Common mode choke coil and electronic apparatus

This application claims the benefit of priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2015-239972 filed on Dec. 9, 2015 and is a Continuation Application of PCT Application No. PCT/JP2016/084374 filed on Nov. 21, 2016. The entire contents of each application are hereby incorporated herein by reference.

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a common mode choke coil including a first coil and a second coil connected to each other by magnetic field coupling, and an electronic apparatus including such a common mode choke coil.

2. Description of the Related Art

A common mode noise filter disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2012-195332 is known as an example of an existing common mode choke coil. FIG. 16 is an equivalent circuit diagram of a common mode filter 500 disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2012-195332.

As illustrated in FIG. 16 , the common mode filter 500 includes coils 502 , 504 , 506 and 508 , and input-output terminals 510 , 512 , 514 and 516 . The coils 502 and 504 are connected in series between the input-output terminal 510 and the input-output terminal 512 . The coils 506 and 508 are connected in series between the input-output terminal 514 and the input-output terminal 516 . The coil 502 and the coil 506 are connected to each other by magnetic field coupling to configure a first filter section. The coil 504 and the coil 508 are connected to each other by magnetic field coupling to configure a second filter section. A coupling coefficient between the first filter section and the second filter section is set to −0.5 to +0.5.

According to the common mode filter 500 , the first filter section and the second filter section form attenuation poles in two different frequency bands in the common mode attenuation characteristics. This makes it possible for the common mode filter 500 to remove common mode noise in a wide frequency band.

However, in the common mode filter 500 disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2012-195332, large transmission loss is likely to be generated for reasons explained below. More specifically, in the common mode filter 500 , in order to form two attenuation poles, the coils 502 and 504 are connected in series, and the coils 506 and 508 are also connected in series. Because of this, a DC resistance value between the input-output terminals 510 and 512 , and a DC resistance value between the input-output terminals 514 and 516 undesirably become large. As a result, large transmission loss is generated in the common mode filter 500 .

Preferred embodiments of the present invention provide common mode choke coils and electronic apparatuses capable of attenuating common mode noise in a wide frequency band and reducing transmission loss.

A common mode choke coil according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a differential transmission line including a first signal line and a second signal line; a main circuit including a first coil provided in the first signal line, and a second coil provided in the second signal line and connected to the first coil by magnetic field coupling; and a parallel resonance circuit including a third coil connected to both the first coil and the second coil by magnetic field coupling, and a first capacitor electrically connected in parallel to the third coil. In the common mode choke coil, a first resonant frequency of the main circuit is the same or substantially the same as a second resonant frequency of the parallel resonance circuit.

An electronic apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes an electric circuit and a common mode choke coil. The common mode choke coil includes a differential transmission line including a first signal line and a second signal line that are electrically connected to the electric circuit; a main circuit including a first coil provided in the first signal line, and a second coil provided in the second signal line and connected to the first coil by magnetic field coupling; and a parallel resonance circuit including a third coil connected to both the first coil and the second coil by magnetic field coupling, and a first capacitor electrically connected in parallel to the third coil. In the common mode choke coil, a first resonant frequency of the main circuit is equal or substantially equal to a second resonant frequency of the parallel resonance circuit.

According to preferred embodiments of the present invention, common mode noise is attenuated in a wide frequency band and transmission loss is reduced.

The above and other elements, features, steps, characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments with reference to the attached drawings.

FIG. 1 is an equivalent circuit diagram of a common mode choke coil 10 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an external appearance perspective view of the common mode choke coil 10 .

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of an element body 12 of the common mode choke coil 10 .

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the element body 12 of the common mode choke coil 10 .

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the element body 12 of the common mode choke coil 10 .

FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the element body 12 of the common mode choke coil 10 .

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating trajectories R 1 and R 2 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating trajectories R 3 and R 4 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of an electronic apparatus 100 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an equivalent circuit diagram of a common mode choke coil 200 according to a comparative example of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a graph showing bandpass characteristics (Scc21) of common mode noise of the common mode choke coil 200 .

FIG. 12 is an equivalent circuit diagram explaining the common mode choke coil 10 .

FIG. 13 is a graph showing bandpass characteristics (Scc21) of common mode noise of the common mode choke coil 10 .

FIG. 14 is a partially exploded perspective view of a common mode choke coil 310 according to a working example of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15A is a cross-sectional structure view of the common mode choke coil 10 .

FIG. 15B is a cross-sectional structure view of the common mode choke coil 310 .

FIG. 16 is an equivalent circuit diagram of the common mode filter 500 disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2012-195332.

Hereinafter, the common mode choke coil 10 and the electronic apparatus 100 according to preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

First, an equivalent circuit diagram of the common mode choke coil 10 will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an equivalent circuit diagram of the common mode choke coil 10 .

As illustrated in FIG. 1 , the common mode choke coil 10 preferably includes a differential transmission line SL 0 , a main circuit MC, a parallel resonance circuit LC, and outer electrodes 14 a to 14 d . The differential transmission line SL 0 is a signal line to transmit a differential mode signal, and preferably includes a signal line SL 1 (an example of a first signal line) and a signal line SL 2 (an example of a second signal line). One end of the signal line SL 1 is connected to the outer electrode 14 a , and the other end of the signal line SL 1 is connected to the outer electrode 14 b . One end of the signal line SL 2 is connected to the outer electrode 14 c , and the other end of the signal line SL 2 is connected to the outer electrode 14 d.

The main circuit MC preferably includes a coil L 1 (an example of a first coil), a coil L 2 (an example of a second coil), parasitic capacitance Cp 1 , and parasitic capacitance Cp 2 . The coil L 1 is provided in the signal line SL 1 . The coil L 2 is provided in the signal line SL 2 . The coils L 1 and L 2 are connected to each other by magnetic field coupling. The parasitic capacitance (capacitor) Cp 1 and parasitic capacitance (capacitor) Cp 2 are parasitic capacitance generated between the coil L 1 and the coil L 2 . The parasitic capacitance Cp 1 is connected between one end of the coil L 1 and one end of the coil L 2 . The parasitic capacitance Cp 2 is connected between the other end of the coil L 1 and the other end of the coil L 2 .

The resonant frequency of the main circuit MC configured as described above is a frequency f 1 (an example of a first resonant frequency). The frequency f 1 is determined by inductance values of the coils L 1 and L 2 , and capacitance values of the parasitic capacitance Cp 1 and parasitic capacitance Cp 2 . In the present preferred embodiment, the frequency f 1 is preferably 3.2 GHz, for example.

The parallel resonance circuit LC includes a coil L 3 (an example of a third coil) and a capacitor C 1 (an example of a first capacitor). Further, the coil L 3 preferably includes coils La and Lb. The coil La, the coil Lb, and the capacitor C 1 are connected in parallel to one another. The coil La is connected to the coils L 1 and L 2 by magnetic field coupling, and mainly connected to the coil L 1 by magnetic field coupling. The coil Lb is connected to the coils L 1 and L 2 by magnetic field coupling, and mainly connected to the coil L 2 by magnetic field coupling. Note that the parallel resonance circuit LC is connected to none of the signal lines SL 1 and SL 2 .

The resonant frequency of the parallel resonance circuit LC configured as described above is a frequency f 2 (an example of a second resonant frequency). The frequency f 2 is determined by an inductance value of the coil L 3 and a capacitance value of the capacitor C 1 . The common mode choke coil 10 is structured such that the frequency f 1 and the frequency f 2 are equal or substantially equal to each other. In the present preferred embodiment, the frequency f 2 is 3.5 GHz, for example.

