Comparison of High-Frequency Ferrite and Nanocrystalline Core Losses Using Identical Geometries

Soft-magnetic materials like nanocrystalline and amorphous have gained space in the medium frequency range design. However, interlamination short-circuits have been a hindrance for high-frequency applications using cut tape-wound cores. As a result, there is still ambiguity about whether nanocrystalline can compare with ferrite cores beyond 100-kHz. This article compares core losses using ferrite and nanocrystalline materials, with interlamination short circuits removed. An extensive comparison of the core loss is conducted for different frequencies up to 300 kHz at different flux densities operating points. Furthermore, the impedance responses of each of the three magnetic designs are measured and compared. In order to maintain equity and avoid normalization, the work presented in this paper used identical core geometries for both magnetic materials.