22 µH shielded power inductor for automotive DC-DC rails
The Murata LQH3NPH220MMEL is a 22 µH shielded wirewound inductor from the LQH3 series, rated for 860 mA continuous current with a 480 mOhm max DCR. The 570 mA saturation current (Isat) is the hard ceiling — above this the ferrite core saturates and inductance collapses, so the peak inductor current in your converter must stay below Isat, not just below the 860 mA thermal rating. It is qualified for deployment in under-hood and chassis-mounted ECUs where the ambient temperature reaches 125°C. The shielded ferrite core contains the magnetic flux within the 1212 (3030 metric) package — critical when the inductor shares a board with sensitive analog or RF circuitry. The 10 MHz self-resonant frequency means it behaves as an inductor up to roughly 10 MHz; above that the parasitic winding capacitance dominates and the impedance becomes capacitive.
Current rating and saturation — the two numbers that matter
The 860 mA current rating is the DC current that produces a 40°C temperature rise from self-heating at 25°C ambient. The 570 mA saturation current (Isat) is the DC current at which the inductance drops 10% from its initial value. In a buck converter, the inductor ripple current peak plus the DC load current must stay below Isat — the 860 mA rating is not the design limit for the peak current. At 860 mA the I²R loss in the 480 mOhm DCR is 0.355 W. The ±20% tolerance is measured at 1 MHz with 0 V DC bias. Under the rated 860 mA DC bias, the actual inductance can drop by up to 10% due to core saturation — the tolerance and the DC bias characteristic together mean the minimum inductance at full load is roughly 22 µH × 0.8 × 0.9 = 15.8 µH. Design your converter's ripple current and loop compensation for this minimum value.
Footprint and board integration
1212 (3030 metric) package, 3.00 mm × 3.00 mm, seated height 1.50 mm max. The solder pads are the same as the standard 1212 footprint — no special land pattern required. The shielded construction means no keep-out zone for adjacent magnetic components; the inductor can be placed edge-to-edge with another shielded inductor. The reflow profile follows the standard JEDEC J-STD-020 for a 1212-size component — peak temperature 260°C, time above 217°C: 60-150 seconds. No moisture sensitivity level (MSL) is listed, but the ferrite core is non-hygroscopic; no pre-bake is required unless the tape has been exposed to high humidity for extended periods.