Next, a specific configuration of the common mode choke coil 10 will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 is an external appearance perspective view of the common mode choke coil 10 . FIGS. 3 and 4 are each an exploded perspective view of the element body 12 of the common mode choke coil 10 . FIGS. 5 and 6 are each an exploded view of the element body 12 of the common mode choke coil 10 . Note that in FIGS. 5 and 6 , insulator layers 16 a and 16 w are not illustrated. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating trajectories R 1 and R 2 . FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating trajectories R 3 and R 4 .

Hereinafter, a lamination direction of the element body 12 is referred to as an up-down direction (an example of a first direction), a direction in which a long side of the element body 12 extends, when the element body 12 being viewed from the upper side, is defined as a right-left direction, and a direction in which a short side of the element body 12 extends is defined as a front-rear direction. The up-down direction, the right-left direction, and the front-rear direction are orthogonal to one another.

The common mode choke coil 10 preferably includes, as a specific configuration, the element body 12 , the outer electrodes 14 a to 14 d , coil conductor layers 18 a to 18 s , 20 a to 20 s , 30 a and 30 b , extended conductor layers 24 a , 24 b , 26 a and 26 b , and via hole conductors v 1 to v 40 , and v 50 .

The element body 12 is preferably defined by insulator layers 16 a to 16 w (an example of a plurality of base material layers) being laminated in that order from the upper side toward the lower side. The insulator layers 16 a to 16 w are each provided in a rectangular shape, and LTCC (Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramics) is preferably used as the material thereof. Hereinafter, a principal surface on the upper side of each of the insulator layers 16 a to 16 w will be referred to as a front surface, and a principal surface on the lower side of each of the insulator layers 16 a to 16 w will be referred to as a reverse surface.

The outer electrode 14 a has a belt shape extending in the up-down direction in the left half region of a rear surface of the element body 12 . The outer electrode 14 b has a belt shape extending in the up-down direction in the left half region of a front surface of the element body 12 . The outer electrode 14 c has a belt shape extending in the up-down direction in the right half region of the rear surface of the element body 12 . The outer electrode 14 d has a belt shape extending in the up-down direction in the right half region of the front surface of the element body 12 . The outer electrodes 14 a to 14 d are folded back onto an upper surface and a lower surface. The above-discussed outer electrodes 14 a to 14 d are preferably made of Ni plating and Sn plating being applied on an underlying electrode whose main ingredient is copper.

The coils L 1 to L 3 and the capacitor C 1 are preferably defined with conductor layers provided on insulator layers, as described below.

The coil L 1 preferably has a spiral shape including a winding axis extending in the up-down direction (not illustrated); in the present preferred embodiment, when viewed from the upper side, the coil L 1 has a spiral shape extending forward from the upper side toward the lower side while looping in a counterclockwise direction. The winding axis of the coil L 1 is positioned on an intersecting point of diagonal lines of the element body 12 when viewed from the upper side. The coil L 1 includes the coil conductor layers 18 a to 18 s (an example of a plurality of first coil conductor layers) and the via hole conductors v 1 to v 20 (an example of a first interlayer connection conductor).

The coil conductor layers 18 a to 18 s are linear conductor layers respectively provided on the front surfaces of the insulator layers 16 b to 16 l and 16 o to 16 v , and define trajectories R 1 and R 3 by overlapping with one another when viewed from the upper side, as illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8 . The trajectories R 1 and R 3 are each preferably formed in a rectangular shape. Note that, however, the left half of each of the trajectories R 1 and R 3 is larger in size than the right half of each of the trajectories R 1 and R 3 . In addition, a diameter of the trajectory R 1 (an example of a second diameter) is larger than a diameter of the trajectory R 3 (an example of a first diameter). The trajectory R 3 is enclosed within the trajectory R 1 . The trajectories R 1 and R 3 are not circular, but are instead preferably rectangular. Because of this, an average value of distance from the center of gravity of each of the trajectories R 1 and R 3 to each of the trajectories R 1 and R 3 is taken as the diameter of each of the trajectories R 1 and R 3 .

Each of the coil conductor layers 18 a , 18 e , 18 i , 18 o , and 18 s is provided in the left half region on the front surface of each of the insulator layers 16 b , 16 f , 16 j , 16 r , and 16 v . Each of the coil conductor layers 18 a , 18 e , 18 i , 18 o , and 18 s loops in the counterclockwise direction from the vicinity of the center of a long side on the rear side of each of the insulator layers 16 b , 16 f , 16 j , 16 r , and 16 v to the vicinity of the center of a long side on the front side of each of the insulator layers 16 b , 16 f , 16 j , 16 r , and 16 v , and has a length equivalent to a half loop. The coil conductor layers 18 a , 18 e , 18 i , 18 o , and 18 s overlap with the left half of the trajectory R 1 , and each have a relatively large diameter (an example of the second diameter).

Each of the coil conductor layers 18 d , 18 h , 18 n , and 18 r is provided in the right half region on the front surface of each of the insulator layers 16 e , 16 i , 16 q , and 16 u . Each of the coil conductor layers 18 d , 18 h , 18 n , and 18 r loops in the counterclockwise direction from the vicinity of the center of a long side on the front side of each of the insulator layers 16 e , 16 i , 16 q , and 16 u to the vicinity of the center of a long side on the rear side of each of the insulator layers 16 e , 16 i , 16 q , and 16 u , and has a length equivalent to a half loop. The coil conductor layers 18 d , 18 h , 18 n , and 18 r overlap with the right half of the trajectory R 1 , and each have a relatively large diameter (an example of the second diameter).

Each of the coil conductor layers 18 c , 18 g , 18 k , 18 m , and 18 q is provided in the left half region on the front surface of each of the insulator layers 16 d , 16 h , 16 l , 16 p , and 16 t . Each of the coil conductor layers 18 c , 18 g , 18 k , 18 m , and 18 q loops in the counterclockwise direction from the vicinity of the center of a long side on the rear side of each of the insulator layers 16 d , 16 h , 16 l , 16 p , and 16 t to the vicinity of the center of a long side on the front side of each of the insulator layers 16 d , 16 h , 16 l , 16 p , and 16 t , and has a length equivalent to a half loop. The coil conductor layers 18 c , 18 g , 18 k , 18 m , and 18 q overlap with the left half of the trajectory R 3 , and each have a relatively small diameter (an example of the first diameter).

Each of the coil conductor layers 18 b , 18 f , 18 j , 18 l , and 18 p is provided in the right half region on the front surface of each of the insulator layers 16 c , 16 g , 16 k , 16 o , and 16 s . Each of the coil conductor layers 18 b , 18 f , 18 j , 18 l , and 18 p loops in the counterclockwise direction from the vicinity of the center of a long side on the front side of each of the insulator layers 16 c , 16 g , 16 k , 16 o , and 16 s to the vicinity of the center of a long side on the rear side of each of the insulator layers 16 c , 16 g , 16 k , 16 o , and 16 s , and has a length equivalent to a half loop. The coil conductor layers 18 b , 18 f , 18 j , 18 l , and 18 p overlap with the right half of the trajectory R 3 , and each have a relatively small diameter (an example of the first diameter).

In the above-discussed coil conductor layers 18 a to 18 s , an end portion on the upstream side in the counterclockwise direction is referred to as an upstream end, and an end portion on the downstream side in the counterclockwise direction is referred to as a downstream end.

