Method for providing a power inductor

1. A method for providing a power inductor, comprising:

forming a first magnetic core material having first and second ends and an inner cavity that extends from said first end to said second end in a first direction;

forming a first notch in said first magnetic core material that projects inwardly towards said inner cavity from one of said first and second ends in said first direction;

passing a first conductor through said inner cavity in said first direction, the first conductor being retained by said first notch; and

forming a second notch in said first magnetic core material that projects inwardly towards said inner cavity from the other of said first and second ends in said first direction, wherein said first conductor is also retained by said second notch.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said first conductor is not insulated.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

forming a third notch in said first magnetic core material that projects inwardly towards said inner cavity from said one of said first and second ends; and

forming a fourth notch in said first magnetic core material that projects inwardly towards said inner cavity from the other of said first and second ends.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising passing a second conductor through said inner cavity that is retained by said third and fourth notches.

5. The method of claim 3 further comprising passing said first conductor through said inner cavity at least two times so that said first conductor also is retained by said third and fourth notches.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising implementing said power inductor in a DC/DC converter.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein a cross-sectional shape of said first notch is one of square, circular, rectangular, elliptical, oval, and terraced.

8. A method for providing a power inductor, comprising:

forming a first magnetic core material having first and second ends and an inner cavity that extends from said first end to said second end;

forming a first notch in said first magnetic core material that projects inwardly towards said inner cavity from one of said first and second ends;

passing a first conductor through said inner cavity that is received by said first notch; and

forming 2n+1 additional notches in said first magnetic core material that project inwardly towards said inner cavity, wherein said first conductor is also received by said 2n+1 additional notches and said first conductor passes through said inner cavity n+1 times.

9. A method for providing a power inductor, comprising:

forming a first magnetic core material having first and second ends and an inner cavity that extends from said first end to said second end;

forming a first notch in said first magnetic core material that projects inwardly towards said inner cavity from one of said first and second ends;

passing a first conductor through said inner cavity that is received by said first notch; and

forming a slotted air gap in said first magnetic core material that extends from said first end to said second end.

10. A method for providing a power inductor, comprising:

forming a first magnetic core material having first and second ends and an inner cavity that extends from said first end to said second end;

forming a first notch in said first magnetic core material that projects inwardly towards said inner cavity from one of said first and second ends;

passing a first conductor through said inner cavity that is received by said first notch;

forming a slotted air gap in said first magnetic core material that extends from said first end to said second end; and

arranging an eddy current reducing material adjacent to at least one of an inner opening of said slotted air gap in said inner cavity between said slotted air gap and said first conductor and an outer opening of said slotted air gap, wherein said eddy current reducing material has a permeability that is lower than said first magnetic core material.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein said eddy current reducing material has a low magnetic permeability.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said eddy current reducing material comprises a soft magnetic material.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein said soft magnetic material comprises a powdered metal.

14. A method for providing a power inductor, comprising:

forming a first magnetic core material having first and second ends and an inner cavity that extends from said first end to said second end in a first direction;

forming a first notch in said first magnetic core material that projects inwardly towards said inner cavity from one of said first and second ends in said first direction;

passing a first conductor through said inner cavity in said first direction, the first conductor being retained by said first notch;

forming a second notch in said first magnetic core material that projects inwardly from one of said first and second ends in said first direction; and

passing a second conductor through said inner cavity in said first direction, the second conductor being retained by said second notch.

15. A method for providing a power inductor, comprising:

forming a first magnetic core material having first and second ends and an inner cavity that extends from said first end to said second end;

forming a first notch in said first magnetic core material that projects inwardly towards said inner cavity from one of said first and second ends;

passing a first conductor through said inner cavity that is received by said first notch;

forming a second notch in said first magnetic core material that projects inwardly from one of said first and second ends;

passing a second conductor through said inner cavity that is received by said second notch; and

creating a projection of said first magnetic core material that extends outwardly from a first side of said first magnetic core material between said first and second conductors.

16. A method for providing a power inductor, comprising:

forming a first magnetic core material having first and second ends and an inner cavity that extends from said first end to said second end in a first direction;

forming a first notch in said first magnetic core material that projects inwardly towards said inner cavity from one of said first and second ends in said first direction;

passing a first conductor through said inner cavity in said first direction, the first conductor being retained by said first notch; and

arranging an insulating material on an outer surface of said first conductor.

17. A method for providing a power inductor, comprising:

forming a first magnetic core material having first and second ends and an inner cavity that extends from said first end to said second end in a first direction;

forming a first notch in said first magnetic core material that projects inwardly towards said inner cavity from one of said first and second ends in said first direction;

passing a first conductor through said inner cavity in said first direction, the first conductor being retained by said first notch, wherein a cross-sectional shape of said first magnetic core material is one of square, circular, rectangular, elliptical, and oval.

