Unique advantages of MLCC
Date: 2024-07-27
Ceramic capacitors are a general term for capacitors with ceramic materials as dielectrics. There are many varieties and their dimensions vary greatly. Among them, multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCC) are the most commonly used capacitors in current circuits.
Large capacity tolerance. Compared with single-layer capacitors, MLCC uses multilayer stacking technology, which gives it a wider range of capacitance.
Super small size. At present, the replacement of products such as tablets and smart phones has made the products tend to be thinner and lighter, which requires the capacitors used in the products to have ultra-small volume characteristics. The current product size is developing towards a smaller trend.
Good high-frequency properties. The improvement of material quality allows MLCC to have corresponding ceramic materials in each frequency band to complete low resistance and impedance, so it has good properties in high-frequency circuits. And MLCC has good non-polarity, which will be more convenient for assembly and use.
High rated voltage. The ceramic structure after high-temperature sintering technology will be more compact, and its voltage series will be wider, which can meet the operating standards of different circuits.
Low equivalent series resistance (ESR). The ESR of MLCC is usually only a few milliohms. The smaller the ESR, the less heat the component will emit when it is in operation, so that most of the energy is used for the operation of electronic equipment, so the component can improve the operation effect and extend the service life of the capacitor.
In what direction is high-reliability MLCC developing?
At present, in order to meet the continuous development of electronic equipment towards miniaturization, large capacity, high reliability and low cost, MLCC is also developing rapidly. According to data from the General Administration of Customs of China, in 2022, my country's MLCC imports will be 2.13 trillion, mainly concentrated in the middle and high-end. Nowadays, MLCC is gradually developing towards the high-end market, such as electronic communications, automotive electronics, medical equipment, aerospace, military industry and other high-reliability fields have put forward strict requirements on the performance of high-end MLCC.
Small volume and high capacity
In the development of electronic components, miniaturization is an eternal trend. As one of the world's largest and fastest-growing chip components, MLCC is no exception. It is understood that the minimum size of MLCC used in the high-reliability field is 0201, and the civilian use can reach 08004, or even smaller. And with the gradual increase in line data transmission speed, the continuous increase in memory capacity and functional types, the demand for low-voltage, high-capacity, ultra-small and ultra-thin MLCCs has expanded dramatically. The electrostatic capacity demand for high-reliability single capacitors has reached 100μF, which can reach 150~200μF in the civilian field, and even 1000μF is expected for special needs.
High reliability
In the field of high-reliability applications, higher requirements are also put forward for the life and reliability of MLCCs, such as the duration of the steady-state damp heat (low voltage) test is increased from 240h to 1000h; the identification sample is allowed to fail from 1 to 0 failures; the failure rate level is increased from M to P and S; the high-temperature life test time for identification inspection is 125℃.
High temperature and high pressure
In order to adapt to the development of some electronic equipment and electronic equipment towards high power and high voltage, high voltage MLCC with high voltage, high current, high power, ultra-high Q value and low ESR is also an important development direction at present; such as the high voltage ceramic capacitors used in the traveling wave tube and other lines can reach more than ten KV; high temperature ceramic capacitors are required in the high temperature resistant electronic equipment of engine control system and aerospace detection equipment up to 220℃.
High frequency and high Q
In order to meet the current 5G communication requirements for large capacity and high speed of MLCC, high Q MLCC will develop towards higher frequency of use. The Q value of MLCC at the radio frequency (RF) end will directly affect the bandwidth. Therefore, the position of MLCC products with high Q value, low ESR and low ESL in the communication field will become more important. Microwave chip capacitors (single-layer and multi-layer structures) used in strip line or microstrip circuits at f≥300MHz in microwave communications, power amplifiers, transmitters, etc. have also attracted much attention due to their thin film gold ends, strong structure and high resonant frequency.
Componentization
In order to obtain a higher volume ratio, multiple MLCCs are welded to form a multi-core bracket capacitor, which is widely used in power supply filtering, DC/DC converters, switching circuits for energy input and output, discharge circuits (large capacity), high-temperature filtering or decoupling, etc.
Compared with solid tantalum capacitors and aluminum electrolytic capacitors, the equivalent series resistance (ESR) of multi-core bracket capacitors is lower, and the ultra-low ESR can ensure that the power consumption of the capacitor is minimized. Generally, the ESR of a multi-core ceramic capacitor can be less than 10mΩ, and due to the introduction of a multi-core bracket, the multi-chip structure has a reduced distributed inductance compared to the horizontal parallel connection of the designer, so that it can withstand a larger current; at the same time, it can reduce the impact of thermal stress on ceramic capacitors; at the same time, the good ductility of metal materials is used to increase the ability of ceramic capacitors to resist mechanical stress.
Booth No.: To Be Advised
