TW201915189A - Alloy powder and manufacturing method thereof, and soft magnetic material and manufacturing method thereof wherein an alloy formulation comprising a primary element group and a secondary element group is provided - Google Patents

Abstract

An alloy powder manufacturing method comprises: providing an alloy formulation comprising a primary element group and a secondary element group, wherein the primary element group includes iron (Fe), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), and chromium (Cr), and the secondary element group is at least two elements selected from the group consisting of aluminum (Al), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), titanium (Ti), zinc (Zn), phosphorus (P), silicon (Si), boron (B), and carbon (C); subjecting the alloy formulation to a smelting process to form an alloy ingot from the alloy formulation; and subjecting the alloy ingot to a pulverizing process to form an alloy powder from the alloy ingot. Further, the percentage of the primary element group is between 80 to 90 atom percentage, the remaining being the secondary element group ranging from 1 to 10 atom percentage.

Description

 Alloy powder, manufacturing method thereof, and soft magnetic material and manufacturing method thereof  

The present invention relates to an alloy powder and a method of manufacturing the same, and more particularly to an alloy powder having soft magnetic properties and a method of producing the same.

With the rapid development of the information technology (IT) industry, the opportunities for the application of soft magnetic films in the radio frequency (RF) frequency band, especially between 800 MHz and 6 GHz, are widely used. For example, soft magnetic films can be applied to integrated passive components, electromagnetic noise countermeasures, sensors, and the like. In particular, in wireless communication applications, the WLAN (wireless local area network) system operating frequency has reached the GHz band to cope with the transmission of large amounts of data, such as the Bluetooth and IEEE 802.11b and 5.8 GHz bands in the 2.45-GHz band. IEEE 802.11a.

At present, the high-frequency inductor mainly uses ferrite powder (ceramic ferromagnetic material) as raw material, which can avoid the generation of eddy current in high-frequency use. In the production, the ferrite powder must be sintered at a high temperature, and then the surface adhesion technology is used. Bonded to the board.

On the other hand, the inductor is made of a conventional ferromagnetic alloy (such as a perm alloy) film, although it has a high saturation magnetization, but the resistivity is not high, resulting in a ferromagnetic alloy film under high frequency operation. Very severe eddy current losses, causing the magnetic effect to fail under high frequency operation. In order to achieve this high-frequency and high magnetic permeability, some new soft magnetic alloys have been published recently, such as FeTaN, FeBSi, CoNbZr and FeAlO. However, there are still some problems in these soft magnetic alloys. For example, FeTaN film and CoNbZr film have too low magnetic anisotropy field. When the frequency is less than 100MHz, the magnetic permeability decreases rapidly; while the FeBSi film resistance is not enough. Large, about 150μΩ-cm, in the high-frequency operation, there will still be iron loss phenomenon, resulting in a decrease in the overall inductance efficiency.

In the improvement of high-frequency characteristics of thin film inductors, the use of magnetic materials is widely used to amplify the change in magnetic flux generated when a current passes through a wire, thereby improving the inductance value and the quality factor. For example, in US Pat. No. 3,413,716, physical deposition is utilized. In the way of the film, a layer of ferrite is added to the wire layer of the film inductor to improve the quality factor of the film inductance. However, when the frequency exceeds 100 MHz, the magnetic permeability rapidly decreases. Therefore, when the thin film inductor element is operated under high frequency, the original magnetic amplification effect cannot be used to increase the inductance value and the quality factor.

In the study of the addition of magnetic materials to thin film inductors, the high frequency characteristics of the thin film inductors can also be improved by the design of the mechanism. For example, in U.S. Patent No. 6,373,369 B2, a cylindrical magnetic material is added to the central portion of the helical wire, and the cylindrical magnetic material and the helical wire are not in contact to enhance the high frequency characteristics of the film inductance. However, the shape of the magnetic material is complicated, the process is cumbersome, and the production cost is relatively increased. In addition, in U.S. Patent No. 6,822,548 B2, a magnetic material is coated on a wire of a thin film inductor, and the coated magnetic material is discontinuous, and the magnetic material is separated by an air gap to become a segment. State to avoid loss of eddy current during high frequency operation. However, in this thin film inductor, since the magnetic material does not completely cover the entire surface of the wiring layer, the increase in the inductance per unit area of the overall thin film inductance is limited. On the other hand, due to the high complexity of the shape of the magnetic material, the manufacturing cost is relatively high.

