Paumanok Publications, Inc.
Electronic Industries Alliance
March/April 2003
An affiliate publication of the
A sector of the Electronic Industries Alliance
The Only Magazine Dedicated Exclusively To The Worldwide Passive Electronic Components Industry
Changing Market Shares
in Ceramic Capacitors
Military Specifications and Standards
for Ceramic Capacitors
Alpha Electronics: A Passion for Precision
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Volume 5, No. 2
MARCH/APRIL 2003
The Only Magazine Dedicated Exclusively To The Worldwide Passive Electronic Components Industry
FEATURE STORIES
6
Changing Market Shares in Ceramic Capacitors
The global market for passive components underwent a fascinating change with respect to global market
share among suppliers in 2002.
9
TDK Corporation: Growing Global Market Share
According to a detailed analysis of the global ceramic
capacitor market, TDK Corporation increased its market
share rather substantially in 2002, and is now considered
the second largest manufacturer of ceramic capacitors in
the world behind Murata Manufacturing Limited, based
upon sales value.
12
Ceramic Capacitors for Military Specifications and Standards
For years, military manufacturers have relied on top-quality
components to ensure complete dependability of their products
under all manner of adverse operating conditions.
16
Alpha Electronics: A Passion for Precision
Headquartered in Tokyo with manufacturing facilities in Northern Japan,
Alpha Electronics Corporation is gaining global recognition for its precision
resistors and gauges.
DEPARTMENTS
4
Letter from the Publisher
State of The Industry: First Quarter 2003
5
Letter from ECA
Who Speaks for EMS Industry Within Shifting Supply Chain?
18
Featured Technical Paper
Bend It, Shape It, Don’t Break It
24
Featured Technical Paper
RF Filtering for Audio Amplifier Circuits
32
Newsmakers
New product offerings and important
developments in the passive components industry.
Cover Photo: Courtesy of Syfer Technology Limited.
PASSIVECOMPONENT INDUSTRY
MARCH/APRIL 2003
3
LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER
State of The Industry: First
Quarter 2003
a resurgence in the first quarter of
2003. Some of Paumanok’s primary
fter a poor fourth quarter in customers in resistor networks
2002, where quarter-to- reported that business had imquarter revenue growth in proved steadily over the past four
the global passive component months, especial ly i n sal es
industry declined by approximately through distribution.
Part of the recovery will obviously
3%, the first quarter of 2003 shows
tremendous promise. There are come from the wireless segment,
indications that the bottom of the where both Nokia and Motorola are
downturn has been reached and predicting a 10% increase in handthat calendar year 2003 will be on set sales for 2003 (an increase from
400 million phones produced in
the plus side.
Early indications of quarter-to- 2002 to 440 million phones produced
quarter growth for Q1 2003 suggest in 2003). The other hot market continues to be automotive
an average of 9% growth
subassemblies, which
in value. This is being
has remained steady
substantiated by Vishay’s
throughout the economic
public comment that first
downturn. TDK has
quarter sales would be in
estimated 10% growth
the $500 million range
in the automotive sector
for 2003— a 10% quarterfor capacitors in 2003.
to-quarter growth rate.
On a separate issue,
Other companies that
there was some concern
have made equally comcoming out of Japan in
p el lin g statem ent s
March about the 23%
s u p p o r t i n g g r o w t h Dennis M. Zogbi
increase in raw nickel
i nclude EPCOS, who
reported sales of 330 million Euro prices over the past four months.
in the quarter ended December Nickel pricing increased as a re2002, slightly up from the previous sult of a report from Inco in Canaquarter. The real bright spot, how- da suggesting a global deficit of
ever, was that they reported new 30,000 tons of nickel in 2003, due
orders had increased by 16% on a to increased demand in China for
quarter-to-quarter basis. The com- applications in stainless steel.
Paumanok perceives that the
pany also reported net cash flow at
9 million Euro (back in the black). shortage should not have any major
EPCOS noted continued im- impact on nickel electrode pricing
provement in the wireless and for MLCC because many of the
automotive segments in Europe, nickel electrode suppliers in Japan
although they stated that the and Canada have stocks of the
increase in sales on a quarter-to- metal. But still, price erosion in
quarter basis was a revival of their nickel electrode powder has been
substantial over the past 24
tantalum capacitor business.
Kemet forecast a 5% increase in months, and the fear of shortages
revenues for the March 2003 quarter typically offers vendors a reason to
(to $108 million), and expected an raise prices. Whether or not nickel
additional price reduction of 6% for electrode powder producers react
the current quarter (thus they in- to the perception of a possible
advertently predict a 10% to 11% shortage for their feedstock by
increase in unit shipments for the raising prices remains to be seen.
But remember, it’s much easier to
quarter ending March 2003).
Private companies also indicated lower prices than to raise them.
A
4
PASSIVECOMPONENT INDUSTRY
MARCH/APRIL 2003
PUBLISHER
DENNIS M. Z OGBI
DIRECTOR
OF
ADVERTISING
SAM COREY
EDITOR
JOHN D. AVANT
ART DIRECTOR
AMY DEMSKO
MARKETING
CAROLYN HEROLD
RESEARCH EDITOR
NAUREEN SYED
ADVISORY BOARD
Glyndwr Smith
Vishay Intertechnology, Inc.
Ian Clelland
ITW Paktron
Pat Wastal
Avnet
Jim Wilson
MRA Laboratories
Michael O’Neill
Heraeus Inc.
Bob Gourdeau
Vishay BCcomponents
Editorial and Advertising Office
130 Preston Executive Drive, Suite 101
Cary, North Carolina 27513
(919) 468-0384 (919) 468-0386 Fax
www.paumanokgroup.com
The Electronic Components – Assemblies – Materials –
Association (ECA) represents the electronics industry
sector comprised of manufacturers and suppliers of passive and active electronic components, component arrays
and assemblies, and commercial and industrial electronic component materials and supplies. ECA, a sector of the
Electronic Industries Alliance, provides companies with a
dynamic link into a network of programs and activities
offering business and technical information; market
research, trends and analysis; access to industry and government leaders; standards development; technical and
educational training; and more.
The Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA) is a federation of
associations and sectors operating in the most competitive and innovative industry in existence. Comprised of
over 2,100 members, EIArepresents 80% of the $550 billion U.S. electronics industry. EIA member and sector
associations represent telecommunications, consumer
electronics, components, government electronics, semiconductor standards, as well as other vital areas of the
U.S. electronics industry. EIA connects the industries
that define the digital age.
ECA members receive a 15% advertising discount for
Passive Component Industry. For membership information, contact ECA at (703) 907-7070 or www.ec-central.org;
contact EIAat (703) 907-7500 or www.eia.org.
LETTER FROM ECA
Who Speaks for EMS Industry
Within Shifting Supply Chain?
A
velocity fast enough.
t ECA’s recent state-of-the-indus• EMS is still trying to sell a productivity solution, but
try meeting, Roger Norberg of
is hurt by the inability to manage supply. OEMs are
J.P. Morgan identified supply
trying to pull back to control bill of materials.
chain management as the number one • Despite talk of diversification, EMS is still geared to
the communications and enterprise-computing sectors.
issue facing the electronics industry. It’s • Many
EMS companies have severe supply chain issues.
also the toughest problem to solve with- • EMS is the least-mature link in the electronics food
chain.
out industry-wide cooperation.
• Revenue growth in EMS has outpaced profit growth
Supply chain management is a movdue to poor investment decisions. Economic gridlock
ing target, as major players scramble to
between OEM and EMS is stalling the penetration
rate of outsourcing. Vertical integration strategies in
define their roles amid increased outEMS have been a flop, and took resources that should
sourcing, more aggressive geographic
have been invested in supply chain management. EMS
shifting of production and customers
bought growth, but it has not been a sustainable model.