The via hole conductor v 1 passes through the insulator layer 16 b in the up-down direction to connect the downstream end of the coil conductor layer 18 a and the upstream end of the coil conductor layer 18 b . The via hole conductor v 2 passes through the insulator layer 16 c in the up-down direction to connect the downstream end of the coil conductor layer 18 b and the upstream end of the coil conductor layer 18 c . The via hole conductor v 3 passes through the insulator layer 16 d in the up-down direction to connect the downstream end of the coil conductor layer 18 c and the upstream end of the coil conductor layer 18 d . The via hole conductor v 4 passes through the insulator layer 16 e in the up-down direction to connect the downstream end of the coil conductor layer 18 d and the upstream end of the coil conductor layer 18 e . The via hole conductor v 5 passes through the insulator layer 16 f in the up-down direction to connect the downstream end of the coil conductor layer 18 e and the upstream end of the coil conductor layer 18 f . The via hole conductor v 6 passes through the insulator layer 16 g in the up-down direction to connect the downstream end of the coil conductor layer 18 f and the upstream end of the coil conductor layer 18 g . The via hole conductor v 7 passes through the insulator layer 16 h in the up-down direction to connect the downstream end of the coil conductor layer 18 g and the upstream end of the coil conductor layer 18 h . The via hole conductor v 8 passes through the insulator layer 16 i in the up-down direction to connect the downstream end of the coil conductor layer 18 h and the upstream end of the coil conductor layer 18 i . The via hole conductor v 9 passes through the insulator layer 16 j in the up-down direction to connect the downstream end of the coil conductor layer 18 i and the upstream end of the coil conductor layer 18 j . The via hole conductor v 10 passes through the insulator layer 16 k in the up-down direction to connect the downstream end of the coil conductor layer 18 j and the upstream end of the coil conductor layer 18 k.

The via hole conductors v 11 to v 13 pass through the insulator layers 16 l to 16 n in the up-down direction, and are connected to each other to provide a sequence of via hole conductors. The via hole conductors v 11 to v 13 connect the downstream end of the coil conductor layer 18 k and the upstream end of the coil conductor layer 18 l . The via hole conductor v 14 passes through the insulator layer 16 o in the up-down direction to connect the downstream end of the coil conductor layer 18 l and the upstream end of the coil conductor layer 18 m . The via hole conductor v 15 passes through the insulator layer 16 p in the up-down direction to connect the downstream end of the coil conductor layer 18 m and the upstream end of the coil conductor layer 18 n . The via hole conductor v 16 passes through the insulator layer 16 q in the up-down direction to connect the downstream end of the coil conductor layer 18 n and the upstream end of the coil conductor layer 180 . The via hole conductor v 17 passes through the insulator layer 16 r in the up-down direction to connect the downstream end of the coil conductor layer 18 o and the upstream end of the coil conductor layer 18 p . The via hole conductor v 18 passes through the insulator layer 16 s in the up-down direction to connect the downstream end of the coil conductor layer 18 p and the upstream end of the coil conductor layer 18 q . The via hole conductor v 19 passes through the insulator layer 16 t in the up-down direction to connect the downstream end of the coil conductor layer 18 q and the upstream end of the coil conductor layer 18 r . The via hole conductor v 20 passes through the insulator layer 16 u in the up-down direction to connect the downstream end of the coil conductor layer 18 r and the upstream end of the coil conductor layer 18 s.

In the coil L 1 described above, the coil conductor layers 18 b and 18 c define a loop with a relatively small diameter, while the coil conductor layers 18 d and 18 e define a loop with a relatively large diameter. Likewise, as for the coil conductor layers 18 f to 18 s , two coil conductor layers connected to each other define a loop with a relatively small diameter, while other two coil conductor layers connected to each other define a loop with a relatively large diameter. As a result, the diameter of the coil L 1 changes to the relatively small one (an example of the first diameter) or to the relatively large one (an example of the second diameter) every time the coil L 1 defines a loop.

The signal line SL 1 includes the extended conductor layers 24 a and 24 b . The extended conductor layer 24 a is a linear conductor layer provided on the front surface of the insulator layer 16 b , and connects the upstream end of the coil conductor layer 18 a and the outer electrode 14 a . The extended conductor layer 24 b is a linear conductor layer provided on the front surface of the insulator layer 16 v , and connects the downstream end of the coil conductor layer 18 s and the outer electrode 14 b.

The coil L 2 has a spiral shape including a winding axis extending in the up-down direction (not illustrated); in the present preferred embodiment, when viewed from the upper side, the coil L 2 has a spiral shape extending forward from the upper side toward the lower side while looping in the counterclockwise direction. The winding axis of the coil L 2 is positioned on an intersecting point of diagonal lines of the element body 12 when viewed from the upper side. The coil L 2 loops along the coil L 1 . The coil L 2 includes the coil conductor layers 20 a to 20 s (an example of a plurality of second coil conductor layers) and the via hole conductors v 21 to v 40 (an example of a second interlayer connection conductor).

The coil conductor layers 20 a to 20 s are linear conductor layers respectively provided on the front surfaces of the insulator layers 16 b to 16 l and 16 o to 16 v , and define trajectories R 2 and R 4 by overlapping with one another when viewed from the upper side, as illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8 . The trajectories R 2 and R 4 are each formed in a rectangular shape. Note that, however, the right half of each of the trajectories R 2 and R 4 is larger in size than the left half of each of the trajectories R 2 and R 4 . In addition, a diameter of the trajectory R 2 (an example of the second diameter) is larger than a diameter of the trajectory R 4 (an example of the first diameter). The trajectory R 4 is enclosed within the trajectory R 2 . The trajectories R 2 and R 4 are not circular, but are instead preferably rectangular. Because of this, an average value of distance from the center of gravity of each of the trajectories R 2 and R 4 to each of the trajectories R 2 and R 4 is taken as the diameter of each of the trajectories R 2 and R 4 .

Each of the coil conductor layers 20 a , 20 e , 20 i , 20 o , and 20 s is provided in the left half region on the front surface of each of the insulator layers 16 b , 16 f , 16 j , 16 r , and 16 v . Each of the coil conductor layers 20 a , 20 e , 20 i , 20 o , and 20 s loops in the counterclockwise direction from the vicinity of the center of a long side on the rear side of each of the insulator layers 16 b , 16 f , 16 j , 16 r , and 16 v to the vicinity of the center of a long side on the front side of each of the insulator layers 16 b , 16 f , 16 j , 16 r , and 16 v , and has a length equivalent to a half loop. Note that each of the coil conductor layers 20 a , 20 e , 20 i , 20 o , and 20 s loops being positioned on an inner circumference side relative to each of the coil conductor layers 18 a , 18 e , 18 i , 18 o , and 18 s . The coil conductor layers 20 a , 20 e , 20 i , 20 o , and 20 s overlap with the left half of the trajectory R 2 , and each have a relatively large diameter (an example of the second diameter).

Each of the coil conductor layers 20 d , 20 h , 20 n , and 20 r is provided in the right half region on the front surface of each of the insulator layers 16 e , 16 i , 16 q , and 16 u . Each of the coil conductor layers 20 d , 20 h , 20 n , and 20 r loops in the counterclockwise direction from the vicinity of the center of a long side on the front side of each of the insulator layers 16 e , 16 i , 16 q , and 16 u to the vicinity of the center of a long side on the rear side of each of the insulator layers 16 e , 16 i , 16 q , and 16 u , and has a length equivalent to a half loop. Note that each of the coil conductor layers 20 d , 20 h , 20 n , and 20 r loops are positioned on an outer circumference side relative to each of the coil conductor layers 18 d , 18 h , 18 n , and 18 r . The coil conductor layers 20 d , 20 h , 20 n , and 20 r overlap with the right half of the trajectory R 2 , and each have a relatively large diameter (an example of the second diameter).

