Vishay’s New Inductors Prove That Good Things Come in Extremely Small Packages
Every year, the pressure to pack more functionality into less space intensifies. In power conversion circuits, inductors have historically been the component that refuses to shrink gracefully. Vishay’s latest release says that’s finally changing.
The New Parts
Vishay has introduced the IHLP1212-EZ-1Z series of power inductors in a low-profile 1212 (3.2×3.2mm) package. That’s a meaningful size reduction from the 1616 or 2022 packages that have traditionally been needed for equivalent current handling.
What Makes This Notable
The 1212 footprint has been available in capacitors for years, but inductors haven’t been able to achieve competitive performance at that size—until now. The IHLP1212-EZ-1Z series maintains:
- Low DCR (direct current resistance) for efficiency
- Saturation current ratings suitable for modern buck converters running at 500kHz to 1MHz switching frequencies
- Operating temperature range adequate for commercial applications
Where This Fits
The primary target is space-constrained commercial applications—the kind where designers are working with thin profiles and high component density. Think industrial control boards, communications equipment, or any product where the end user demands a sleek, compact form factor but isn’t willing to sacrifice efficiency.
The timing makes sense: switching frequencies keep climbing as GaN and SiC devices become more affordable, and at 500kHz+, the magnetics become the remaining area where size reduction is still possible without major efficiency tradeoffs.
The Design Implication
If you’re designing a point-of-load converter and have been working around inductor size as the layout constraint, this series might be worth revisiting your thermal and saturation calculations with. The tradeoffs between DCR, saturation current, and size have shifted with this product family.