On the plus side, EMS is adapting to changing geoconsolidating faster than supplies.
graphic demands by shifting quickly to low-cost geograNone of the participants in the supply phies. While China is still under 10 percent of capacity
chain have full visibility, according to for the industry at large, in 2003 large EMS companies
Norbe rg. As a result, there are “too many will manufacture 65 percent of their products in lowregions. And, even with its recent discredit, EMS
cooks.” OEMs, EMS and distributors all cost
has outperformed the market over the longer term
have ad hoc supply chain strategies,which because of revenue growth.
confuse component makers. Price and
Industry Scapegoat?
forecasting gamesmanship is rampant.
In many ways, EMS is bearing the brunt for many of
Reality Check for EMS
As outlined in the last issue of Passive Component
Industry, ECA sees the supply model as more like a
wheel than a chain, moving at varying speeds and even
different directions at different times, with intricate
connectivity among different elements. Perhaps the
most vulnerable element in the electronics flow wheel is
EMS. Over the last two years reality has hit EMS in
not-so-pleasant ways:
• EMS believed there would no longer be cycles – that
myth has been debunked.
• EMS is confronting the same problem as distributors.
EMS deals in commodities, but is trying to increase
services. EMS and distributors are not increasing
the problems facing the electronic components industry.
Unlike manufacturers and distributors, the EMS
industry (EMSI) does not have a single voice to present
its perspective, defend its approach and work with the
other elements – manufacturers, OEMs, distributors,
raw material providers – in the electronics flow wheel.
ECA is working to help EMS companies establish a
credible and knowledgeable presence, develop and maintain accurate market information, and prepare and
maintain a responsive platform for issues and concerns.
Gaining a Voice
The first meeting to formulate issues and lay the
platform for a new EMS association is scheduled
Thursday, April 29, in the Wyndham San Jose Hotel.
The morning session will be open to EMS companies
Continued on page 23
PASSIVE COMPONENTINDUSTRY
MARCH/APRIL 2003
5
FEATURE
Changing Market Shares in
Ceramic Capacitors
T
he global market for passive components underwent a fascinating change with respect to global
market share among suppliers in 2002. This
change, we believe, signifies the beginning of a massive
split among suppliers; those who seek to be solution
suppliers in the price/performance sector, and those
who seek to supply value-added and application-specific
market sectors.
Price/Performance Sector
The price/performance sector has emerged as the
area where ceramic capacitor manufacturers are identified as those with massive economies of scale to produce
ceramic capacitors, at exceedingly lower costs on a
quarter-to-quarter basis. Operating margins are slim
(less than 10%), but those margins are still in direct
correlation to the volume of parts produced. This sector
of the market accounts for about 80% of global revenues
for ceramic capacitors, and is further characterized by
mass production of standard EIAdesignated parts from
the 0402 to 1206 range, but with increased emphasis
upon the 0402 and 0603 case sizes.
This segment also begs for massive consolidation,
especially in Taiwan where nine companies produce
MLCC (Walsin just took the first step by making an
equity investment in Pan Overseas). In the larger
segment of this market, it is generally agreed that the
massive producers of MLCC (Murata, Samsung and
Yageo) will claim increasingly larger shares of the
price/performance sector, unless of course some of the
smaller companies in both the East and the West collaborate or merge to form organizations with economies
of scale that rival the major producers.
High Capacitance Sector
This sector of the ceramic capacitor marketplace is
where leaders in the high capacitance field gained the
greatest market share in the global ceramic capacitor
marketplace between 2000 and 2002. The high capacitance market sector in ceramic capacitors is typically
defined as ceramic capacitors with capacitance values
between 1µF and 100µF, with the greatest price and margins in the area between 10µF and 100µF. Certainly, this
segment of the market helped both TDK and Taiyo Yuden
6
PASSIVE COMPONENT INDUSTRY
MARCH/APRIL 2003
gain market share rather substantially in 2002.
This segment of the market is typified by rapid spending on research and development in an attempt to create
increasingly higher capacitance products. The technology
roadmap in this sector suggests that a 220µF ceramic
capacitor in the 2220 case size will be available within
12 to 18 months, if not sooner. The other area of R&D
dedicated to the high capacitance sector revolves around
the development of higher capacitance products in
increasingly smaller case sizes. However, it should be
noted that the high capacitance sector of the global
MLCC business has been viewed as a primary target of
growth for the companies competing in the price/performance sector. Samsung for example, now counts 25% of
its revenues from the high capacitance sector and considers the Japanese suppliers to be one year ahead of it
in technology. The ultimate problem with the high
capacitance sector is that the ability to offer increasingly
higher capacitance parts will be slowed as the current
manufacturing methods reach their limits, thus closing
the gap between Japanese leaders in the field and
encroachment from other Asian and Western suppliers.
An expansion of the supply base in the high capacitance
sector will result in lower prices and smaller margins
over time. Regardless, in the short term, companies with
high capacitance ceramics obviously gained substantial
share in 2002 by moving laterally and taking share
away from alternative dielectrics— with emphasis upon
tantalum capacitors.
Value-Added Sector
Ceramic capacitor companies located in Japan and
the West who have economies of scale to produce
c eramic capacitors at 35 billion pieces or less have
found the 30-month downturn in the passive component
industry to be extremely difficult. As a result many
have decided to retool their existing brick and mortar
structures located in high cost regions (i.e. the USA,
Austria, Japan and Israel) to focus on research and
development, and production of solutions-oriented components that add value to leading edge products in
multiple industries. Such value added components
include the extremely small 0201 case size products
Continued on page 8
Markets
greater than 500VDC, and very high frequency applications greater than 1GHz. This area of the market has
the lowest volume but the highest operating margins,
averaging 45%. The requirements for market entry in
this segment of the marketplace include a massive
investment in test and measurement equipment, and a
deep knowledge base of how to construct high voltage or
high frequency ceramic capacitors (it’s not easy).
Products that are used in this sector generally have
value-added attributes but are also
hardened against unusual external
Changing Rankings in Global Ceramic Capacitor Supply 2000-2002
stimuli, making these parts custom
in design. Typical applications for
2000
2002
2000
2002
Ceramic Capacitors
Rank
Rank
these devices are usually in high
Ceramic Capacitors
Rank
Murata
voltage tip and ring applications,
Murata Manufacturing
1
1
undersea cable, medical implants
TDK Corporation
3
2
and resonant imaging, pulse
welders, electric transport, RF
Kyocera/AVX
2
3
semi
condu ctor manufac turing
Taiyo Yuden
4
4
equipment, defense communicaSamsung EMCO
6
5
tions, missile systems and general
Phycomp (Yageo)
7
6
avionics. Companies that traditionally compete in this sector include
Kemet
5
7
ATC, Murata State College, AVX
Vishay-Vitramon
8
7
Olean, Dover Technologies, Temex,
Matsushita (Panasonic)
9
9
Johanson and many others. CompaEPCOS
10
10
nies in this sector continued to
maintain their market share in 2002
Walsin Technology
11
11
and
did not experience the same
Dover Technologies
15
12
downturn as companies in valuePan Overseas
12
13
added or price/performance sectors
Sam Wha Capacitor
14
14
of the market. In fact, companies
with a high level of sales to the medFeng Hua Advanced
16
15
ical sector increased share in 2002.
Rohm Corp.
17
16
Continued from page 6
which have found a home populating digital cameras,
handyphones and LTCC and FR4 modules, multichip
capacitor arrays, thin film designs, low inductance
chips, extremely low ESR ceramic chips, high frequency
0402 parts, and of course, capacitors for automotive
under-the-hood applications designed with value-added
features such as high heat handling capabilities, corrosion resistance, and high vibration frequency operation.
Team Young
Johanson Dielectrics
ATC
Maruwa-KCK
Other
Total Ceramic
Ceramic Capacitors
Capacitors
Total
18
19
20
21
22
240
240
Based Upon Revenues In Ceramic Capacitors (Paumanok Estimates)
Companies that continue to position themselves for
this sector include Vishay-Vitramon (which increased
share in 2002 by concentrating on this segment), AVX
Corporation, Murata State College, TDK Corporation
and Maruwa KCK.