Each of the coil conductor layers 20 c , 20 g , 20 k , 20 m , and 20 q is provided in the left half region on the front surface of each of the insulator layers 16 d , 16 h , 16 l , 16 p , and 16 t . Each of the coil conductor layers 20 c , 20 g , 20 k , 20 m , and 20 q loops in the counterclockwise direction from the vicinity of the center of a long side on the rear side of each of the insulator layers 16 d , 16 h , 16 l , 16 p , and 16 t to the vicinity of the center of a long side on the front side of each of the insulator layers 16 d , 16 h , 16 l , 16 p , and 16 t , and has a length equivalent to a half loop. Note that each of the coil conductor layers 20 c , 20 g , 20 k , 20 m , and 20 q loops being positioned on the inner circumference side relative to each of the coil conductor layers 18 c , 18 g , 18 k , 18 m , and 18 q . The coil conductor layers 20 c , 20 g , 20 k , 20 m , and 20 q overlap with the left half of the trajectory R 4 , and each have a relatively small diameter (an example of the first diameter).

Each of the coil conductor layers 20 b , 20 f , 20 j , 20 l , and 20 p is provided in the right half region on the front surface of each of the insulator layers 16 c , 16 g , 16 k , 16 o , and 16 s . Each of the coil conductor layers 20 b , 20 f , 20 j , 20 l , and 20 p loops in the counterclockwise direction from the vicinity of the center of a long side on the front side of each of the insulator layers 16 c , 16 g , 16 k , 16 o , and 16 s to the vicinity of the center of a long side on the rear side of each of the insulator layers 16 c , 16 g , 16 k , 16 o , and 16 s , and has a length equivalent to a half loop. Note that each of the coil conductor layers 20 b , 20 f , 20 j , 20 l , and 20 p loops being positioned on the outer circumference side relative to each of the coil conductor layers 18 b , 18 f , 18 j , 18 l , and 18 p . The coil conductor layers 20 b , 20 f , 20 j , 20 l , and 20 p overlap with the right half of the trajectory R 4 , and each have a relatively small diameter (an example of the first diameter).

In the above-discussed coil conductor layers 20 a to 20 s , an end portion on the upstream side in the counterclockwise direction is referred to as an upstream end, and an end portion on the downstream side in the counterclockwise direction is referred to as a downstream end.

The via hole conductor v 21 passes through the insulator layer 16 b in the up-down direction to connect the downstream end of the coil conductor layer 20 a and the upstream end of the coil conductor layer 20 b . The via hole conductor v 22 passes through the insulator layer 16 c in the up-down direction to connect the downstream end of the coil conductor layer 20 b and the upstream end of the coil conductor layer 20 c . The via hole conductor v 23 passes through the insulator layer 16 d in the up-down direction to connect the downstream end of the coil conductor layer 20 c and the upstream end of the coil conductor layer 20 d . The via hole conductor v 24 passes through the insulator layer 16 e in the up-down direction to connect the downstream end of the coil conductor layer 20 d and the upstream end of the coil conductor layer 20 e . The via hole conductor v 25 passes through the insulator layer 16 f in the up-down direction to connect the downstream end of the coil conductor layer 20 e and the upstream end of the coil conductor layer 20 f . The via hole conductor v 26 passes through the insulator layer 16 g in the up-down direction to connect the downstream end of the coil conductor layer 20 f and the upstream end of the coil conductor layer 20 g . The via hole conductor v 27 passes through the insulator layer 16 h in the up-down direction to connect the downstream end of the coil conductor layer 20 g and the upstream end of the coil conductor layer 20 h . The via hole conductor v 28 passes through the insulator layer 16 i in the up-down direction to connect the downstream end of the coil conductor layer 20 h and the upstream end of the coil conductor layer 20 i . The via hole conductor v 29 passes through the insulator layer 16 j in the up-down direction to connect the downstream end of the coil conductor layer 20 i and the upstream end of the coil conductor layer 20 j . The via hole conductor v 30 passes through the insulator layer 16 k in the up-down direction to connect the downstream end of the coil conductor layer 20 j and the upstream end of the coil conductor layer 20 k.

Via hole conductors v 31 to v 33 pass through the insulator layers 16 l to 16 n in the up-down direction, and are connected to each other to provide a sequence of via hole conductors. The via hole conductors v 31 to v 33 connect the downstream end of the coil conductor layer 20 k and the upstream end of the coil conductor layer 20 l . The via hole conductor v 34 passes through the insulator layer 16 o in the up-down direction to connect the downstream end of the coil conductor layer 20 l and the upstream end of the coil conductor layer 20 m . The via hole conductor v 35 passes through the insulator layer 16 p in the up-down direction to connect the downstream end of the coil conductor layer 20 m and the upstream end of the coil conductor layer 20 n . The via hole conductor v 36 passes through the insulator layer 16 q in the up-down direction to connect the downstream end of the coil conductor layer 20 n and the upstream end of the coil conductor layer 20 o . The via hole conductor v 37 passes through the insulator layer 16 r in the up-down direction to connect the downstream end of the coil conductor layer 20 o and the upstream end of the coil conductor layer 20 p . The via hole conductor v 38 passes through the insulator layer 16 s in the up-down direction to connect the downstream end of the coil conductor layer 20 p and the upstream end of the coil conductor layer 20 q . The via hole conductor v 39 passes through the insulator layer 16 t in the up-down direction to connect the downstream end of the coil conductor layer 20 q and the upstream end of the coil conductor layer 20 r . The via hole conductor v 40 passes through the insulator layer 16 u in the up-down direction to connect the downstream end of the coil conductor layer 20 r and the upstream end of the coil conductor layer 20 s.

In the coil L 2 described above, the coil conductor layers 20 b and 20 c define a loop with a relatively small diameter, while the coil conductor layers 20 d and 20 e define a loop with a relatively large diameter. Likewise, as for the coil conductor layers 20 f to 20 s , two coil conductor layers connected to each other define a loop with a relatively small diameter, while other two coil conductor layers connected to each other define a loop with a relatively large diameter. As a result, the diameter of the coil L 2 changes to the relatively small one (an example of the first diameter) or to the relatively large one (an example of the second diameter) every time the coil L 2 defines a loop.

A combination of the coil conductor layers 18 a and 20 a provided on the insulator layer 16 b (an example of a first insulator layer) is called a first combination. Likewise, hereinafter, each combination of one of the coil conductor layers 18 c , 18 e , 18 g , 18 i , 18 k , 18 m , 18 o , 18 q , and 18 s respectively provided on the insulator layers 16 d , 16 f , 16 h , 16 j , 16 l , 16 p , 16 r , 16 t , and 16 v (an example of the first insulator layer) and one of the coil conductor layers 20 c , 20 e , 20 g , 20 i , 20 k , 20 m , 20 o , 20 q , and 20 s respectively provided thereon is called the first combination. In the first combinations, the coil conductor layers 20 a , 20 c , 20 e , 20 g , 20 i , 20 k , 20 m , 20 o , 20 q , and 20 s loop being positioned on the inner circumference side relative to the coil conductor layers 18 a , 18 c , 18 e , 18 g , 18 i , 18 k , 18 m , 18 o , 18 q , and 18 s , respectively.

