We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Technology

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

What Is a Chip Inductor?

By Jean Marie Asta
Updated: May 17, 2024
Views: 18,587
Share

A chip inductor is a chip in an integrated circuit (IC) used in electronic devices to transmit and receive radio frequency (RF) signals with other electronic devices. It can use high or low frequency radio signals as well as frequencies that are self-resonant. They are often found in power lines, RF transceivers, computers, and even in microchips implanted in animals.

Power lines often use chip inductors in circuits with low frequency signals. A chip inductor for a power line may be made with a ferrite core and are wire wound, or have multiple layers of wires. They are used to conserve voltage and are used for filter circuits with low frequency, resonance circuits, and choke. The frequency of the chip inductor is often less than 100 megahertz (MHz). These chips are also compact, lightweight, and have a range of direct current (DC) resistance.

RF chip inductors, which use a frequency signal over 100 MHz, are used in devices such as mobile phone RF modules, RF transceivers, broadband components, and wireless Local Area Networks (LANs). This type of chip inductor is used for its matching of impedance, for RF choke, and for filter circuits that have high frequency. It can be of similar construction to a chip inductor used in power lines. The chips may be made of a ferrite core and be wire wound, or made with core material that is not magnetic. Construction of the chips will vary frequency range and inductance, but they are also compact and lightweight.

The chip inductor is created by a complex process to make it small and functional. Monolithic inductor chips, which are used in electronic circuits, are formed with a large provision of silk screened, ferrite wafers and conductive elements that are generally in the shape of the letter “U.” Each element’s end portion passes through holes of the wafers, to the bottom points of the wafers. Then, the wafers are stacked on one another and an electric current passes through the U-shaped conductive element found throughout the chip. A resulting coil is formed, and the chips are sometimes called an inductor coil.

Diodes also have chip inductor components. They employ an inductor of solid state which is comprised of a single body with semi-conductive material and opposed major surfaces of the inductor’s body. One surface is for selective resistivity and the other is for a conductivity of first type. There are multiple regions within the body that conduct and resist on the surfaces of the body, allowing electric flow throughout the inductor.

Share
WiseGeek is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.

Editors' Picks

Discussion Comments
Share
https://www.wisegeek.net/what-is-a-chip-inductor.htm
Copy this link
WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.