Application-Specific Capacitors
This segment of the ceramic capacitor marketplace is
the most specialized, and is generally considered to be
ceramic capacitors used for high voltage applications
8
PASSIVE COMPONENT INDUSTRY MARCH/APRIL 2003
17
17
17
20
A Vision of the Future
Paumanok expects that over the
next five years those companies
that continue to succeed will have a
combination of sales in the above
21
markets. Certainly Murata, Taiyo
19
Total
Yuden and TDK are positioning
themselves to take advantage of
this strategy. Other companies will
become much smaller and lose
global share, but will consolidate their advanced research & development programs to provide innovative,
value-added and application-specific capacitor offerings
to end-use segments that do not and will not move their
centralized production bases from high cost production
regions because cost and price are secondary to quality.
A concentration on value-added and application-specific
capacitors will provide a smaller company with higher
profit margins and greater stability through the five-year
cycle evident in the passive component industry.
Profile
TDK Corporation:
Growing Global
Market Share
A
ccording to a detailed analysis of the global ceramic capacitor
market, TDK Corporation increased its market share rather
substantially in 2002, and is now considered the second largest
manufacturer of ceramic capacitors in the world behind Murata
Manufacturing Limited, based upon sales value. TDK accomplished
this by focusing its production mix in ceramic capacitors to compete in
the ultra high capacitance range for ceramic capacitors in applications
between 2.2µF and 100µF. These parts, especially those in the 10µF to
100µF range, carry much higher average unit prices. Therefore, they
provide a greater return on investment and greater overall sales value
for the company.
TDK has a traditional focus on supplying ceramic chip capacitors
into the very demanding automotive electronic subassembly market
segment, a segment of the global high-technology marketplace that
has held consistent market value throughout 2002. TDK also increased
its global market share by increasing its global supply of ceramic
capacitors to the computer subassembly business, as well as the cellular
phone business.
Increased Production Capacity
The center of TDK’s global ceramic capacitor production is a massive
plant in Akita, Japan. This state-of-the-art production facility
produces capacitor bodies and terminates them locally for consumption in Japan, or ships them to strategic termination facilities located
in the United States.
TDK ceramic capacitor plant in Akita, Japan.
PASSIVECOMPONENT INDUSTRY
MARCH/APRIL 2003
9
TDK
In TDK’s 2000 annual report, the company stated
that ceramic capacitor production capacity was 9 billion
pieces per month. In 2002, the company said its ceramic
capacitor production capacity increased to 15 billion
pieces per month.
The company is viewed as a key innovator in the
industry, who in 1993 successfully mass produced
ceramic chip capacitors with base metal electrodes in
the Y5V dielectric. This success, which initially was
viewed by the majority of the global ceramic capacitor
industry as an isolated event, was followed by TDK’s
success in mass producing ceramic chip capacitors with
base metal electrodes in the X7R dielectric. As other
companies in Japan and around the world began to
realize that nickel could be used as an effective alternative to the expensive palladium metal, TDK had
already begun to create much higher capacitance value
MLCC and thus encroach upon the lucrative tantalum
market segment. In 1997, TDK also introduced NPO
ceramics with nickel electrodes.
Research & Development
TDK is considered in the forefront of high capacitance
MLCC development, offering MLCC with capacitance
values as high as 100µF and a technology roadmap that
suggests a 220µF ceramic chip capacitor is attainable in
the near term. TDK has been successful in creating
increasingly higher capacitance MLCC by manipulating titanate raw materials and nickel electrode powders
with very small, spherical shapes, and successfully
screening extremely thin layers using traditional doctor
blade and advanced gravure die rolling processes. It is
further believed that TDK is actively reviewing new
and exciting methods for depositing titanates and metallization to create extremely high capacitance products.
Such methods may include spin-oxide coating, or (more
probably) a physical vapor deposition process.
TDK is also known for its development of valueadded ceramic capacitors for under-the-hood automotive
applications, where current requirements include products that must be rated to 150°C. Future requirements
will reach as high as 175°C.
New Green Product Developments
Last year, TDK announced the introduction of a high
capacitance lead-free MLCC known as the Mega Cap,
which TDK has described as the “first environmentallyconscious multilayered ceramic chip capacitor.” Mega
Cap also features metal end caps for advanced heat dissipation (something we’ve seen before at companies
specializing in extremely high voltage MLCC from 1kV
to 5kV), but uses absolutely no lead in its construction.
The intended application for this new product is
smoothing in power supplies that use aluminum circuit
boards. TDK notes that although aluminum circuit
10
PASSIVE COMPONENTINDUSTRY MARCH/APRIL 2003
Mega Cap lead-free MLCC.
boards offer better heat dissipation than glass epoxy
circuit boards, they have traditionally imparted
tremendous thermal stress to surface mount components. Thermal stress can create cracks in MLCC. In
the past, capacitor companies attempted to circumvent
this problem by employing large quantities of lead in
their titanate ceramics, and also using high-temperature solder with a high percentage of lead to affix the
MLCC to the circuit board. TDK conducted aggressive
research and development on the Mega Cap series,
which uses no lead in the dielectric, and also developed
a complementary lead-free, high-temperature solder,
resulting in a new base metal, completely lead-free
capacitor for use with aluminum circuit boards in power
supply applications.
Outlook 2003
TDK Corporation maintains a positive outlook for
2003, especially for automotive electronic subassembly
use of their ceramic capacitor product line. The company
expects a 10% increase in ceramic capacitor consumption volume in the automotive segment in 2003, and
increased usage of their technologically advanced X8R
ceramic capacitors that can handle temperatures of
150°C.
Technology Roadmap
TDK Corporation’s future technology roadmap centers
on developing increased capacitance in standard footprint MLCC. Currently the global technology limitations on MLCC capacitance is at 100µF. In the future,
TDK will elevate this capacitance value to 220µF and
beyond. The company plans to continue to compete with
tantalum, film and aluminum capacitors with their
advanced ceramic technology, and is convinced (as is
Murata) that all capacitance solutions will one day be
solved by ceramics.
FEATURE
Ceramic Capacitors for Military
Specifications and Standards
Chris Reynolds, AVX Corporation
Background
For years, military manufacturers have relied on topquality components to ensure complete dependability of
their products under all manner of adverse operating
conditions. These components are required to meet exacting military standards and specifications (MIL Performance Standards) that far exceed those of consumer
grade products. For example, the military performance
specification for ceramic capacitors requires qualification
to failure rate levels (FRL) ranging from 1.0% per 1,000
hours of service to 0.001% per 1,000 hours, established
at a 90% confidence level. As would be expected, the
rigorous component design and test disciplines required
to ensure such performance means that Military Grade
products will provide significant added value in any
established reliability application. But component level
reliability is only one of their benefits; there are other
significant factors, such as full product documentation,
full traceability, obsolescence control and stable supply
that make MIL solutions an important consideration
for all mission-critical programs.
Stringent design guidelines and reliability criteria
have been established by joint Army, Navy and Air
Force branches of the military, with additional requirements developed by the aerospace community. These
requirements form the basis of all MIL specifications
(MIL-Specs) controlled by DSCC (Defense Supply Center,
Columbus OH). These standards have been established
to set the unique performance requirements necessary
for military operation, and are intended to be independent of commercial designs and market drivers.
All MIL documents for electronic and electrical components are detailed under the Military Specification and
Standards requirements. Individual ceramic capacitor
Performance Specifications cover established reliability
(ER) and non-ER devices, while test methods for these
performance standards are defined in MIL-STD-202.
Demand for MIL-Spec Ceramic Capacitors
These specifications are used to standardize procurement and certify the reliability of goods and services
used by the military. Establishing and maintaining
12
PASSIVE COMPONENT INDUSTRY MARCH/APRIL 2003
them falls under the authority of DSCC. MIL-Spec
parts offer the highest durability and endurance, with
absolute reliability in critical applications and under
the harshest conditions. It is of critical importance to
have capacitors capable of withstanding the most
severe operational conditions; failure under combat
conditions is very likely to result in the loss of life or
mission failure.