A combination of the coil conductor layers 18 b and 20 b provided on the insulator layer 16 c (an example of a second insulator layer) is called a second combination. Likewise, hereinafter, each combination of one of the coil conductor layers 18 d , 18 f , 18 h , 18 j , 18 l , 18 n , 18 p , and 18 r respectively provided on the insulator layers 16 e , 16 g , 16 i , 16 k , 16 l , 16 q , 16 s , and 16 u (an example of the second insulator layer) and one of the coil conductor layers 20 d , 20 f , 20 h , 20 j , 20 l , 20 n , 20 p , and 20 r respectively provided thereon is called the second combination. In the second combinations, the coil conductor layers 20 b , 20 d , 20 f , 20 h , 20 j , 20 l , 20 n , 20 p , and 20 r loop being positioned on the outer circumference side relative to the coil conductor layers 18 b , 18 d , 18 f , 18 h , 18 j , 18 l , 18 n , 18 p , and 18 r , respectively.

The above-discussed first and second combinations are alternately arranged in the up-down direction. With this, a positional relationship between the coil L 1 and the coil L 2 is such that the positions of the coils L 1 and L 2 are exchanged between the inner circumference side and the outer circumference side every half loop.

The signal line SL 2 includes the extended conductor layers 26 a and 26 b . The extended conductor layer 26 a is a linear conductor layer provided on the front surface of the insulator layer 16 b , and connects the upstream end of the coil conductor layer 20 a and the outer electrode 14 c . The extended conductor layer 26 b is a linear conductor layer provided on the front surface of the insulator layer 16 v , and connects the downstream end of the coil conductor layer 20 s and the outer electrode 14 d.

The coil L 3 has a spiral shape including a winding axis extending in the up-down direction (not illustrated); in the present preferred embodiment, when viewed from the upper side, the coil L 3 has a spiral shape extending forward from the upper side toward the lower side while looping in the counterclockwise direction. The winding axis of the coil L 3 is positioned on an intersecting point of diagonal lines of the element body 12 when viewed from the upper side. The coil L 3 preferably includes the coil conductor layers 30 a and 30 b (an example of a third coil conductor layer) and the via hole conductor v 50 (an example of a third interlayer connection conductor).

The coil conductor layer 30 a is a linear conductor layer provided on the front surface of the insulator layer 16 m , and preferably has an eddy shape extending from the inner circumference side toward the outer circumference side while looping in the counterclockwise direction when viewed from the upper side. The coil conductor layer 30 b is a linear conductor layer provided on the front surface of the insulator layer 16 n , and preferably has an eddy shape extending from the outer circumference side toward the inner circumference side while looping in the counterclockwise direction when viewed from the upper side. In the above-discussed coil conductor layers 30 a , an end portion on the upstream side in the counterclockwise direction is referred to as an upstream end t 2 , and an end portion on the downstream side in the counterclockwise direction is referred to as a downstream end t 1 . In the above-discussed coil conductor layers 30 b , an end portion on the upstream side in the counterclockwise direction is referred to as an upstream end t 3 , and an end portion on the downstream side in the counterclockwise direction is referred to as a downstream end t 4 .

The width of the upstream end t 2 (an example of a second end portion) of the coil conductor layer 30 a is larger than the width of the downstream end t 1 and the width of a portion excluding the upstream end t 2 of the coil conductor layer 30 a . Likewise, the width of the downstream end t 4 (an example of the second end portion) of the coil conductor layer 30 b is larger than the width of the upstream end t 3 and the width of a portion excluding the downstream end t 4 of the coil conductor layer 30 b . The upstream end t 2 and the downstream end t 4 oppose each other with the insulator layer 16 m interposed therebetween. With this, capacitance is generated between the upstream end t 2 and the downstream end t 4 . Further, the portion excluding the upstream end t 2 of the coil conductor layer 30 a and the portion excluding the downstream end portion t 4 of the coil conductor layer 30 b oppose each other with the insulator layer 16 m interposed therebetween. With this, capacitance is generated between the portion excluding the upstream end t 2 of the coil conductor layer 30 a and the portion excluding the downstream end t 4 of the coil conductor layer 30 b . The capacitor C 1 is the total of these two capacitances, and is capacitance generated between the coil conductor layer 30 a and the coil conductor layer 30 b . The “width” here refers to the width of the coil conductor layers 30 a and 30 b in a direction perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to a direction in which each of the coil conductor layers 30 a and 30 b extends.

Further, the upstream end t 2 and the downstream end t 4 do not overlap with the center of a region surrounded by the coils L 1 and L 2 (in other words, the winding axis of each of the coils L 1 and L 2 ) when viewed from the upper side. In the present preferred embodiment, the upstream end t 2 and the downstream end t 4 are positioned on the right side relative to the winding axis of each of the coils L 1 and L 2 .

The via hole conductor v 50 passes through the insulator layer 16 m in the up-down direction to connect the downstream end t 1 (an example of a first end portion) of the coil conductor layer 30 a and the upstream end t 3 (an example of the first end portion) of the coil conductor layer 30 b (an example of the first end portions connected to each other).

The via hole conductors v 11 to v 13 and v 31 to v 33 pass through in the up-down direction between a portion on the inner circumference side of the coil conductor layers 30 a and 30 b and a portion on the outer circumference side of the coil conductor layers 30 a and 30 b.

In the common mode choke coil 10 discussed above, the coil L 3 is held between the coils L 1 and L 2 at both sides of the coil L 3 in the up-down direction. To be specific, the coil L 1 includes coil sections Lp 1 and Lp 2 . The coil section Lp 1 corresponds to the coil conductor layers 18 a to 18 k and the via hole conductors v 1 to v 10 . In other words, the coil section Lp 1 (an example of a first coil section) is a section positioned on the upper side relative to the coil L 3 (an example of one side in the first direction). The coil section Lp 2 (an example of a second coil section) corresponds to the coil conductor layers 18 l to 18 s and the via hole conductors v 14 to v 20 . In other words, the coil section Lp 2 is a section positioned on the lower side relative to the coil L 3 (an example of the other side in the first direction).

The coil L 2 includes coil sections Lp 3 and Lp 4 . The coil section Lp 3 (an example of a third coil section) corresponds to the coil conductor layers 20 a to 20 k and the via hole conductors v 21 to v 30 . In other words, the coil section Lp 3 is a section positioned on the upper side relative to the coil L 3 (an example of one side in the first direction). The coil section Lp 4 (an example of a fourth coil section) corresponds to the coil conductor layers 20 l to 20 s and the via hole conductors v 34 to v 40 . In other words, the coil section Lp 4 is a section positioned on the lower side relative to the coil L 3 (an example of the other side in the first direction). As discussed above, the coil sections Lp 1 and Lp 3 are positioned on the upper side relative to the coil L 3 and the coil sections Lp 2 and Lp 4 are positioned on the lower side relative to the coil L 3 , such that the coil L 3 is positioned in the vicinity of the center of the element body 12 in the up-down direction.

The above-discussed coil conductor layers 18 a to 18 s , 20 a to 20 s , 30 a and 30 b , and the extended conductor layers 24 a , 24 b , 26 a and 26 b are preferably defined by the insulator layers 16 b to 16 v being coated with a conductive paste whose main ingredient is metal such as copper, for example. The via hole conductors v 1 to v 40 and v 50 are preferably defined by the via holes passing through the insulator layers 16 b to 16 u in the up-down direction being filled with a conductive paste whose main ingredient is metal such as copper, for example.

Next, operations of the common mode choke coil 10 will be described. The outer electrodes 14 a and 14 c are used as input terminals, for example. The outer electrodes 14 b and 14 d are used as output terminals, for example.

