Magnetoelectric Ring-Type Inductors Tuned by Electric and Magnetic Fields

Devices with tunable inductance (“inductors”) are widely used in control circuits of modern electronics. The typical inductor is an electromagnetic coil with a ferromagnetic core inside. In this letter, a new type of magnetoelectric (ME) inductors with a composite core is manufactured and investigated. The core is made of lead zirconate-titanate piezoceramic and has a ring shape. A layer of amorphous ferromagnetic alloy FeBSiC with high magnetostriction is deposited to the outer or inner surface of the piezoceramic ring. Due to the magnetoelectric effect, the inductance of the devices can be smoothly tuned up to 412% with an electric field applied to the piezoceramic ring and up to 1270% with a magnetic field applied along the axis of the core or in the plane of the core. The features of the electric tuning of inductors containing the core with internal or external ferromagnetic layers are explained.