18. A method for providing a power inductor, comprising:

forming a first magnetic core material having first and second ends and an inner cavity that extends from said first end to said second end in a first direction;

forming a first notch in said first magnetic core material that projects inwardly towards said inner cavity from one of said first and second ends in said first direction;

passing a first conductor through said inner cavity in said first direction, the first conductor being retained by said first notch; and

locating a first end of said first conductor and a second end of said first conductor along an outer side of said first magnetic core material.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising surface mounting said first and second ends of said first conductor on a printed circuit board.

20. A method for providing a power inductor, comprising:

forming a first magnetic core material having first and second ends and an inner cavity that extends from said first end to said second end in a first direction;

forming a first notch in said first magnetic core material that projects inwardly towards said inner cavity from one of said first and second ends in said first direction;

passing a first conductor through said inner cavity in said first direction, the first conductor being retained by said first notch; and

projecting first and second ends of said first conductor outwardly from said first magnetic core material.

21. A method for providing a power inductor, comprising:

forming a first magnetic core material having first and second ends and an inner cavity that extends from said first end to said second end;

forming a first notch in said first magnetic core material that projects inwardly towards said inner cavity from one of said first and second ends;

passing a first conductor through said inner cavity that is received by said first notch;

projecting first and second ends of said first conductor outwardly from said first magnetic core material; and

surface mounting and first and second ends of said first conductor on a printed circuit board in a gull wing configuration.

22. A method for providing a power inductor, comprising:

forming a first magnetic core material having first and second ends and an inner cavity that extends from said first end to said second end;

forming a first notch in said first magnetic core material that projects inwardly towards said inner cavity from one of said first and second ends;

passing a first conductor through said inner cavity that is received by said first notch;

projecting first and second ends of said first conductor outwardly from said first magnetic core material; and

locating said at least one of said first and second ends of said first conductor in plated-through holes of a printed circuit board.

23. A method for providing a power inductor, comprising:

forming a first magnetic core material having first and second ends and an inner cavity that extends from said first end to said second end;

forming a first notch in said first magnetic core material that projects inwardly towards said inner cavity from one of said first and second ends;

passing a first conductor through said inner cavity that is received by said first notch;

forming a slotted air gap in said first magnetic core material that extends from said first end to said second end; and locating a second magnetic core material at least one of in and adjacent to said slotted air gap, wherein said first magnetic core material comprises a ferrite bead core material.

24. The method of claim 23 further comprising implementing said power inductor in a DC/DC converter.

25. The method of claim 23 wherein said first and second magnetic core materials are self-locking in at least two orthogonal planes.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein opposing walls of said first magnetic core material that are adjacent to said slotted air gap are “V”-shaped.

27. The method of claim 25 wherein said second magnetic core material is “T”-shaped and extends partially along at least one inner wall of said first magnetic core material.

28. The method of claim 25 wherein said second magnetic core material is “H”-shaped and extends partially along inner and outer walls of said first magnetic core material.

29. The method of claim 25 further comprising forming distributed gaps in said second magnetic core material to lower a permeability of said second magnetic core material.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein said second magnetic core material includes a ferrite bead core material and said distributed gaps comprise distributed air gaps.

31. The method of claim 25 wherein flux flows through a magnetic path in said power inductor and wherein said second magnetic core material is less than 30% of said magnetic path.

32. The method of claim 25 wherein flux flows through a magnetic path in said power inductor and wherein said second magnetic core material is less than 20% of said magnetic path.

33. The method of claim 25 further comprising attaching said first and second magnetic core materials together using at least one of adhesive and a strap.

34. A method for providing a power inductor, comprising:

forming a first magnetic core material having first and second ends and an inner cavity that extends from said first end to said second end;

forming a first notch in said first magnetic core material that projects inwardly towards said inner cavity from one of said first and second ends;

passing a first conductor through said inner cavity that is received by said first notch; and

forming said first notch in said first magnetic core material during molding and before sintering.

35. A method for providing a power inductor, comprising:

forming a first magnetic core material having first and second lengthwise ends and an inner cavity that extends from said first lengthwise end to said second lengthwise end;

forming a first notch in said first magnetic core material that projects inwardly towards said inner cavity from one of said first and second lengthwise ends;

passing a first conductor through said inner cavity from said first lengthwise end to said second lengthwise end that is received by said first notch; and

forming a second notch in said first magnetic core material that projects inwardly towards said inner cavity from the other of said first and second ends, wherein said first conductor is also received by said second notch.