A differential transmission signal including a first signal and a second signal having different phases from each other by 180 degrees is inputted to the outer electrodes 14 a and 14 c . Since the first signal and the second signal are in the differential mode, magnetic fluxes in opposite directions to each other are generated in the coils L 1 and L 2 when the signals pass through the coils L 1 and L 2 . The magnetic flux generated in the coil L 1 and the magnetic flux generated in the coil L 2 cancel each other out. Because of this, an increase or decrease in magnetic flux is barely generated in the coils L 1 and L 2 due to the first signal and the second signal flowing therethrough. That is to say, none of the coils L 1 and L 2 generate back electromotive force that obstructs the flow of the first signal and the second signal. Accordingly, the common mode choke coil 10 only has a considerably small impedance with respect to the first signal and the second signal.

Meanwhile, in a case where common mode noise is contained in the first signal and the second signal, the common mode noise causes the coils L 1 and L 2 to generate magnetic fluxes in the same direction when the noise passes through the coils L 1 and L 2 . Because of this, the magnetic flux increases inside the coils L 1 and L 2 due to the common mode noise flowing therethrough. With this, the coils L 1 and L 2 generate back electromotive force that obstructs the flow of the common mode noise. Accordingly, the common mode choke coil 10 has large impedance with respect to the common mode noise.

The above-discussed common mode choke coil 10 has two attenuation poles in the bandpass characteristics (Scc21) of common mode noise in the operating frequency band. The frequencies of the two attenuation poles are respectively defined as frequencies fa and fb. The frequency fb is higher than the frequency fa. At this time, the resonant frequency f 1 of the main circuit MC and the resonant frequency f 2 of the parallel resonance circuit LC are no less than fa and no more than fb. For example, in a case where the common mode choke coil 10 is used for a differential transmission line of USB3.0 and USB3.1, the frequency fa is 2.5 GHz which is the fundamental frequency of USB3.0 (data transfer speed is 5.0 Gbps), and the frequency fb is 5.0 GHz which is the fundamental frequency of USB3.1 (data transfer speed is 10.0 Gbps). In other words, the common mode choke coil 10 removes the common mode noise at a frequency of 2.5 GHz (the frequency fa) and the common mode noise at a frequency of 5.0 GHz (the frequency fb) from a differential transmission signal.

Next, the electronic apparatus 100 according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention in which the common mode choke coil 10 is used will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 9 is a block diagram of the electronic apparatus 100 .

The electronic apparatus 100 is preferably, for example, a personal computer, a cellular phone, or the like, and includes the common mode choke coil 10 , outer electrodes 114 a and 114 b , and an interface IC 120 (which is an example of an electric circuit according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention). The outer electrodes 114 a and 114 b are electrically connected to the outer electrodes 14 a and 14 c , respectively. Further, the outer electrodes 14 b and 14 d are electrically connected to the interface IC 120 . In other words, the signal lines SL 1 and SL 2 are connected to the interface IC 120 through the outer electrodes 14 b and 14 d . The interface IC 120 is, for example, a USB transceiver IC.

In the above-discussed electronic apparatus 100 , the common mode choke coil 10 removes common mode noise from a differential transmission signal inputted to the interface IC, or removes common mode noise from a differential transmission signal outputted from the interface IC.

Next, a non-limiting example of a manufacturing method for the common mode choke coil 10 will be described with reference to the drawings.

First, ceramic green sheets to become the insulator layers 16 a to 16 w illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 are prepared. Specifically, ceramic green sheets with a thickness of about 20 μm to become the insulator layers 16 a to 16 w are prepared using a doctor blade method in which ceramic slurry of LTCC has a sheet shape on a carrier sheet and dried.

Next, via holes are formed by radiating laser beams onto the positions, where the via hole conductors v 1 to v 40 and v 50 are to be formed, in the ceramic green sheets to become the insulator layers 16 b to 16 u , as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 . Subsequently, the via holes are filled with a conductive paste whose main ingredient is copper by a method such as print application, for example.

Next, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 , the coil conductor layers 18 a to 18 s , 20 a to 20 s , 30 a and 30 b , and the extended conductor layers 24 a , 24 b , 26 a and 26 b are formed on the front surfaces of the ceramic green sheets to become the insulator layers 16 b to 16 v . To be specific, the conductive paste whose main ingredient is copper is applied, using a method such as a screen printing method or a photolithography method, onto the front surfaces of the ceramic green sheets to become the insulator layers 16 b to 16 v , thus forming the coil conductor layers 18 a to 18 s , 20 a to 20 s , 30 a and 30 b , and the extended conductor layers 24 a , 24 b , 26 a and 26 b . A process of forming the coil conductor layers 18 a to 18 s , 20 a to 20 s , 30 a and 30 b , and the extended conductor layers 24 a , 24 b , 26 a and 26 b , and a process of filling the conductive paste into the via holes may be carried out in the same process.

Next, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 , the ceramic green sheets to become the insulator layers 16 a to 16 w are laminated and pressure-bonded so as to be arranged in that order, thus obtaining a mother multilayer body before being fired. The lamination and pressure bonding of the ceramic green sheets to become the insulator layers 16 a to 16 w is carried out in the following manner: the ceramic green sheets are laminated, one after another, and temporarily pressure-bonded to obtain a mother element body; and thereafter the main pressure-bonding is carried out by pressing the mother element body before being fired by the isostatic press or the like, for example.

Next, the mother element body is cut into the element body 12 of a predetermined dimension using a cutting blade. With this, the element body 12 before being fired is obtained. Debinding processing and firing are performed on the element body 12 before being fired.

Next, barrel polishing processing is performed on the element body 12 to chamfer it. Further, the underlying electrodes of the outer electrodes 14 a to 14 d are preferably formed by applying the conductive paste, whose main ingredient is copper, onto the element body 12 . Then, Ni plating and Sn plating are applied on the underlying electrodes, thus forming the outer electrodes 14 a to 14 d . Through the above-discussed processes, the common mode choke coil 10 as illustrated in FIG. 2 is completed.

With the common mode choke coil 10 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of attenuation poles are provided and transmission loss is decreased, as described below. FIG. 10 is an equivalent circuit diagram of the common mode choke coil 200 according to a comparative example of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a graph showing bandpass characteristics (Scc21) of common mode noise of the common mode choke coil 200 . FIG. 12 is an equivalent circuit diagram explaining the common mode choke coil 10 . FIG. 13 is a graph showing bandpass characteristics (Scc21) of common mode noise of the common mode choke coil 10 . In each of FIGS. 11 and 13 , the vertical axis represents attenuation and the horizontal axis represents a frequency.

The common mode choke coil 200 , illustrated in FIG. 10 , according to the comparative example differs from the common mode choke coil 10 in a point that the parallel resonance circuit LC is not provided therein. Because other constituent elements of the common mode choke coil 200 are preferably the same as those of the common mode choke coil 10 , descriptions thereof are omitted herein. Further, in the common mode choke coil 200 , elements common to the common mode choke coil 10 and the common mode choke coil 200 are assigned the identical reference signs.

The common mode choke coil 200 includes the main circuit MC. Accordingly, the frequency of an attenuation pole of the common mode choke coil 200 is the frequency f 1 as shown in FIG. 11 . In this manner, only one attenuation pole is able to be achieved in the two coils L 1 and L 2 .

As such, the inventors of preferred embodiments of the present invention took an inventive approach and discovered that two attenuation poles including the frequencies fa and fb are able to be achieved by constructing the common mode choke coil 10 in a novel manner in which the frequency f 1 and frequency f 2 become equal or substantially equal to each other, as described below.