Passive components are a basic requirement for all
electronic products used by the military. As in the
consumer electronic marketplace, some military programs can command a significant volume of ceramic
capacitors. Multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCC) are
MIL-Spec capacitors of choice because of their proven
technology, excellent equivalent series resistance (ESR)
characteristics, power handling and noise filtering.
MIL-Spec ceramics provide the assurance of extensive
testing and proven reliability. The additional testing that
goes into a certifying a MIL-Spec product greatly
decreases the likelihood of capacitor failure, while serving
to define the actual reliability level achieved by any given
lot.
Testing
A few manufacturers, such as AVX Corporation, electrically test 100% of all MIL-Spec and commercial
capacitors alike. In the case of commercial ceramics, the
100% testing is generally limited to standard electrical
and physical parameters only, but samples may be
randomly selected for ongoing reliability testing. This
entails putting devices from a given product lot under
load in order to generate overall component hours of
test data for the series. A database of typical life-test
results is maintained and used to verify continuing
capability to performance expectations.
By contrast, MIL-Spec capacitors receive 100% parametric testing plus 100% preconditioning. This includes
“burn-in,” which requires that every single capacitor be
put under temperature/voltage load for an extended
period while being monitored for performance. In most
cases, if a capacitor or electronic device is going to fail, it
will do so early in life, typically within a few hours of use.
The burn-in conditions specified for MIL-Spec capacitors
Continued on page 14
Military
Continued from page 12
ensure that such failures (also known as “infant mortalities”) are removed from the lot, and that a minimum
reliability level is set for the remaining population –
hence the term established reliability product.
Conformance Testing
A certain percentage of each lot receives additional
destructive testing. A battery of tests, ranging from
temperature characterization to breakdown voltage and
physical construction, is performed to check every
aspect of the performance for each lot of capacitors.
This series of testing ensures that each individual lot
is capable of performing in all demanding environments, over the full range of specified temperatures and
operating voltage.
The Value of Lot-Level Testing
Due to the extensive time and testing required for
each lot qualification, the process of supplying a capacitor
to MIL-Spec is more costly than that for an equivalent
commercial grade device. However, these costs also
include the maintenance of lot-level traceability for all
manufacturing stages for the device, as well as certification of test documentation.
Benefits from such testing go beyond individual part
performance. MIL-PRF standards are evolving to
include lot acceptance criteria. For example, the MILPRF-123 standard for ceramic devices requires that
each part certified is not only within specification and
has received full preconditioning, but that the lot performance characteristics themselves have achieved
proven capability. Otherwise, the entire lot is rejected.
The certification and traceability requirements also
enable continuous verification of the supply chain;
either at factory level or though franchised military
distributors. This is not an insignificant feature, given
the increasing prevalence of “gray market” goods seen
in the commercial arena.
Market Overview
In the late 1990s, as military budgets were shrinking,
so did the demand for MIL-Spec products, including
ceramic capacitors. During the component shortages of
the early 2000s, many passive components manufacturers reduced or eliminated production of MIL-Spec products in favor of supporting the higher volume demands
of commercial grade devices.
However, AVX maintains an independent group of
facilities dedicated to producing high reliability and
MIL-grade products, unlike some commercial producers
who base MIL product on versions of commercial-series
products. Continued qualification maintenance and
development of new MIL-spec products does require
investment in both R&D and specialized manufactur14
PASSIVE COMPONENT INDUSTRY MARCH/APRIL 2003
ing processes. However, as MIL-specs are used as baselines for other high reliability applications, such as
space level and medical implantable, AVX is firmly
committed to both maintaining and extending its MIL
qualification base to support these high reliability markets.
AVX Corporation also maintains the capability to
produce its own ceramic material. This provides precise
quality control over the product, allowing the development of special blends of ceramic to meet the requirements of specific military applications.
Now, as the demand for MIL specification parts is
strengthening, AVX facilities are in a good position to
take advantage of the renewed market. For the foreseeable future, forecasts indicate growing demand for
MIL-Spec ceramics.
MIL-Specification Trends
The trend for military specifications, as noted above,
is to generate performance standards that include
generation of characterization data that result in lotlevel selection as well as individual component testing.
In the case of standard ceramics, the general specifications for leaded products (MIL-PRF-20 and MIL-PRF39014 for radial, axial and molded DIP), MIL-PRF-11272
for glass (a unique, extremely stable and resilient
technology for high temperature, space and electromagnetic pulse [Emp] immune applications) can all be
superceded by MIL-PRF-123, which raises products
from an ER designation to Hi-Rel - a qualification
requirement for space level applications.
Similarly, MLCCs and high-frequency microwave devices (MIL-PRF-55681) can be qualified to MIL-PRF-123,
while high-voltage chips and switch mode power supply
caps (SMPS) previously available to DSCC drawings
87106 and 88011 can be supplied to the performance
level specification MIL-PRF-49470 (AVX was the first to
qualify all voltage ratings and all case sizes to this
standard).
In the case of tantalum (Ta) chips supplied to
MIL-PRF-55365, all product is shipped only to Weibull
grade reliability standards (featuring a highly accelerated overstress conditioning that ensures 90% confidence reliability), superceding earlier exponential reliability grading that defines a confidence level of only
60%. Ta chips are also qualifying new high-capacitance
and low ESR ratings being adopted into the MIL-PRF55365 standard.
While these emerging standards ensure improved
suitability for all applications, there are many critical
military and aerospace programs that require custom
configurations, additional test schedules or applicationspecific electrical design. To address these, source
control documents (SCDs) based on the closest existing
standard, can be generated and adopted for a specific
customer or program. This requires the supplier to have
Military
a wide qualification base, flexibility of design and manufacturing,
and facilities that maintain strong application support.
COTS (Commercial-Off-The-Shelf)
In 1994, the commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) initiative was instituted to offer military buyers lower cost alternatives to MIL-Spec
parts, based on the, “faster, cheaper, better,” concept arising from best
commercial (six-sigma) practices. Strictly, the term “COTS” emerged
as a reference to purely commercial items, but over time, the definition
has changed to mean “ruggedized” products, based on commercial
items, but available out of a catalog rather than by MIL-Spec or SCD.
A better term for this would be COTS-plus, where the “plus” references
any additional manufacturer-specific design or test schedule that
results in enhanced lifetime or environmental performance.
Because the military doesn’t need MIL-Spec capacitors for all of
their capacitor needs, such COTS-plus products can provide a bridge
for certain applications that still require some degree of established
reliability. Because AVX COTS-plus products also originate from
dedicated facilities, they provide some level of protection from the
supply-and-demand cycles seen in the purely commercial component
marketplace.
Although COTS-plus products cannot offer the exceptional reliability of MIL-Spec devices, they often fulfill many of the application
requirements in certain non-mission critical programs (e.g., for radios
and computers not intended for field service). With these products, the
overall cost can be lower; while some key aspects of established reliability can be retained (e.g., full Weibull grading for Ta chips, or
extended burn-in for MLCCs). The additional Group A conformance
can be stripped down or omitted and documentation/certification
reduced without compromising traceability.
The key benefits of COTS-plus solutions are that they can be
applied to a wide range of products and emerging technologies currently beyond the Qualified Products List (QPL). An example is in the
secure communications and data processing (DP) market place, where
technology drivers are pushing to faster chipsets, higher frequency
decoupling and increased component integration. The new component
level solutions to these include reverse-geometry, inter-digitated
devices (IDC - high capacitance devices with induction cancellation),
low inductance arrays and integrated capacitor/resistor networks. All
can be supplied to established reliability levels by manufacturer-generated SCDs that can be used as procurement specifications – an
example of COTS-plus. As reports indicate, this is leading to a trend
among defense contractors to use COTS and/or rugged industrial specifications in what were formerly MIL-Spec only programs. [1]
However, achieving ruggedization is not a simple process. Great
care is needed when substituting commercial devices and selecting
component sources. Although government officials are authorized to
use rugged devices, COTS-plus products are still required to conform
to strict testing. Suppliers must test and certify products using these
devices to ensure proper performance under harsh environmental conditions, while not necessarily meeting military specifications. However,
numerous military designers and buyers still favor MIL-Spec components.