On the other hand, a stack of alternating high saturation magnetization layers and soft magnetic layers, such as a FeBN/FeN cross-layer stacked multilayer film, is disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 5,101,930. Such a layered structure design can effectively increase the saturation magnetization, but the overall resistance value is also low. When the high frequency (GHz) operation, the loss of the eddy current will cause the quality factor to rapidly drop and cannot be applied to the high frequency. Use below.

In view of the above, there is a need to provide an alloy powder having soft magnetic properties, a method for producing the same, a soft magnetic material, and a method for producing the same to solve the aforementioned problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A primary object of the present invention is to provide an alloy powder having soft magnetic properties and a method for producing the same, which enhances the applicability of the alloy powder.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a method for producing an alloy powder comprising: providing an alloy formulation comprising: a main element group and a primary element group including iron (Fe), cobalt (Co), and nickel ( Ni) and chromium (Cr), and the secondary element group is selected from the group consisting of aluminum (Al), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), titanium (Ti), zinc (Zn), phosphorus (P), and antimony (Si). And at least two elements of the group consisting of boron (B) and carbon (C); subjecting the alloy formulation to a smelting process to form the alloy formulation into an alloy ingot; and subjecting the alloy ingot to a milling a process for forming the alloy ingot to form an alloy powder; wherein the main element group accounts for an integral component ratio ranging from 80 to 95 atomic percent (at.%), and the remaining component ratio ranges from the minor element group, and Any element of the secondary element group accounts for a total composition ratio ranging from 1 to 10 atomic percent (at.%).

The alloy powder of the present invention has good formability, high magnetic permeability μi, high quality factor Q, high saturation magnetic flux density Bs, and low magnetic loss.

The invention further provides a method for manufacturing a soft magnetic material, comprising the steps of: subjecting the alloy powder to a powder forming process to form the alloy powder into a soft magnetic material.

The soft magnetic material of the present invention has a high magnetic permeability μi, a high quality factor Q, and a high saturation magnetic flux density Bs. The power inductor made of the soft magnetic material of the invention has the following characteristics: high efficiency, small volume, high frequency operation, high temperature resistance and high current resistance. Furthermore, the magnetic multi-alloy film of the power inductor of the prior art is formed by a sputtering process, and the soft magnetic material of the present invention is formed by a powder forming process, and the invention has the advantages of lower cost and easy molding. .

The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the accompanying drawings.

10‧‧‧vacuum melting furnace

10'‧‧‧vacuum melting furnace

12‧‧‧ alloy ingots

14‧‧‧Dusting reaction room

16‧‧‧Export

20‧‧‧Fixed mould

21‧‧‧Reactive mold

22‧‧‧Move

23‧‧‧ Punch

30‧‧‧ alloy powder

30'‧‧‧ soft magnetic material

A‧‧‧Cooling gas

S10~S50‧‧‧Steps

1 is a flow chart showing a method for producing an alloy powder according to an embodiment of the present invention; and FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a method for producing an alloy powder according to an embodiment of the present invention, which shows a process of alloying a alloy; BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a method for producing an alloy powder according to an embodiment of the present invention, which shows a flow chart of a method for producing a soft magnetic material according to an embodiment of the present invention; and FIG. 5a to FIG. A schematic cross-sectional view of the powder molding process of the present invention, which respectively shows a step of initiating a powder molding cycle, a step of filling a powder in a mold, a step of starting a compaction, a step of completing a compaction, a step of discharging a workpiece, and a refilling powder.

Referring first to Figure 1, there is shown a flow chart of a method of making an alloy powder in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

In step S10, an alloy formulation is provided, comprising: a main element group and a primary element group, the main element group including iron (Fe), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni) and chromium (Cr), and The secondary element group is selected from the group consisting of aluminum (Al), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), titanium (Ti), zinc (Zn), phosphorus (P), antimony (Si), boron (B), and carbon (C). ) at least two elements in the group formed. The main element group accounts for 80 to 95 atomic percent (at.%) of the total composition ratio, and the remaining component ratio ranges from the secondary element group, and the secondary element group accounts for the entire composition ratio range of 1~ 10 atomic percent (at.%). Preferably, the secondary element group is more selected from at least one metal element of aluminum (Al), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), titanium (Ti), and zinc (Zn), and any one of the main element groups At least one metal element in the element and the minor element group accounts for more than 5 atomic percent (at.%).