The coils L 1 and L 2 , and the parasitic capacitance Cp 1 and Cp 2 define a common mode filter that removes the common mode at the frequency f 1 . At this time, the coil L 1 and the coil L 2 strengthen a magnetic field together and resonate at the frequency f 1 . A parallel resonator that includes the coil L 3 and the capacitor C 1 and resonates near the frequency f 1 is so disposed as to obstruct the magnetic field. In this case, a resonance circuit including the coil L 3 and the capacitor C 1 receives magnetic field energy produced by the coils L 1 and L 2 , and resonates. As a result, such a magnetic field is generated that obstructs the magnetic field by the coils L 1 and L 2 . Because of this, at a frequency equal to or larger than the resonant frequency brought by the coil L 3 and the capacitor C 1 , the magnetic field of the coil L 1 and coil L 2 is isolated by the coil L 3 and the capacitor C 1 . With this, the values of the coil L 1 and the coil L 2 are reduced by about half, and new resonance is able to be observed at the frequency f 2 . The inductance value causing the isolation of the coils L 1 and L 2 is changed by changing the position of the resonator configured with the coil L 3 and the capacitor C 1 in a sheet direction. With this, if the resonator is disposed at a position where the coils L 1 and L 2 are isolated at a ratio of one to three, for example, two resonance points are able to be achieved (one more frequency in addition to the frequency f 2 ).

The coil L 3 is connected to the coils L 1 and L 2 by magnetic field coupling. Due to such magnetic field coupling, it can be considered that the coil L 1 and a parallel resonance circuit LC 1 are connected in series, and that the coil L 2 and a parallel resonance circuit LC 2 are connected in series, as illustrated in FIG. 12 . The parallel resonance circuit LC 1 includes a coil L 4 and a capacitor C 2 connected in parallel. The parallel resonance circuit LC 2 includes a coil L 5 and the capacitor C 2 are connected in parallel. The inductance value of the coil L 4 is determined by the inductance values of the coils L 1 and L 3 , the degree of coupling with the coils L 1 and L 3 , and the like. The inductance value of the coil L 5 is determined by the inductance values of the coils L 2 and L 3 , the degree of coupling with the coils L 2 and L 3 , and the like. In the present preferred embodiments, it is considered that the inductance value of the coil L 4 equals the inductance value of the coil L 5 . In this case, the resonant frequency of the parallel resonance circuits LC 1 and LC 2 is the frequency fb (5.0 GHz). Accordingly, the common mode choke coil 200 generates large impedance with respect to the common mode noise of the frequency fb (5.0 GHz).

In addition, the coils L 1 and L 2 are connected to the coil L 3 by magnetic field coupling. This makes the inductance values of the coils L 1 and L 2 be affected by the magnetic field coupling. Due to this, the resonant frequency of the main circuit MC also varies from the frequency f 1 to the frequency fa (i.e., 2.5 GHz). For the above-described reason, the common mode choke coil 10 includes two attenuation poles in the bandpass characteristics of common mode noise.

Further, the common mode choke coil 10 is provided with a single coil L 1 between the outer electrode 14 a and the outer electrode 14 b , and is provided with a single coil L 2 between the outer electrode 14 c and the outer electrode 14 d . Therefore, in the common mode choke coil 10 , unlike the common mode filter 500 disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2012-195332, it is unnecessary to connect the coils 502 and 504 in series and it is also unnecessary to connect the coils 506 and 508 in series. As a result, an increase in the DC resistance value is significantly reduced or prevented, and an increase in the transmission loss is also significantly reduced or prevented in the common mode choke coil 10 .

In addition, the common mode choke coil 10 is able to be miniaturized. More specifically, in the common mode filter 500 disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2012-195332, attenuation poles are provided with capacitance between the coil 502 and the coil 504 , and capacitance between the coil 506 and the coil 508 . In the common mode filter 500 , since the coupling coefficient between the first filter section configured of the coils 502 , 506 and the second filter section configured of the coils 504 , 508 is small, the capacitance between the coil 502 and coil 504 , and the capacitance between the coil 506 and coil 508 become small. This undesirably raises the attenuation pole frequency of the common mode filter 500 . As such, it is necessary to lower the attenuation pole frequency to a desired frequency by increasing the inductance values of the coils 502 , 504 , 506 , and 508 . This raises a problem that the common mode filter 500 becomes large in size.

As such, in the common mode choke coil 10 , a capacitor C 3 is provided with two capacitances: a first capacitance generated by the coil conductor layer 30 a and the coil conductor layer 30 b opposing each other and a second capacitance generated between the upstream end t 2 of the coil conductor layer 30 a and the downstream end t 4 of the coil conductor layer 30 b . With this, the capacitor C 3 has a large capacitance value. As a result, an increase in size of the coil L 2 is significantly reduced or prevented so that the common mode choke coil 10 is miniaturized.

In addition, decreases in inductance values of the coils L 1 and L 2 are able to be significantly reduced or prevented in the common mode choke coil 10 . Magnetic flux density becomes high near the winding axis of each of the coils L 1 and L 2 . Due to this, it is not preferable to dispose, near the winding axis of each of the coils L 1 and L 2 , such a conductor that obstructs the magnetic field. As such, in the common mode choke coil 10 , the upstream end t 2 and the downstream end t 4 do not overlap with the center of a region surrounded by the coils L 1 and L 2 (in other words, the winding axis of each of the coils L 1 and L 2 ) when viewed from the upper side. With this, the decreases in inductance values of the coils L 1 and L 2 are significantly reduced or prevented.

Moreover, in the common mode choke coil 10 , the generation of large capacitance between the coil L 1 and the coil L 2 is significantly reduced or prevented. Hereinafter, as a working example, a common mode choke coil in which the diameter of a coil L 1 and the diameter of a coil L 2 are uniform is cited as an example and explained. FIG. 14 is a partially exploded perspective view of the common mode choke coil 310 according to the working example. FIG. 15A is a cross-sectional structure view of the common mode choke coil 10 . FIG. 15B is a cross-sectional structure view of the common mode choke coil 310 .

The common mode choke coil 310 according to the working example is also included in a concept of the common mode choke coil according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. In the common mode choke coil 310 according to the working example, constituent elements corresponding to those of the common mode choke coil 10 are assigned the identical reference signs.

As illustrated in FIG. 14 , in the common mode choke coil 310 , the coil conductor layers 18 c and 20 c preferably have the same shape as the coil conductor layers 18 e and 20 e , for example. Then, two layers including the insulator layers 16 d and 16 e are present between the coil conductor layers 18 c and 20 c and the coil conductor layers 18 e and 20 e . With this, as illustrated in FIG. 15B , the coil conductor layer 18 c is made close to the coil conductor layer 20 e , and the coil conductor layer 20 c is made close to the coil conductor layer 18 e . Because of this, large capacitance is generated between the coil L 1 and the coil L 2 .

In contrast, in the common mode choke coil 10 , the diameter of the coil L 1 and the diameter of the coil L 2 change to a relatively small one or to a relatively large one every time the coil L 1 and coil L 2 define a loop. Due to this, as illustrated in FIG. 15A , a distance between the coil conductor layer 18 c and the coil conductor layer 20 e in the common mode choke coil 10 is equal or substantially equal to a distance between the coil conductor layer 18 c and the coil conductor layer 20 e in the common mode choke coil 310 . On the other hand, a distance between the coil conductor layer 18 e and the coil conductor layer 20 c in the common mode choke coil 10 is longer than a distance between the coil conductor layer 18 e and the coil conductor layer 20 c in the common mode choke coil 310 . Accordingly, the capacitance generated between the coil L 1 and the coil L 2 in the common mode choke coil 10 is smaller than the capacitance generated between the coil L 1 and the coil L 2 in the common mode choke coil 310 . As discussed so far, the generation of large capacitance between the coil L 1 and the coil L 2 is significantly reduced or prevented in the common mode choke coil 10 .

