrically connected to the output terminal of the winding in the PCB magnetic assembly 1b through inner layer traces and interlayer vias. Furthermore, the PCB magnetic assembly 1b further utilizes PCB manufacturing processes such as PP lamination, exposure, development, etching, and film stripping to create a lower circuit layer 112 on the lower surface 13” of the magnetic assembly 20 after it is snapped together. The second outer surface 13” of the lower circuit layer 112 has multiple electrical connection portions 44. These multiple electrical connection portions 44 can be, for example, a BGA array. Thus, the multilayer circuit board 11, assembled with the magnetic assembly 20, can be further processed using PCB manufacturing processes to form a multilayer circuit board 11a with a complete first outer surface 12” and second outer surface 13”, and the magnetic assembly 20 can be embedded within it. Layers G1, G2, G3, G4, G5, G6, G7, G8, G9, and G10 are the inner layers of the multilayer circuit board 11a, used for internal traces and copper plating. The GTL and GBL layers are the surface layers of the multilayer circuit board 11a, used to set the soldering positions for the upper connection 121” and the lower connection 131”. Electrical connections between the inner layers of the multilayer circuit board 11a, as well as between the inner layers and the surface layer, can be achieved through electroplating and drilling. Additionally, the first outer surface 12” and the second outer surface 13” serve as the two sides of the PCB magnetic assembly 1b, which can be further connected to components or electrical networks to ultimately form the electronic module 2a. Because the PCB magnetic assembly 1b adds two complete first outer surfaces 12” and second outer surfaces 13”, the area on which components can be placed is significantly increased. After the PCB magnetic assembly 1b undergoes SMT and other processes to assemble the power device 33 and multiple electrical connection parts 44, the resulting electronic module 2a can be better applied in various products, realizing the miniaturization and integrated application of inductor devices. Of course, in other embodiments, the order, number of layers and combination of magnetic components 20 within the multilayer circuit board 11 combined with the upper circuit layer 111 and / or the lower circuit layer 112 can be adjusted according to actual application requirements. This case is not limited to this and will not be described in detail here.

[0063] In summary, this invention provides a PCB magnetic component. The inductor winding is fabricated using a PCB, with its two leads extended via PCB pads to improve the overall module's flatness and soldering quality. The inductor winding is housed within a multi-layer PCB support structure, allowing the two leads to be extended via pads. This results in significantly higher overall flatness compared to traditional assembly methods and greatly improved soldering quality. Furthermore, during PCB manufacturing, controlled-depth milling is used to mill at least one pair of grooves in a designated area of ​​the PCB. These grooves are distributed on the upper and lower sides of the multi-layer PCB, with their positions opposite each other. A support layer, consisting of at least one PCB layer, is located between each pair of grooves. Depending on the core size and shape, at least two holes are drilled between the grooves to facilitate subsequent core assembly via magnetic pillars. The support layer can be copper-plated in specific areas to form the winding, which is then electrically connected to the upper and lower surfaces of the multi-layer PCB via electroplating and drilling or electroplating and drilling combined with PCB internal layer traces. The support layer of the multi-layer structure can also be configured as the primary and secondary sides of a transformer to provide transformer functionality. The PCB magnetic components produced by combining a multi-layer circuit board support structure with magnetic cores feature high flatness precision. The winding technology built into the PCB further improves the consistency of impedance and inductive coupling coefficients. Furthermore, the PCB magnetic components can transmit control and sampling signals through the internal layer traces and vias of the multi-layer circuit board, connecting components or electrical networks above or below the PCB magnetic components. The PCB magnetic components can subsequently have additional circuit layers or circuit boards connected to power circuits to form modules with power transmission and conversion functions. Because the PCB magnetic components have internal circuitry, adding copper plating to the board edges of the overall module can greatly improve the functionality of the entire module and the freedom of electrical design, such as enabling external testing of module input signals and facilitating module debugging. On the other hand, the magnetic cores can be assembled by bonding them through the holes between two grooves; the magnetic cores only need to be placed in the grooves for the magnetic posts to be bonded. Due to the high dimensional precision of the multi-layer circuit board support structure produced by PCB technology, there is no need for manual adjustment of the magnetic core position, which helps improve module production yield and reduce production costs. In addition, the assembly of magnetic cores is not limited to bonding upper and lower magnetic cores; they can also be constructed using magnetic powder. The magnetic core formed by pressing magnetic powder using a jig reduces space waste caused by assembly tolerances, minimizes the gap between the magnetic core and the multilayer circuit board support structure, increases the effective volume of the magnetic core structure, and solves the magnetic core assembly tolerance problem. Furthermore, the process of combining magnetic core molding with the multilayer circuit board support structure better addresses the voltage withstand capability issue of the inductor assembly.

[0064] This application may be modified in various ways by any person skilled in this art, but all such modifications shall not fall outside the scope of the claims sought to be protected in this application.

