eReport

March 2007

2007 Magnetics Conference - Updated Program

With more than 30 technical sessions and two keynote panels, the 2007 Magnetics Conference is OUR BIGGEST EVENT EVER! Visit the conference web site to download an updated PDF of the conference program. Look for NEW items!

The two-day program kicks off April 4th 2007, at the Lincolnshire Marriott Resort in Chicago, Illinois.

2 NEW Workshops:

Switchmode Power Supply Magnetics – Texas Instruments

Summary: This workshop provides an overview of the design of switchmode power supply magnetics. It begins with a review of magnetic fields fundamentals and their applications to switchmode transformers and inductors. The impact of magnetic material characteristics as well as loss mechanisms are presented. Magnetic size is shown to be determined by these factors and by cooling schemes such as convection and radiation. Materials commonly used in swichmode designs will be discussed and an overall equivalent circuit will be developed. Finally, unique magnetic component requirements will be discussed for planar magnetics, flyback transformers, common mode inductors, map amps and CCFL transformers.

Infolytica Corporation Seminar

Session 1: Electromagnetic Design Software Session

A quick introduction to Infolytica's software suite will be given, highlighting key features and analysis capabilities. The session will be an interactive demo guided by the questions put forth by attendees. Current users are welcome to join, to share their expertise and learn about the newest features.

Session 2: Electric Motor Design and Analysis Session

A continuation of the first session, however, the focus of the discussion will be exclusively on the features and capabilites in MagNet and MotorSolve for electric machine design.

NEW Presentation:

Isotropic Very Low Frequency Electromagnetic Field Detector with Data Acquisition
Naturally occurring electromagnetic fields in the Very Low Frequency (VLF) spectrum from 1 kHz to 200 kHz are so weak and rare that they are difficult to detect under normal conditions. This presentation describes the development of a triaxial “VLF Gaussmeter” that can monitor VLF electromagnetic radiation in residential and occupational environments.
Saba Hanna, Senior Engineer, Integrity Design & Research Corp., Essex, Vt.

 Register NOW - only 4 weeks until the conference!

Magnetic, Luminescent Nanoparticles Set New Standard

Researchers at UC Davis have created a new type of nanoparticles that could be used in tests for environmental pollution or contamination of food products, and for medical diagnostics.

The particles, about 100 to 200 nanometers in size, are luminescent, magnetic and inexpensive to make, and can be tagged with antibodies. They are made up of a magnetic core of iron oxide or iron/neodymium/cobalt oxide coated in a shell of europium and gadolinium oxide. When stimulated with a laser, europium emits red light at a very specific wavelength.

The nanoparticles can be manipulated with magnets and detected by fluorescence. They could also be labeled with other fluorescent labels in different colors, or used as part of an assay with other fluorescent labels. The built-in europium luminescence acts as an internal standard, making it easier to carry out accurate quantitative assays, said Ian Kennedy, professor of mechanical and aeronautical engineering and senior author on a paper describing the work.

The particles can also be coated with short pieces of DNA and used for genetic analysis. The team is exploring uses including testing for bioterrorism agents such as ricin or botulinum toxin in food and for genetic tests in cancer medicine.

The nanoparticles were made by spray pyrolysis, which involves mixing the raw material in a solvent and spraying it through a flame. The method is much cheaper than the techniques previously used for making similar particles, and can readily be scaled up to industrial production. It is already used in the chemical industry to make products such as fumed silica and carbon black.

Other authors on the paper are research specialist Dosi Dosev, Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering; postdoctoral researcher Mikaela Nichkova, research associate Shirley Gee and Professor Bruce Hammock, all of the Department of Entomology; and physics graduate student Randy Dumas and Kai Liu, associate professor of physics.

The researchers are establishing a company, Synthia LLC, to develop the technology further.

Nanoscale magnets in the form of iron-containing molecules might be used to improve the contrast between healthy and diseased tissue in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), as long as the concentration of nanomagnets is carefully managed, according to a new report* by researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and collaborators. Molecular nanomagnets are a new class of MRI contrast agents that may offer significant advantages, such as versatility in design, over the compounds used today.

