SOFT MAGNETIC MATERIAL AND ELECTRONIC COMPONENT

1 . A soft magnetic material comprising a powder-particle aggregate having a particle size frequency distribution having a plurality of peak tops,

wherein the powder-particle aggregate is an aggregate of composite particles containing a plurality of soft magnetic metal particles, the powder-particle aggregate including a medium-sized particle powder which is the composite particles having a particle size equal to or greater than 45 μm and smaller than 300 μm, and

wherein the medium particle powder has an average circularity equal to or greater than 0.7.

2 . The soft magnetic material according to claim 1 ,

wherein the particle size frequency distribution is separated into a plurality of individual peaks each having a peak top corresponding to one of the plurality of peak tops, the plurality of individual peaks including:

a first peak having a first peak top, a first particle size corresponding to the first peak top having a largest value among a plurality of particle sizes corresponding to the plurality of peak tops; and

a second peak having a second peak top, a second particle size corresponding to the second peak top having a second largest value after the first particle size among the plurality of particle sizes,

and wherein a ratio A β of a peak area of the second peak to a total area of the plurality of peaks is equal to or greater than 0.20.

3 . The soft magnetic material according to claim 2 ,

wherein the plurality of individual peaks further include one or more third peaks each having a third peak top, a third particle size corresponding to the third peak top having a value smaller than the second particle size,

wherein a ratio A γ of a sum of peak areas of the one or more third peaks to the total area of the plurality of peaks is equal to or smaller than 0.15, and

wherein the ratio A γ is smaller than a ratio A α of a peak area of the first peak to the total area of the plurality of peaks, and smaller than the ratio A β .

4 . The soft magnetic material according to claim 1 ,

wherein the powder-particle aggregate has a cumulative particle size distribution, in which a ratio D90/D10 obtained by dividing a particle size D90 corresponding to a cumulative frequency at 90% by a particle size D10 corresponding to a cumulative frequency at 10% is equal to or smaller than 20.0.

5 . The soft magnetic material according to claim 1 ,

wherein the powder-particle aggregate has a cumulative particle size distribution, in a particle size D50 corresponding to a cumulative frequency at 50% is equal to or greater than 200 μm.

6 . The soft magnetic material according to claim 5 ,

wherein the particle size D50 is equal to or smaller than 650 μm.

7 . The soft magnetic material according to claim 1 ,

wherein the powder-particle aggregate has a cumulative particle size distribution, in which a particle size D90 corresponding to a cumulative frequency at 90% is equal to or smaller than 850 μm.

8 . The soft magnetic material according to claim 1 ,

wherein a proportion of an area occupied by the plurality of soft magnetic metal particles relative to an area of the composite particles is equal to or greater than 60% in a cross-section of the composite particles.

9 . The soft magnetic material according to claim 1 ,

wherein the powder-particle aggregate has a cumulative particle size distribution, in which a ratio D90/D10 obtained by dividing a particle size D90 corresponding to a cumulative frequency at 90% by a particle size D10 corresponding to a cumulative frequency at 10% is equal to or greater than 5.0 and equal to or smaller than 11.0, and a particle size D50 corresponding to a cumulative frequency at 50% is equal to or greater than 200 μm and equal to or smaller than 460 μm, and

wherein with respect to 100 or more composite particles of the powder-particle aggregate, a proportion of the composite particles having a ratio D max /D min , which is a ratio of a maximum diameter D max to a minimum diameter D min , equal to or smaller than 2.0 is equal to or greater than 80%.

10 . The soft magnetic material according to claim 1 ,

wherein the composite particles contain a binder binding the plurality of soft magnetic metal particles together, a hardness of the binder being not greater than 0.25 times a hardness of the soft magnetic metal particles,

wherein the soft magnetic metal particles are amorphous soft magnetic particles, and

wherein the plurality of soft magnetic metal particles have a cumulative particle size distribution, in which a particle size D90p corresponding to a cumulative frequency at 90% is equal to or smaller than 150 μm.

11 . An electronic component comprising:

the soft magnetic material according to claim 1 .