Moreover, in the common mode choke coil 10 , the structure of the coil L 1 and the structure of the coil L 2 are able to be made similar to each other. To be more specific, in the common mode choke coil 10 , the first combinations and the second combinations are alternately arranged in the up-down direction. In the first combinations, the coil conductor layers 20 a , 20 c , 20 e , 20 g , 20 i , 20 k , 20 m , 20 o , 20 q , and 20 s loop being positioned on the inner circumference side relative to the coil conductor layers 18 a , 18 c , 18 e , 18 g , 18 i , 18 k , 18 m , 18 o , 18 q , and 18 s , respectively. In the second combinations, the coil conductor layers 20 b , 20 d , 20 f , 20 h , 20 j , 20 l , 20 n , 20 p , and 20 r loop being positioned on the outer circumference side relative to the coil conductor layers 18 b , 18 d , 18 f , 18 h , 18 j , 18 l , 18 n , 18 p , and 18 r , respectively. With this, a positional relationship between the coil L 1 and the coil L 2 is such that the positions of the coils L 1 and L 2 are exchanged between the inner circumference side and the outer circumference side every half loop. Due to this, the length of the coil L 1 and the length of the coil L 2 become close in size to each other, so that the structure of the coil L 1 and the structure of the coil L 2 become similar to each other. As a result, when common mode noise is inputted to the coils L 1 and L 2 , the strength of a magnetic field generated by the coil L 1 due to the common mode noise becomes close to the strength of a magnetic field generated by the coil L 2 due to the common mode noise. As such, these magnetic fields cancel out each other, thus making it possible to effectively remove the common mode noise.

In addition, the common mode choke coil 10 is able to be free of directionality. More specifically, the coil sections Lp 1 and Lp 3 are positioned on the upper side of the coil L 3 and the coil sections Lp 2 and Lp 4 are positioned on the lower side of the coil L 3 , such that the coil L 3 is positioned in the vicinity of the center of the element body 12 in the up-down direction. With this, the structure of an upper side portion relative to the coil L 3 (the coil sections Lp 1 and Lp 3 ) and the structure of a lower side portion relative to the coil L 3 (the coil sections Lp 2 and Lp 4 ) are able to be made similar to each other. As a result, characteristics of the common mode choke coil 10 when the outer electrodes 14 a and 14 c are used as input terminals and characteristics of the common mode choke coil 10 when the outer electrodes 14 b and 14 d are used as the input terminals, are able to be made similar to each other. This makes the common mode choke coil 10 free of directionality. Due to this, it is unnecessary to provide a direction identification mark on the upper surface of the element body 12 . Note that, however, the above description is not intended to prevent the provision of the direction identification mark.

Further, with the common mode choke coil 10 , both the upper surface and the lower surface of the element body 12 are able to be used as a mounting surface opposing the circuit board. More specifically, the coil sections Lp 1 and Lp 3 are positioned on the upper side of the coil L 3 and the coil sections Lp 2 and Lp 4 are positioned on the lower side of the coil L 3 , such that the coil L 3 is positioned in the vicinity of the center of the element body 12 in the up-down direction. With this, the structure of an upper side portion relative to the coil L 3 (the coil sections Lp 1 and Lp 3 ) and the structure of a lower side portion relative to the coil L 3 (the coil sections Lp 2 and Lp 4 ), can be made similar to each other. As such, characteristics of the common mode choke coil 10 when the upper surface of the element body 12 is taken as a mounting surface and characteristics of the common mode choke coil 10 when the lower surface of the element body 12 is taken as a mounting surface, are able to be made similar to each other. Accordingly, with the common mode choke coil 10 , both the upper surface and the lower surface of the element body 12 can be used as the mounting surface opposing the circuit board. As a result, it is unnecessary to provide a direction identification mark on the upper surface or the bottom surface of the element body 12 . Note that, however, the above description is not intended to prevent the provision of the direction identification mark.

Moreover, in the common mode choke coil 10 , a phenomenon high frequency signals flowing through the via hole conductors v 11 to v 13 and v 31 to v 33 being affected by the magnetic field of the coil L 3 is significantly reduced or prevented. To be more specific, between a portion on the inner circumference side of the coil conductor layers 30 a and 30 b and a portion on the outer circumference side of the coil conductor layers 30 a and 30 b , magnetic fields generated in these portions cancel out each other. Then, the via hole conductors v 11 to v 13 and v 31 to v 33 pass through in the up-down direction between the portion on the inner circumference side of the coil conductor layers 30 a and 30 b and the portion on the outer circumference side of the coil conductor layers 30 a and 30 b . As a result, phenomenon high frequency signals flowing through the via hole conductors v 11 to v 13 and v 31 to v 33 being affected by the magnetic field of the coil L 3 is significantly reduced or prevented.

Other Preferred Embodiments

The common mode choke coils and the electronic apparatuses according to preferred embodiments of the present invention, in addition to the common mode choke coils 10 , 310 , and the electronic apparatus 100 according to the above preferred embodiments, can be modified within the scope of the spirit of the present invention.

Although the common mode choke coils 10 and 310 are prepared by a sequential pressure-bonding method, they may be prepared by another method such as a printing method or a photolithography method, for example. The printing method is a method in which the ceramic slurry application and the conductive paste application are alternately repeated. The photolithography method is a method in which the insulator layers 16 a to 16 w made of resin are formed by the photolithography method.

Although LTCC is taken as the material of the insulator layers 16 a to 16 w , a material other than LTCC such as resin material may be used. As the material of the insulator layers 16 a to 16 w , a magnetic material such as a ferrite may be used. However, in the case where a magnetic material is used, loss is likely to be increased in a high frequency band; therefore, it is preferable to use, as the material of the insulator layers 16 a to 16 w , a nonmagnetic material in which loss is unlikely to be generated in a high frequency band.

Note that the resonant frequencies used in the common mode choke coil 10 are merely examples, and other frequencies may be used.

The widths of the upstream end t 2 and the downstream end t 4 of the coil conductor layers 30 a and 30 b may be equal to the widths of the portions other than the upstream end t 2 and the downstream end t 4 of the coil conductor layers 30 a and 30 b.

The expression that the frequency f 1 and the frequency f 2 are equal or substantially equal to each other refers to a concept including a case in which the frequency f 1 and the frequency f 2 match each other and a case in which a difference between the frequency f 1 and the frequency f 2 is about several hundred MHz. Note that, however, if the frequency f 1 and the frequency f 2 fall at least within a range from no less than the frequency fa to no more than the frequency fb, it is that the frequency f 1 and the frequency f 2 are equal or substantially equal to each other.

Although one parallel resonance circuit LC is provided in the common mode choke coil 10 , two or more parallel resonance circuits LC may be provided. The coil L 3 of each of two or more parallel resonance circuits LC is connected to the coils L 1 and L 2 by magnetic field coupling. This makes it possible to form three or more attenuation poles in the bandpass characteristics of common mode noise.

As discussed thus far, preferred embodiments of the present invention are useful for common mode choke coils and electronic apparatuses, and are particularly excellent in a point that a plurality of attenuation poles is provided and transmission loss is able to be significantly reduced or prevented.

While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it is to be understood that variations and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. The scope of the present invention, therefore, is to be determined solely by the following claims.