Contrast agents are used to highlight different tissues in the body or to help distinguish between healthy and diseased tissue. NIST is working with two universities and a hospital to design, produce and test nanomolecules that might make MRI imaging more powerful and easier to perform. The new paper resolves a debate in the literature by showing that iron-containing magnets just two nanometers wide, dissolved in water, do provide reasonable contrast in non-clinical MRI images, as long as the nanomagnet concentration is below a certain threshold. (A nanometer is one billionth of a meter.) Previous studies by other research groups had reached conflicting conclusions on the utility of molecular nanomagnets for MRI, but without accounting for concentration. NIST scientists, making novel magnetic measurements, were able to monitor the molecules’ decomposition and magnetic properties as the composition was varied.

The injectable dyes currently used as MRI contrast agents are of two types. Magnetic ions, which alter the nuclear properties of hydrogen in water, offer the advantage of consistent identical design but provide low contrast. The second category encompasses particles of thousands of atoms or crystals, which alter local magnetic fields; they provide contrast variation in a larger region but have irregular designs and magnetic properties that are difficult to control. By comparison, molecular nanomagnets can be designed to have consistent properties and high contrast. In addition, they might be modified to act as “smart” materials whose contrast could be turned on only when bonded to a target molecule or cell. Toxicity is not believed to be an issue, because iron is naturally found in the body and other studies have found that these materials are non-toxic at the concentrations used in MRI.

NIST works with Florida State University to make single-molecule magnets less than five nanometers (nm) in diameter, and works with the University of Colorado at Boulder to make nanocrystals in the 10 to 50 nm range. The agency is pioneering methods for manipulating and measuring the magnetic properties of these compounds and is developing instrumentation for understanding how contrast agents work and how to control contrast properties. Researchers correlate the measured properties to the observed MRI response under non-clinical conditions using imagers at The Children’s Hospital in Denver. The information gained is fed back into recipes for making even better nanomagnets. The work described in the new paper was supported in part by the National Science Foundation.

Magnesy Baildon Ltd is a Polish company with over 55 years of experience of Alnico magnets production. In the last two years the company invested in technology, that was invented by its high qualified engineers. This innovative technology allows to product Alnico rods up to 300 mm long without shrinkage cavity. The dimensions of rods that can be manufactured using this new method are: ø3, ø4, ø5, ø6, ø7 mm.

The company looks for business partners from all over the world to establish stable cooperation on the field of delivering the longest Alnico rods. We invite you to visit the company website: http://www.magnesy.com.pl

BI Technologies Develops High Current Cube Inductor for High Frequency Applications

Providing design engineers with a robust, high frequency inductive device, TT electronics BI Technologies Magnetic Components Division has developed a high current cube inductor. Designated the HM56 Series, the inductor’s low-loss, composite ferrite material has characteristics suitable for high frequency applications.

“The HM56 series inductor is a robust device that features a thick coil, rated saturation current up to 60 A and is capable of operating at frequencies up to 1 MHz,” said David Smolik, director of Product Development for BI Technologies Magnetic Components Division. “The design of this composite ferrite inductor makes it ideal for high frequency and industrial applications.”

The HM56 series high current cube inductor features inductance values from 0.22 m H to 2.00 m H, with DCRs from 0.60 mΩ to 2.05 mΩ. Operating temperature range is -40°C to 125°C . BI Technologies will also produce devices outside these specifications to meet customer requirements.

The HM56 inductors are available in standard tray packaging.

Typical pricing for the HM56 Series inductor is approximately $0.40 to $0.60 depending on volume, with delivery from stock to 10 weeks.

Alcatel Vacuum Technology has extended its product range by introducing ATH 2300M, a very high flow maglev turbopump designed for semiconductor etch processes. The ATH 2300M features 2,000 liters per second performance in a very compact package size.

Adixen ATH 2300M is capable of pumping up to 2,000 sccm of argon in order to meet the highest requirements for the 0,12 micron geometry etching processes.

Adixen’s particle reduction technology is featured in the ATH 2300M, ATH 1600M, ATH 1300M and ATH 400M. These pumps offer high troughput, high pressure, corrosive gas pumping and are quickly becoming the turbopump of choice in fabs throughout the world.

Additionally these pumps feature state of the art technologies which include:
- 5 active axes; the most reliable and proven magnetic bearing technology.
- Automatic balancing system for any rotor imbalance compensation.
- Integrated heating system up to 75°C to eliminate the condensation of by-products.
- Inert gas purge to prevent particle build up.

The Adixen Maglev Turbopumps are maintenance free, battery free dedicated to metal, dielectric or poly etch, ion implantation, sputtering and plasma deposition.