In step S20, the alloy formulation is subjected to a smelting process to form the alloy formulation into an alloy ingot. For example, please refer to FIG. 2, using the main element group of iron (Fe), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni) and chromium (Cr) materials (such as ingots) and at least two elemental materials of the secondary element group. (for example, an ingot) is smelted in a vacuum melting furnace 10 to form the alloy into an alloy ingot 12. The alloy ingot 12 of the present invention has soft magnetic properties: high magnetic permeability, high electrical resistivity, low coercive force, and high saturation magnetic flux density.

In step S30, the alloy ingot is subjected to a milling process to form the alloy ingot to form an alloy powder. The alloy powder has the same elemental composition ratio as the alloy formulation. The main element group of the alloy powder accounts for 80 to 95 atomic percent (at.%) of the total composition ratio, and the remaining component ratio ranges from the secondary element group, and the secondary element group accounts for the proportion of the overall composition ratio. From 1 to 10 atomic percent (at.%). Preferably, the minor element group comprises at least one metal element selected from the group consisting of aluminum (Al), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), titanium (Ti), and zinc (Zn), and any one of the main element groups The element and at least one metal element in the minor element group account for more than 5 atomic percent (at.%) of the total composition, so that the alloy powder can be made into a high-entropy alloy powder. The alloy powder of the present invention has good formability, high magnetic permeability μi, high quality factor Q, high saturation magnetic flux density Bs, and low magnetic loss.

For example, it is made by a vacuum induction smelting gas spray (VIGA) process. Referring to FIG. 3, the alloy ingot 12 is melted in a vacuum melting furnace 10', and the alloy ingot 12 is melted into a molten soup in a vacuum melting furnace 10', and then introduced into a dusting reaction by a vacuum furnace smelting 10'. The chamber 14 is then rapidly solidified into alloy powder 30 by impact atomization with high velocity cooling gas A (e.g., inert gas) and withdrawn through outlet 16. During the dusting process, the characteristics of the alloy powder can be adjusted and optimized by controlling the temperature of the melt of the alloy ingot and the pressure and flow rate of the cooling gas. Compared with the mechanical ball milling method, the alloy powder 30 produced by the spraying method has a high sphericity and a relatively uniform composition.

Please refer to FIG. 4, which shows a flow chart of a method for manufacturing a soft magnetic material according to an embodiment of the present invention. In step S40, an alloy powder is provided. The alloy powder refers to an alloy powder produced by the above method for producing an alloy powder. In step S50, the alloy powder is subjected to a powder forming process to form a soft magnetic material having a predetermined shape, for example, a soft magnetic material having a predetermined shape is a magnetic core of a power inductor. The soft magnetic material has the same elemental composition ratio as the alloy formulation, and includes: a main element group and a primary element group including iron (Fe), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), and chromium (Cr). And the secondary element group is selected from the group consisting of aluminum (Al), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), titanium (Ti), zinc (Zn), phosphorus (P), bismuth (Si), boron (B), and At least two elements of the group consisting of carbon (C). The main element group accounts for 80 to 95 atomic percent (at.%) of the total composition ratio, and the remaining component ratio ranges from the secondary element group, and the secondary element group accounts for the entire composition ratio range of 1~ 10 atomic percent (at.%). Preferably, the secondary element group is more selected from at least one metal element of aluminum (Al), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), titanium (Ti), and zinc (Zn), and any one of the main element groups At least one metal element in the element and the minor element group accounts for more than 5 atomic percent (at.%).

For example, referring to FIG. 5a to FIG. 5f, the powder molding process includes the following steps: starting a cycle start cycle (shown in FIG. 5a) and filling a die with power (Fig. 5a) 5b), start the compaction step (shown in Figure 5c), complete the compaction step (shown in Figure 5d), exit the part (shown in Figure 5e), and Re-filling die with power (shown in Figure 5f). The powder forming process mainly defines a cavity 22 between a fixed mold 20 and a double-moving mold 21, and then fills the alloy powder 30 in the cavity 22, and then the cavity 22 is punched by a punch 23. The alloy powder 30 is compacted, and finally the double-acting mold discharges the compacted alloy powder 30 (ie, the soft magnetic material 30'), thereby completing the magnetic core of the power inductor (that is, the soft magnetic material 30 having a predetermined shape). ). In this embodiment, the predetermined shape may be a ring-shaped hollow shape. In another embodiment, the predetermined shape may also be solid.