Beyond COTS, there are concerns with trends toward using purely
commercial components. One such trend is to use a standard part in
Continued on page 30
PASSIVE COMPONENT INDUSTRY
MARCH/APRIL 2003
15
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Profile
Alpha Electronics: A Passion
for Precision
H
accuracy of the scales, as the scales grew older. The
eadquartered in Tokyo with manufacturing
problem was traced to the resistors. Over time the
facilities in Northern Japan, Alpha Electronics
resistance values were changing, causing the scales to
Corporation is gaining global recognition for its
malfunction. Alpha Electronics’ engineers suggested
precision resistors and gauges. Current sales are approxmetal foil resistors to replace the resistors that had
imately $25 million (U.S.) and the company estimates
been used and the problem was solved.
market share for its products to be 90% in Japan and
After establishing a degree of success in the commer25% globally.
cial market, Alpha Electronics came to the attention
Such success was not envisioned when the company
of engineers in the U.S. space program. NASAhad been
was founded in 1978, according to Kusumi Shoji, presihaving trouble for years with the quality of some of
dent. Kusumi led a small group of engineers who founded
the instruments
the company by
it had been receivacquiring the maning. Many of the
ufacturing facility,
problems could be
deep in the mountr a c ed t o fa u lt y
tains of Akita-ken.
resistors. The
The plant made
resistance values
foil resistors and
had deteriorated
laminated ceramic
and caused accucondensers, and
racy problems
was being abanwith the instrudoned by its parent
ments.
company. Kusumi
When a NASA
did not want to see
inspector came
that happen. At
across the metal
the time, he says
foil resistor he was
today, he was simexci ted by th e
ply hoping the Alpha Electronics production facility in Akita, Japan.
te c h n o lo g y a n d
plant would prosent a small team to the Alpha Electronics manufacvide a living for a few people, and he admits he was not
turing facility in Akita. The state of the art manufacturing
totally convinced it would survive.
and research facility impressed the inspectors, and the
Kusumi attributes his company’s success to a passion
team from NASA proceeded to test the resistors for
for precision. For consumer electronic products, resistive
space applications.
value error rates in the range of 1% to 2% are permissible.
The requirements for space are as tough as they get.
Kusumi’s vision was to drive engineering performance
The Alpha Electronics metal foil products passed the
to ever more stringent standards. To d a y, he says
cyclic thermal shock test in a temperature range –65°C
A lpha Electronics is capable of limiting the allowance
to –175°C. Other tests included a durability test of
for resistance errors to 0.005%.
10,000 hours at 125°C. The Alpha Electronics metal foil
resistors passed all of the required tests and they are
currently being used in the image processing circuits of
During its first year of operation, Alpha Electronics
the satellites used to record pictures of the earth.
received few orders and was beginning to doubt if there
GOES, the weather satellite, and the Saturn explorer
was enough demand for its high accuracy products.
CASSINI are just two of the satellites using the Alpha
Then came a successful breakthrough with electronic
scales. Manufacturers were having trouble with the
Continued on page 22
Early Breakthrough
16
PASSIVE COMPONENTINDUSTRY MARCH/APRIL 2003
FEATURED TECHNICAL PAPER
Bend It, Shape It, Don’t Break It
Derek Nicker
Syfer Technology Limited
M
ultilayer ceramic chip capacitors are renowned
for their reliability but can be vulnerable to
cracks when affected by PCB flexing. The
resulting damage may not manifest itself immediately,
but may ultimately result in field failure. New polymer
termination technology now permits greater degrees of
board bending without damage to capacitors.
The multilayer ceramic chip capacitor is the capacitor
of choice for surface mount applications. There are generally three dielectric categories available: C0G [NP0],
X7R and Y5V. Sizes usually range from 0201 (0.5mm
long x 0.25mm wide) to 2225 (5.6mm long x 6.4mm wide).
A multilayer ceramic chip capacitor is a small block of
ceramic dielectric material with embedded layers of
metal. Those electrode layers are connected into a parallel
plate structure by “caps” of metallization, terminations
applied to opposite ends of the block (see Figure 1).
Figure 2: Board Bending May Break Chip
Capacitors
Figure 3: Typical Mechanical Crack
the termination toward the end face. Should it enter the
area of electrode overlap, an electrical short circuit may
result.
The fault may not be detected until some time after
the fracture occurs. An immediate change in any key
electrical parameter is rare when chips are broken (see
Figure 4).
Figure 1: Multilayer Chip Capacitor Structure
The multilayer capacitor is one of the most reliable
components for surface mount applications but it can
fail due to fracture as a result of a PCB bending.
When a circuit board is deflected, it attempts to form
an arc. The outer surface of the board stretches, increasing the distance between the solder lands on
which the chip is mounted. This places the chip under
tension, as shown in Figure 2. The solder joint will be
deformed and the chip may crack.
Figure 3 shows that the characteristic crack resulting
from the PCB bending is contained within the terminated area of the chip, running from the lower edge of
18 PASSIVE COMPONENT INDUSTRY MARCH/APRIL 2003
Figure 4: Electrical Short Circuit as a Result of
Mechanical Fracture
Continued on page 20
Technical Paper
Continued from page 18
However, a decline in the Insulation Resistance (IR)
of the chip may be delayed until the cracked structure
is penetrated by a conductive medium such as atmospheric moisture.
On individual boards, the electrical problem may be
transient. As a result of thermal treatment, often applied
inadvertently, the board may function temporarily but
fail later.
While the board manufacturer will isolate the problem
to a single capacitor, more sophisticated analysis may
reveal that many other capacitors on the board have also
cracked but have yet to affect board operation.
In analyzing field failures, about 60% of damaged
parts typically exhibit a detectable change in IR but
only a small minority of these are pre-identified as
potential failures by a user. A change of capacitance
value is a feature of no more than about 10% of cracked
chips and cracks will be visible at the exterior of less
than 2% of affected parts.
Board designers can take countermeasures to reduce
a board’s vulnerability to fracture. Most fractures occur
at depanelization, the separation of daughterboards
from motherboards. Depanelization should only be
performed using purpose-built jigs and never by hand.
The possibility of so-called transient incidents, i.e. the
use of ‘”uncontrolled” procedures, should also be recognized. Changing the source of capacitors might appear to
solve the problem, but in that event the circuit manufacturer will have failed to identify a true root cause and
that “one-off occurrence” will inevitably happen again.
Based upon an analysis of field failures, no case can
be made that any one size of chip is more vulnerable to
failure by cracking than another. One factor does stand
out, however, C0G capacitors seldom feature in “cracking incidents.”
A bend test can evaluate chip strength. Figure 5
shows how chip capacitors are soldered to a test board,
which is inverted over a pair of horizontal support rods.
The board is deflected at a given speed to a fixed extent,
and an assessment is made of the effect on the capacitor.
Syfer conducted a structured Bend Test program, to
determine the important parameters that affect a chip’s
ability to withstand bending forces. Some of the results
obtained reinforced information already in the public
domain while other results conflicted.
The most common electrical parameter employed as
a measure of failure during a bend test is change of
capacitance value. However, change of this parameter
is seldom a feature of “real incidents.” Recognizing this,
micro-sectioning was adopted as the key evaluation
parameter for the program, during which more than
15,000 chip capacitors were bent and micro-sectioned.
An immediate change of IR was observed in less than
1% of parts subsequently determined to have cracked.
Correlating the failures determined by micro-section
with those suggested by capacitance measurement, it
was clearly demonstrated that capacitance change was a
feature of only a proportion of “broken” parts.