Announces A New Family of User- Programmable, Hall-Effect Linear Sensors in Miniature Packages

Allegro has introduced to the industry the first family of programmable, Hall-effect, linear sensors available in miniature package options: TO-92 (3-lead, single in-line package) or SOT-23W (3-lead, surface mount). This new family of devices further enhances Allegro’s already diverse portfolio of position detecting sensors as they provide users with the accuracy and flexibility of fully programmable linears without the penalty of a larger package and higher cost. This flexibility and accuracy is accomplished in two ways. First, the one-time programmable, read-only memory (OTP-ROM) contained in these analog sensors allows users to optimize the device in a finished sensor assembly. This optimization serves to reduce inaccuracies caused by manufacturing tolerances and simplifies the assembly process. Second, the patented dynamic offset cancellation provides extremely low offset and minimal temperature drift.

Through a series of voltage pulses on the output of either three-lead, miniature package, the user is able to finely adjust the sensitivity of these devices around one of four predetermined nominal values (2.5 mV/G, 3.1 mV/G, 5.0 mV/G and 7.0 mV/G). Even greater flexibility is available by means of adjusting the quiescent output voltage (output without the presence of a magnetic field) and the temperature coefficient, as well as setting the output polarity for each device. The temperature coefficient of this family is designed to compensate for temperature coefficients of typical samarium cobalt (SmCo) magnets.

Targeting primarily the automotive and industrial markets, Allegro’s A138xELHLT-T is priced at $1.01 in quantities of 1,000 and the A138xLLHLT-T is priced at $1.07 in quantities of 1,000. All devices in the series have a 12 to 14 week typical lead-time to market.

West Coast Magnetics is pleased announce a new inductor technology, which achieves a major improvement in cost and efficiency over existing inductor technology. This new technology combines the low DC resistance of a foil wound inductor with the low AC resistance of a litz wire wound inductor.

For high current, high ripple applications at frequencies of 10 kHz and up loss reductions in the range of 25 percent to 50 percent compared to conventional wire wound devices are typical. The technology fits very well with the newer classes of silicon devices such as IGBTs designed to operate at current levels of 100 amps and up and at frequencies over 10 Khz.

The technology was patented by the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College and is under exclusive license by West Coast Magnetics. West Coast Magnetics has worked closely with Dartmouth to develop the technology so that it is ready for commercial use.

“Very simply, this new technology, will lead to the use of smaller and lower cost inductors for a host of very important developing power electronic applications in the energy field,” said Weyman Lundquist, president, West Coast Magnetics. “Wind energy, hybrid vehicles, solar energy and many other environmentally friendly energy technologies rely on continued improvements in power electronics, and power inductors are one of the main building blocks of virtually all power electronic equipment.”

West Coast Magnetics has completed a market forecast, which concludes that the global market for inductors of the class which stand to benefit from this new technology is forecasted to exceed $1 billion by 2010, and reach $2.5 billion by 2015. The breakdown in 2015 is $832 million for hybrid vehicles (including heavy commercial, passenger, and light utility), $812 million for solar, wind and other power generation and transmission applications, $464 million for large uninterruptible power supplies and $359 for other categories.

If the technology is extended into lower power applications such as personal computers, desktop electronic equipment and handheld devices the total global market will exceed $5 billion in 2015.

Arnold Magnetic Technologies today has completed the acquisition of the Precision Magnetics Group (“PM Group”) of companies in Europe and the US from Archibald Cox, Jr. The PM Group companies have operations in Sheffield, England, Lupfig, Switzerland and Wayne, New Jersey. In addition, Precision Magnetics AG of Lupfig, Switzerland is a Joint Venture partner with GQD of Ganzhou, China which produces Samarium Cobalt raw materials. The PM Group Companies manufacture a wide variety of Samarium Cobalt materials and precision assemblies for Aerospace and Military applications.

“We are excited about adding this significant new resource to the family of Arnold Companies,” said Gordon H. McNeil, chairman & CEO of Arnold Magnetic Technologies. “This acquisition allows Arnold to solidify its position as a global producer of precision magnetic materials and systems for a wide variety of markets. The Precision Magnetics Group has a strong market position with a global presence and we look forward to working with the company’s experienced management team to further Arnold’s growth objectives. This transaction underscores Arnold’s commitment to invest in global high-end magnetics businesses.

Kirkland & Ellis LLP advised Arnold Magnetic Technologies and Financing was arranged through an increased commitment from Freeport Financial LLC.”

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