US Patent 7639109 Sensor coil and method of manufacturing same

An electronic component in accordance with the invention includes a body, such as a base, having a high magnetic permeability material applied to an external surface thereof and a wire winding wound about at least a portion of the high magnetic permeability material. In a preferred form, the body is made of a non-conducting material, such as ceramic or plastic, and the high magnetic permeability material is made of a magnetic material such as ferrite or a metallic glass alloy (i.e., an amorphous metal). The component further includes a spacer for separating the wire winding from the high magnetic permeability material in order to prevent the amorphous metal from damaging the wire winding. The resulting electronic component is capable of sensing magnetic fields and may be used in a variety of circuits such as compasses and magnetometers.