Small capacitors proved no stronger than large capacitors and thin capacitors were no weaker than thick
capacitors, dispelling the myth that capacitor manufacturers could make parts stronger by making them thicker.
Results from the program demonstrated that the
only significant difference in strength, across a broad
matrix of capacitor design and build parameters, lies
between Barium Titanate-based components (the key
material used in the X7R and Y5V dielectric categories)
and Neodymium Oxide-based components (the base
material of the C0G [NP0] category). C0G [NP0] capacitors fail at bend deflections approximately double
those at which similar X7R and Y5V parts fail.
Circuit board solder pad design formed an important
part of the program. It was confirmed that land widths
narrower than the chip width elevate bend strength
significantly (see Figure 6).
Figure 6: Chip Geometry Influences Mechanical
Fracture
Similarly, the position of the edge of the termination
band relative to the edge of the solder pad is a factor.
Figure 5: Bend Test
20
PASSIVE COMPONENT INDUSTRY
MARCH/APRIL 2003
Technical Paper
If the capacitor termination edges are positioned
“ i nboard” of the solder lands, the assembly will withstand greater deflection without damage.
The impact of the solder joint was examined. When
the performance of a soft solder (50In 50Pb, as opposed
to the more commonly used 62Sn 36Pb 2Ag) was
checked the results were impressive. Average deflection
at failure was more than doubled. The influence of the
type of solder used upon the degree of chip fracture is a
caution to those exploring the use of alternative, lead
free formats that may be less elastic than the high leadcontent materials.
This result illustrates that a chip assembly is a chain
of materials — board, land, solder joint, chip termination and chip ceramic. Under tension, the weakest link
fails and, in most instances, this is the ceramic. Compliance, in any link, would result in a stronger system.
While compliance on the part of the ceramic is
impossible, it might be obtained from other materials in
the chain.
Such an approach was adopted when working with
suppliers of termination materials, substituting a conductive plastic for the glass-based conductor materials
in common use.
This new termination is a silver-loaded epoxy polymer. It is flexible and it can reduce the stress between
the PCB and the ceramic capacitor. The material is
applied using conventional termination techniques, but
instead of being sintered at approximately 800°C, the
polymer is cured at 180°C.
Syfer’s polymer termination has a fibrous structure
and its mechanical and electrical properties remain
largely unaffected by extremes of heat and chemical
treatments (see Figure 7). After the polymer termination process stage, the capacitors are plated with nickel
and tin using the same methods employed for industry
standard sintered silver-terminated capacitors, so their
Extensive reliability testing has confirmed that the
polymer has no negative effect on electrical or environmental performance.
Typically, a polymer-terminated X7R or Y5V capacitor
will afford a bend test deflection at failure that is almost
double that of the same capacitor with a conventional
termination. This puts them at the same level as C0G
[NP0] capacitors from which “real life” failures are
almost unknown.
Some 10 million polymer-terminated X7R capacitors
were supplied to customers for evaluation. The applications targeted were those known to have a long history
of problems due to capacitor cracking. During the
course of these trials, not a single part was identified to
have failed as a result of chip fracture.
As a result of this information, Syfer has incorporated
these capacitors into its product line, as FlexiCapTM.
They permit a much greater degree of board bending
than conventional capacitors.
Metal Foil Resistors
Figure 7: Polymer Termination Microstructure
soldering characteristics are unchanged.
The electrical parameters of a polymer-terminated
chip are indistinguishable from a conventional part.
Web site: www.alpha-amer.com • E-mail: passive@alpha-amer.com
Contact Sales at (763) 258-8550
PASSIVE COMPONENT INDUSTRY
MARCH/APRIL 2003
21
Alpha Electronics
Continued from page 16
Figure 2
Electronics resistors.
In space the satellite temperature can vary as much
as 200°C, depending on the sunlight it receives. The
Alpha Electronics products keep the resistance values
to 1-5ppm during these extreme temperature swings.
Alpha Electronics has also been chosen by the High
Energy Accelerator Research Organization for their
particle accelerator research. The high-precision resistors are used in power supply so a stable magnetic field
can be maintained.
Construction of Conformally Coated Type
Outer coating is made of epoxy resin, which provides
excellent resistance to moisture, heat and solvents. Lead
wire is flat and made of copper alloy having high electrical conductivity. Lead wire is connected to element
pad with high-temperature solder, producing solid con struction at junction. As a result, the resistor is stable
against thermal and mechanical stress when being
mounted.
Figure 1
Adjustment of Resistance Value
Foil bonded on substrate is photo etched to make a fine
path pattern to provide a desired value. A series of trimming locations are laid out on the pattern, as shown in
A through E. As shown at C, the trimming method is to
increase the resistance by cutting the metal foil.The
resistance value can be made accurate to within
±50ppm of the desired value by cutting at several of the
trimming locations. The locations that are cut for trimming are where the electric current flow (arrows in diagram) will not be affected so that the trimming will not
cause electrical noise or changes over the year
s.
Other applications include MRIs and CT scanners,
where resistors are used in the circuit that provides the
actual images. Resistors that are not up to specifications will effect quality of the image, and the engineers
who design these machines have specifications even
more precise than the NASA standards.
Production
Metal foil resistors are produced by rolling a nickelchromium alloy into a very thin foil. The foil is then
adhered to an alumina backing. After the foil is bonded
22
PASSIVE COMPONENT INDUSTRY MARCH/APRIL 2003
Construction of Transfer Molded Type
The outer cover is a transfer-molded epoxy resin strongly
resistant to heat, moisture and solvents.Inside, the re are
secondary leads that act as buffers so that stress on the
exterior leads is not transmitted to the foil,providing
stability against vibrations when the resistor is mounted
on a circuit.
Alpha Electronics
to the alumina backing the etching process is begun.
The etching process is used to remove portions of the
nickel-chromium and make the line patterns used to
create the resistance values.
After etching comes trimming, the operation where
portions of the metal foil are removed to change the resistance value to meet customer standards. Lasers are
used for trimming of values to 0.01%. Lasers cannot
however, trim to the 0.005% values some customers require. This trimming still must be done by hand. Alpha
Electronics is working hard to automate this process
and has had some limited success (see Figure 1).
After trimming, leads are attached using wire as thin
as 0.16mm. This operation is also performed manually.
The resistors are then either coated with a silicone
rubber, sealed in a hermetic metal case or covered with
molded epoxy depending on the application (see Figure 2).
All the materials used in construction are selected to
have canceling thermal properties so the resistors will
have excellent thermal expansion values. Alpha Electronics
has also developed propriety steps to finish its resistors.
Electronic products are produced in response to orders
and the current lead time is less than 30 days. Alpha
Electronics has chosen to maintain a direct sales force
and bypass the traditional distribution channels. The
company believes that having direct contact with customers allows it to keep abreast of market needs and
anticipate future trends.
Alpha Electronics is also strongly committed to its
passion for precision products, believing that even
though its products are more expensive than traditional resistors, the benefits of having a stable part and
assuring its accuracy are well worth the price.
Sales Strategy
The sales cycle begins with a customer order or with
an engineer request from the sales team. All Alpha
Letter From ECA
Continued from page 5
and industry partners. It will provide current views of
EMS from the perspectives of Wall Street, the trade
media, and the overall electronic components industry. The afternoon will be set aside for EMS companies
only. These sessions will allow participants to identify
and discuss issues. ECA will direct a discussion of actions that EMS companies can take to address issues
and present a draft concept for an EMSI association.
Registration and full program information for the
E M S F o r u m i s a v a i l a b l e o n l i n e a t w w w.
ec-central.org/ems_announcement.htm, or you can
register by calling ECA at 703-907-8029. Registration
is $250 for the first person and $150 for others from the
same organization. The fees will be applied to membership in any new EMSI association that is formed.
— Bob Willis is president of ECA,
the electronic components sector of the
Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA).