[0065] 1, 1a, 1b: PCB magnetic components 1': PCB component set 2, 2a: Electronic module 3: Electronic Module Set 10, 10', 10a: Multilayer circuit board support structure 100: contiguous 101: Component set upper surface 102: Lower surface of component set 11, 11a: Multilayer circuit board 111: Upper circuit layer 112: Lower circuit layer 12, 12': Upper surface 12”: First outer surface 121, 121”: Upper connector bit 13, 13': Lower surface 13”: Second outer surface 131, 131”: Lower connector 14: Upper groove 15: Lower groove 151: Spacing 152: Storage space 16: Support layer 161: Copper layer 162: Hole 17: Copper plating on the board edges 18: Embedded Copper in PCB 20, 20a: Magnetic components 200: Magnetic powder 21: Upper magnetic core 210: Upper surface 211: Upper magnetic column 212: Top magnetic cover 22: Lower magnetic core 220: Lower surface 221: Lower magnetic column 222: Lower magnetic cover 30: First circuit board 31: Upper surface of the first circuit board 32: Lower surface of the first circuit board 321: Connection bit 33: Power Devices 40: Second circuit board 41: Upper surface of the second circuit board 411: Connection bit 42: Lower surface of the second circuit board 43: Components 44: Electrical connection part 71, 72: Circuit Board 73: Component set upper surface 731, 744: Electrical connection points 74: Lower surface of component set 81: Protective film 90: Interior Space 91: Lower mold 92: Upper mold 93: Lower boss 94: Upper boss 95: Alignment Hole 96: Pin D1: Height difference D2: Height difference G1, G2, G3, G4, G5, G6, G7, G8, G9, G10, GTL, GBL: layer H1: Depth H2: Depth h1: Height h2: Height S1: First side view S2: Second side S3: Third Side S4: Fourth Side X, Y, Z: Axes

Claims

1. A PCB magnetic assembly, characterized in that it comprises: A multi-layer circuit board support structure includes a multi-layer circuit board having an upper surface and a lower surface opposite to each other. The upper surface and the lower surface each include an upper connection position and a lower connection position, respectively. The multi-layer circuit board includes an upper groove, a lower groove, and a support layer. The upper groove is recessed from the upper surface to the lower surface, and the lower groove is recessed from the lower surface to the upper surface. The support layer is located between the upper groove and the lower groove. The support layer is an N-layer circuit board, N≧1. The support layer includes a copper layer and M through holes, M≧2. The copper layer is arranged around the holes to form a winding. The copper layer includes a first end electrically connected to the upper connection position on the upper surface of the multi-layer circuit board and a second end electrically connected to the lower connection position on the lower surface of the multi-layer circuit board. The upper surface and the lower surface of the multi-layer circuit board constitute an upper surface and a lower surface of a PCB magnetic component. A magnetic component is disposed within the multi-layer circuit board support structure, wherein the magnetic component partially passes through the hole in the support layer.

2. The PCB magnetic assembly as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the multilayer circuit board support structure includes a first side and a second side opposite to each other, and a third side and a fourth side opposite to each other, the first side, the second side, the third side and the fourth side are all spaced apart from the upper groove and the lower groove, and the multilayer circuit board allows signal transmission through an internal trace.

3. The PCB magnetic assembly as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the first side, the second side, the third side, and the fourth side allow signal transmission through copper plating on a board edge.

4. The PCB magnetic assembly as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the magnetic assembly is a snap-fit ​​magnetic core comprising an upper magnetic core and a lower magnetic core.

5. The PCB magnetic component as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that the magnetic component has a height difference with the upper surface and the lower surface of the multilayer circuit board, respectively.

6. The PCB magnetic component as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the magnetic component is a magnetic powder core formed by pressing magnetic powder together.

7. The PCB magnetic assembly as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that an upper surface and a lower surface of the magnetic powder core are respectively recessed inward from the upper surface and the lower surface of the multilayer circuit board.

8. The PCB magnetic assembly as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the support layer is a multi-layer structure and allows it to be configured as the primary and secondary sides of a transformer.

9. The PCB magnetic component as claimed in claim 1, wherein the height of an upper surface of the magnetic component does not exceed the depth of the upper groove, and the height of a lower surface of the magnetic component does not exceed the depth of the lower groove.

10. The PCB magnetic assembly as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the connection point between the upper surface and the lower surface of the PCB magnetic assembly is electrically connected to an external circuit or a component to form an electronic module.

11. The PCB magnetic assembly as claimed in claim 10, characterized in that the upper surface of the PCB magnetic assembly is connected to a first circuit board, and a power device is disposed on the upper surface of a first circuit board of the first circuit board.

12. The PCB magnetic assembly as claimed in claim 10, characterized in that a second circuit board is connected to the lower surface of the PCB magnetic assembly, and the lower surface of the second circuit board has a plurality of electrical connection portions for electrical transmission with an external device.

13. The PCB magnetic assembly as claimed in claim 12, characterized in that an accommodating space is formed between the bottom surface of a magnetic core of the magnetic assembly and the upper surface of a second circuit board of the second circuit board for accommodating a component.

14. The PCB magnetic assembly as claimed in claim 13, wherein the component is a passive component.

15. The PCB magnetic assembly as claimed in claim 12, wherein the plurality of electrical connections on the lower surface of the second circuit board are BGA ball arrays.

16. The PCB magnetic assembly as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that an upper circuit layer is provided on the upper surface of the PCB magnetic assembly, and a first outer surface of the upper circuit layer has at least one connection point, the at least one connection point being electrically connected to an output terminal of the winding in the PCB magnetic assembly.

17. The PCB magnetic assembly as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that a lower circuit layer is disposed on the lower surface of the PCB magnetic assembly, and a second outer surface of the lower circuit layer has a plurality of electrical connection portions.

18. The PCB magnetic assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein a plurality of the PCB magnetic assemblies are connected through a connecting strip to form a PCB assembly set.

19. The PCB magnetic assembly as claimed in claim 18, characterized in that an upper surface and a lower surface of the PCB assembly are respectively connected to a circuit board or multiple circuit layers, forming an electrical transmission with an external network or device, thus forming an electronic module assembly.

20. The PCB magnetic assembly as claimed in claim 19, characterized in that the upper and lower surfaces of the electronic module assembly include a plurality of electrical connection points for placing a power device or connecting to the external network.

21. The PCB magnetic assembly as claimed in claim 19, characterized in that the electronic module set is divided into blocks to form multiple independently operable electronic modules.

22. The PCB magnetic assembly as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that one end of the winding is led out from the upper connection position and the other end of the winding is led out from the lower connection position.

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