Novel Complex Permeability Model of Powder Magnetic Materials

Complex permeability is an important magnetic material parameter in the design of high frequency magnetic components. The complex permeability characteristics of ferrite materials is well known and understood. Currently, there is little information on the complex permeability characteristic of powdered materials available in literature or manufacturer datasheets. Given the potential advantages powdered materials present over ferrites in EMI filters and RF magnetics, it is crucial to model and understand the complex permeability behavior of powder magnetic materials. This paper presents a physical based model to predict the complex permeability of powdered materials over a wide frequency range. The presented model only relies on material data generally provided in powder material datasheets which allows designers to calculate the complex permeability of powder materials over a wide frequency range without requiring additional material information from the manufacturer.