He can be reached at rwillis@ecaus.org.
MRA ...
A Leading Producer of Formulated
Ceramic Dielectric Materials
and Customized Multilayer
Technology Solutions.
COG Materials
X7R Materials
(Both COG and X7R materials compatible
with up to 95Ag/5Pd Electrode Systems)
Specialty
Compositions
To learn more about how we can supply
you with your dielectric material needs,
contact us at:
MRA Laboratories, Inc.
15 Print Works Drive
Adams, MA 01220 USA
Tel (413) 743-3927 • Fax (413) 743-0305
www.ceramics.com/mra
mralabs@surfglobal.net
PASSIVE COMPONENT INDUSTRY
MARCH/APRIL 2003
23
FEATURED TECHNICAL PAPER
RF Filtering for Audio
Amplifier Circuits
Is DC Resistance Robbing Power
From Your Circuit?
James P. Muccioli, David J. Anthony, Anthony A.Ant hony
X2Y Attenuators, LLC
Bart Bouma
Phycomp Components
Introduction
power output of the audio amplifier because the power
and return wires to the speaker were fed through a hole
in the center of each feedthru capacitor. The capacitor
was mounted to a grounded plate so undesirable EMI
could be shunted to the circuit ground reference (see
Figure 1).
Nearly every device that sends sound to a
speaker requires an audio amplifier. With the explosive growth of consumer electronic devices,
usage has increased dramatically. Audio amplifiers are used in everything from car and home
stereos, personal digital assistants (PDAs), cell
phones and portable music devices such as CD
and MP3 players.
An important aspect of the audio amplifier circuit is the output RF filter, required to suppress
RF interference produced by fast output transitions of the amplifier.[1] Early techniques for filtering the amplifier output in car stereos used
traditional through-hole type feedthru capacitors. Over time, circuit designers have changed
from through-hole type to surface mount chip Figure 1: Standard “through-hole” capacitors
feedthru capacitors or chip ferrite beads to lower
Eventually, OEM price pressures began fueling the
costs. These new components add DC resistance to the
demand for alternative solutions. Ongoing research by
audio circuit, which can increase power consumption and
passive component manufacturers led to the developshorten battery life in handheld devices.
ment of the four terminal surface mount chip feedthru
This article will show how to use a single X2Y ®
capacitor. The new type chip feedthru seemed a natural
bypass capacitor to improve audio amplifier output perreplacement for its cousin, the through-hole feedthru
formance by removing the DC resistance. The solution
capacitor, and could offer lower costs in a number of
also lowers system cost through component reduction.
ways:
1. A simplified component design lowers production
costs.
In the past, many in the automotive industry used
2. No need for a mounting plate for the chip feedthru,
multilayer ceramic through-hole feedthru capacitors to
which can be surface mounted on the PC board.
filter the audio amplifier output in car radios. RF filter3. Labor costs are lowered through the use of automated
ing prevents electro-magnetic interference (EMI) from
pick and place machines during production.
corrupting other electrical components in the car by
Although both capacitors are called “feedthru”, the
using speaker wire or main power leads, or as a launch
method by which the DC current is fed through the two
point for radiated noise. The through-hole feedthru
devices differs dramatically. The chip feedthru does not
capacitors provided insertion loss with no effect on the
Car Audio
24
PASSIVE COMPONENT INDUSTRY
MARCH/APRIL 2003
Technical Paper
have a hole-through for the wire lead and instead must
carry the current through the internal electrode plates.
In doing so, DC resistance is added to the circuit (see
Figure 2).
Example 1: Amplifier Without Filter DC Resistance
LM4862:
Vdd = 3V, RL = 8Ω
PDmax w/o resist = [4(Vdd)2] / [2π2 RL] = [4(3)2] / [2π2 (8Ω)] = 228mW
Example 2: Audio Amplifier And Filter W ith DC Resistance
LM4862:
Vdd = 3V, Rfilter = Typical 0.4Ω per filter
RL´ = RL + 2 Rfilter = 8Ω + (0.4Ω + 0.4Ω) = 8.8Ω
PDmax w/resist = [4(Vdd)2] / [2π2 RL´] = [4(3)2] / [2π2 (8.8Ω)] = 207.2mW
Figure 2: Chip “feedthru” capacitors give resistance to the DC current in a circuit
DC Resistance
When current is fed through a chip feedthru device, the
DC resistance associated with the component reduces the
power output of the audio amplifier.
This is not just true for a chip
feedthru capacitor, but for any filter
component that offers resistance to
the circuit. Figure 3 shows the application of two feedthru capacitors to
an amplifier output.
The DC resistance rating of a
typical for a typical 0805 or 1206
ceramic chip feedthru capacitor is
approximately < 0.6W and for an
equivalent size chip ferrite bead device ≤0.4W (both rated for 300mA
current). The Power Formula [2] box
describes the relationship of power
to resistance and shows the dissipated power that is otherwise intended for the circuit, as shown in
the two examples. For the following
example, the lower resistance of
0.4W will be used.
Note: Adding a 0.4W DC filter resistance per side
(Figure 3) will cause a loss of output power.
(228mW -207.2mW = 20.8mW [9.12%] loss of output
power).
After calculating the reduced power output of the
amp because of the higher load impedance, you can
then calculate the percentage of output power loss to
the speaker:
Power For mula
Bridged-output amplifier Pd max Equation
(National Semiconductor LM4862 Boomer)
PDmax = [4(Vdd)2] / [2π2 RL] = [2(Vdd)2] / [π2 RL]
PASSIVE COMPONENT INDUSTRY
MARCH/APRIL 2003
25
Technical Paper
two center ground terminations of the component are
attached to the circuit ground reference, offering no DC
resistance or power loss to the amplifier circuit (see Figures 4 & 5).
Figure 3: Filter portion of typical amplifier circuit
showing feedthru capacitors.
Speaker output power with filter = (Speaker Resistance/Total
Resistance) x Total Output Power = (8/8.8) x 207.2mW = 188.36mW
% of power loss to speaker = [1-(Speaker output power with
filter / PD max w/o resist x 100 = [1- (1.88.36mW / 228mW)] x 100 =
17.5% loss of power to speaker
Figure 5: Example showing application of a single
X2Y bypass capacitor.
Example 3: Amplifier with X2Y Filter
Since the X2Y chip filter is in bypass (Fig. 4, 5), the series DC resistance
in the circuit is 0. Hence the bridged-output amplifier power is the same
as the example shown earlier without a filter in the circuit.
PDmax = [4(Vdd)2] / [2π2 RL] = [4(3)2] / [2π2 (8 Ω)] = 228mW
Another factor affected by the DC resistance is
damping of the loudspeaker, which affects the sound
quality of the bass.
Damping Factor is calculated by the following
formula:
Damping = (R ls + R out)/Rout
Rls = loudspeaker resistance
Rout = amplifier output resistance/impedance.
Audio enthusiasts are often “tuned” in to the sound
quality associated with bass. When resistance is added
to the Rout, it decreases the damping factor. A high
series resistance and hence a low damping factor will
give a “boomy” bass, in contrast with a “tense” sounding
bass for a high damping factor.
X2Y Bypass Filter
Comparing Filter Performance
A natural question is “how can a bypass capacitor
attenuate noise in a manner equal to a feedthru capacitor?” The parasitic inductance of a standard two-terminal capacitor is an order of magnitude higher than a chip
feedthru capacitor.[3] It has been documented that by
careful placement of two standard capacitors, some flux
cancellation can be achieved to improve circuit performance.[4][5] The X2Y improves upon the concept of flux
cancellation because the internal electrode design forces
opposing current flow into a single component body.
Spacing from opposing electrodes to a nearby shared
ground layer is only a dielectric layer apart. The flux
cancellation reduces the internal mutual inductance of
the component and is achieved whether the X2Y is
applied single-ended or differentially. The net result is a
bypass capacitor with improved broadband and high
frequency performance yielding a significant reduction
of the common mode noise (see Figure 6).