Referring to Tables 1 to 3, the soft magnetic materials of Embodiments 1 to 6 of the present invention have a high magnetic permeability μi, a high quality factor Q, and a high saturation magnetic flux density Bs, as compared with the comparative examples of the prior art. The overall properties of the inventive soft magnetic material are enhanced.

The power inductor made of the soft magnetic material of the invention has the following characteristics: high efficiency, small volume, high frequency operation, high temperature resistance and high current resistance. Furthermore, the magnetic multi-alloy film of the power inductor of the prior art is formed by a sputtering process, and the soft magnetic material of the present invention is formed by a powder forming process, and the invention has the advantages of lower cost and easy molding. .

In the above, it is merely described that the present invention is an embodiment or an embodiment of the technical means for solving the problem, and is not intended to limit the scope of implementation of the present invention. That is, the equivalent changes and modifications made in accordance with the scope of the patent application of the present invention or the scope of the invention are covered by the scope of the invention.

Claims (11)

 An alloy powder manufacturing method comprising the steps of: providing an alloy formulation comprising: a main element group and a primary element group including iron (Fe), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni) and chromium ( Cr), and the secondary element group is selected from the group consisting of aluminum (Al), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), titanium (Ti), zinc (Zn), phosphorus (P), bismuth (Si), boron (B) And at least two elements of the group consisting of carbon (C); subjecting the alloy formulation to a smelting process to form an alloy ingot; and subjecting the alloy ingot to a milling process to make the alloy The ingot forms an alloy powder; wherein the main element group occupies an integral component ratio ranging from 80 to 95 atomic percent (at.%), and the remaining component ratio ranges from the minor element group, and the minor element group Any element of the total composition ratio ranges from 1 to 10 atomic percent (at.%).    The method for producing an alloy powder according to claim 1, wherein the secondary element group is more selected from the group consisting of aluminum (Al), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), titanium (Ti), and zinc (Zn). a metal element, and any element of the main element group and at least one metal element of the minor element group account for more than 5 atomic percent (at.%).    An alloy powder comprising: a main element group comprising: iron (Fe), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), and chromium (Cr); and a primary element group selected from the group consisting of aluminum (Al) and manganese ( At least two elements of the group consisting of Mn), copper (Cu), titanium (Ti), zinc (Zn), phosphorus (P), strontium (Si), boron (B), and carbon (C); The main element group accounts for 80% to 95 atomic percent (at.%) of the total composition ratio, and the remaining component ratio ranges from the secondary element group, and any element of the secondary element group accounts for the proportion of the overall composition ratio. From 1 to 10 atomic percent (at.%).    The alloy powder according to claim 3, wherein the secondary element group is more selected from the group consisting of at least one metal of aluminum (Al), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), titanium (Ti), and zinc (Zn). An element, and any element of the main element group and at least one metal element of the secondary element group account for more than 5 atomic percent (at.%).    A method for producing a soft magnetic material, which comprises subjecting the alloy powder according to claim 3 or 4 to a powder molding process to form the soft powder material.    The soft magnetic material manufacturing method according to claim 5, wherein the powder molding process comprises the steps of: starting a powder molding cycle step, filling the powder in the mold, starting the compacting step, completing the compacting step, and discharging The workpiece step and the step of refilling the powder in the mold.    The method of producing a soft magnetic material according to claim 5, wherein the soft magnetic material has a predetermined shape which is a ring-shaped hollow shape or a solid shape.    The method of manufacturing a soft magnetic material according to claim 5, wherein the soft magnetic material is a magnetic core of a power inductor.    A soft magnetic material produced from the alloy powder of claim 3 or 4.    The soft magnetic material according to claim 9, wherein the soft magnetic material has a predetermined shape which is a ring-shaped hollow shape or a solid shape.    The soft magnetic material according to claim 9, wherein the soft magnetic material is a magnetic core of a power inductor.