Analysis of Influence of a Dummy Layer in a LTCC based Power Inductor

In this paper, a low temperature co-fired ceramic(LTCC) based power inductor employing a dummy layer to increase the inductance is designed. The inductance of the proposed power inductor with a dummy layer is 2.86 μH, while that of the power inductor without a dummy layer is 2.16 μH at a frequency of 100 kHz. The proposed power inductor is designed to minimize the magnetic reluctance. Through the design and measurement of the proposed power inductor, it is demonstrated that a dummy layer can increase the inductance of the LTCC based power inductor by reducing the value of magnetic reluctance.