New Industry Products

Murata Unveils New Metal Power Inductors For Automotive Applications

May 04, 2022 by Gary Elinoff

Able to operate at temperatures of up to 150 ℃, the new units are supplied in 1210 inch size (3.2 × 2.5 mm) metal cores.

Murata’s new DFE32CAH_R0 series of metal power inductors, released April 21, cover a wide inductance value range and are suited to in-vehicle applications, including infotainment systems and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), in addition to powertrain applications.

 

Murata's DFE32CAH_R0 series inductors. Image used courtesy of Murata

 

Per Tomohiro Yao, general manager of marketing and promotion for Murata’s EMI Division, the company’s new offerings utilize original metal materials and sport an optimized internal coil structure, enabling support for the higher temperatures and large current flows found in harsher automotive environments. 

 

The Series’ Seven Members 

The DFE32CAH_R0 series offers seven fresh devices, all of which measure 3.2 x 2.5 x 2 mm, with length and width tolerances of ±0.3 mm. Available inductances range from 0.47 µH to 4.7 µH, with 20% tolerances. Rated currents range from 2800 mA all the way to 8700 mA, with maximum DC resistances spanning a range of 0.014 Ω to 0.101 Ω.

 

DFE32CAH_R0 series specifications. Screenshot used courtesy of Murata
 

Rated Current based on inductance change or temperature change

  • Rated current based on inductance change is alternately referred to as Rated Current (isat)
  • Rated current based on temperature rise can be referred to as Rated Current (itemp)

These are oft-neglected specifications that deserve more attention, especially in the tough environment that automotive power components call home. Per Murata’s datasheet: 

  • Rated Current based on inductance change: “The saturation allowable DC current value is specified when the decrease of the initial inductance value is at 30%.” 
  • Rated Current based on temperature rise: “When a rated current (based on Temperature rise) is applied, the temperature rise due to self-heating of the product is 40 °C or less.”

Murata cautions engineers to keep the product temperature (ambient temperature plus self-heating) below 150 °C. The rated current value is to be taken as the smaller of the rated current (based on inductance change) or the rated current (based on temperature rise).

 

Applications

These metal power inductors are specifically targeted at high-temperature automotive applications, including:

  • The powertrain
  • Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS)
  • DC/DC converters in addition to power management circuitry

 

Environmental Compliance

DFE32CAH_R0 series devices are RoHS-compliant. 

 

Regulatory Notes

Each device in the line is AEC-Q200 qualified, with ESD as per AEC-Q200-002.

 

Physical Considerations

These new inductors operate over a temperature range of -55 to +150 °C. 

 

Feature image used courtesy of Samuele Errico Piccarini/Unpslash