When using an X2Y device the component is placed
in bypass between the power and return lines, and the
Figure 4: The X2Y bypass capacitor is low
impedance to RF noise.
26
PASSIVECOMPONENT INDUSTRY
MARCH/APRIL 2003
Figure 6: Flux cancellation: Two standard caps
vs. one X2Y.
Continued on page 28
Technical Paper
Continued from page 26
An added benefit to the X2Y design is that differential mode noise is also filtered simultaneously due to
the internal “X” capacitor connection between the power
and return lines. Two feedthru capacitors can only filter
the common mode noise and require an additional “X”
capacitor or choke for differential mode filtering. The
common and differential mode noise attenuation of a
single 1206 size X2Y component is measured in a microwave test fixture from Inter-Continental Microwave
and plotted in Figure 7. For this example, a higher cap
value (0.1uF) is shown, a typical value used for filtering
the main power leads for the car stereo.
Figure 8: Typical MP 3 player.[7]
or a single device that can filter all three lines at once
(see Figure 9). Both scenarios reduce circuit power.
A single X2Y component in bypass can be used in the
Figure 7: X2Y differential and common mode
noise reduction.
Other advantages of a single X2Y component solution include:
• Using one bypass device versus two or more resistive
devices reduces component count.
• Better balance between power and return lines to
ground: capacitance tolerance between the internal line
to ground capacitors is typically 3% or less. This means
matched suppression of common mode noise.[6]
• The capacitor maintains balance over time; equal
aging and temperature tracking side to side.
We have now established that DC resistance can be
removed from a circuit and filter performance actually
improved using fewer components.
Figure 9: Standard resistive components applied
to the headphone jack.
Portable Audio Devices
Resistive devices are used extensively in consumer
electronic products, where smaller, better and cheaper
are constant goals. A typical MP3 portable music device
may use as many as 10 devices for filtering the different
internal components such as audio amplifiers, memory,
microprocessor and DSP devices. These devices can rob
precious battery life, reducing playing time for the consumer and lowering customer satisfaction for the product
(see Figure 8).
Headphone cables like speaker wires are a source of
radiated noise from higher harmonics produced by digital processors in the circuit. Standard resistive filtering is shown and require either one component per line
28
PASSIVE COMPONENT INDUSTRY
MARCH/APRIL 2003
Figure 10: A single X2Y bypass capacitor applied
to the headphone jack.
same application by placing the end terminations of the
X2Y device on the right and left speakers, while the
center ground terminations of the component are placed
on the ground of the jack (see Figure 10). In this manner the full intended power goes to the headphone.
The chart in Figure 11 compares the different attributes
Technical Paper
Filter Devices
Form
Factor
DC
Resistance?
Circuit
Power Loss?
# Required
for Common
Mode Noise
Filtering
Differential Mode
Noise Filtering?
X2Y
No
No
One
Yes
Feedthru or
Ferrite Bead
Yes
Yes
Two
No
Multi-pole
Feedthru
Yes
Yes
Two
No
Figure 11: Comparison Chart
of selected components used for filtering.
Conclusion
Using the X2Y bypass capacitor for filtering audio
amplifiers will result in no power loss because of DC
resistance. Power loss is inherent in the design of
feedthru chip or ferrite bead components because signal
and noise must pass through the device.
References
[1] Maxim App Note: Class D Audio Amplifier Output
Filter Optimization, APP 624: Apr 01, 2002
Not just the car.
EPCOS components inside.
HigPherformance
Documented
Performance:
•QS-9000
•FMEA
•PPAP
• APQP
• AEC-Q200
•Bluebook
EPCOS components perform reliably,
even under extreme conditions.
For a proven automotive track record
with documented performance,
count on EPCOS electronic
components:
Capacitors
Varistors
Thermistors/Sensors
Gas Discharge Tubes
Inductors
SAW Filters
•
•
•
•
•
•
For immediate assistance,
log on to www.usa.epcos.com
EPCOS, Inc., Iselin, NJ 08830 U.S.A.
800-888-7729
EPCOS – just everywhere…
Qualification
ISO/TS-16949
•
PASSIVE COMPONENT INDUSTRY
MARCH/APRIL 2003
29
Technical Paper
[2] Data Sheet, National Semiconductor LM4862
Boomer.
Volume 1, page 258
[5] Dell Patent #6,337,798
[3] AVX Multilayer Ceramic Feedthru Chip Capacitors
And Arrays,
http://www.avxcorp.com/docs/masterpubs/feedthru.pdf
[4] Decoupling Strategies for Printed Circuit Boards
Without Power Planes, Hwan W. Shim, Theodore M.
Zeef, Todd Hubing, EMC Laboratory, University
Missouri-Rolla, Presented at the August 2002 IEEE
EMC Symposium, Minneapolis, MN - TU-PM-G-5,
[6] Differential-to-common-mode conversion, By Howard
Johnson, PhD,
http://signalintegrity.com/Pubs/edn/DifftoCommonMode.htm,
(Originally published in EDN Magazine, October 17, 2002)
[7] Source, “How Stuff Works”,
http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/mp3-player.gif
Military
Continued from page 15
an assembly, and then qualify the finished assembly to
a relevant MIL standard. The problem is that, once in
the application, the capacitor will typically be derated,
and no amount of testing will provide the necessary acceleration required to achieve enhanced reliability.
Therefore, it is always important to ensure that the correct reliability grade is selected prior to integration into
the assembly.
Market trends indicate that, due to strict test requirements and the uncertainty of supply, military systems
designers are increasingly hesitant about using purely
commercial products and are adapting to COTS-plus or
returning to the use of MIL-Spec products, especially in
mission-critical products. While purely commercial
devices may perform satisfactorily in the lab, when the
equipment is deployed for mission critical applications
failure rate problems may occur.
Conclusion
The harsh environments encountered in missioncritical military operations require highly reliable and
long lasting products. Due to outstanding dependability
and electrical characteristics, ceramic capacitors are the
choice for capacitors used in MIL-Spec electronic
products. A declining number of suppliers are willing
and qualified to produce MIL-Spec ceramics. Meanwhile,
the bar is being raised to set the standard for MIL products on lot level, as well as component level, testing. Due
to the importance of being able to depend on its equipment in all environments, the military considers the
premium costs of MIL-Spec parts to be an acceptable
cost factor.
Fewer suppliers today are willing, or possess the technical capabilities required, to produce MIL-Spec ceramic capacitors. However, the military must have mission
30
PASSIVECOMPONENT INDUSTRY
MARCH/APRIL 2003
critical parts, due to the necessity of using top quality,
proven reliability ceramic capacitors to ensure that
their missions are successful and their equipment performs reliably. The combination of these factors, despite continuing market fluctuations, will ensure the
continuing demand for MIL-Spec ceramic components.
References
1. “DOD Defense Contractor Requirements for COTS &
Rugged Components,” Technology Research Institute,
1996.
Leading
Manufacturers of
Tantalum Capacitors
If interested in submitting
an article, contact
Sam Corey by
May 9, 2003 at
sales@paumanokgroup.com
or call (919) 468-0384
NEWSMAKERS
Vishay EFI Reaches Pre-Fire Capacity for HDIs
Vishay Intertechnology announced that ceramic production for its high-density interconnects has reached
the same level as before the fire that shut down the
company’s Electro-Films facility last year.
The announcement came just a few months after
Vishay Electro-Films reached pre-fire capacity for its
two principal silicon products—chip resistors and resistor
networks. Vishay Electro-Films reports that two new
clean rooms are operational, with a third due for completion soon. Orders for Vishay Electro-Films products
have reached about 70 percent of their pre-fire levels
and lead times for filling orders have been cut in half
over the last several months. Vishay Electro-Films will
eventually be able to handle twice its pre-fire production
capacity. The new clean rooms, equipment efficiencies
and open plant design will improve quality and streamline the process flow, according to Glyndwr Smith, senior
vice president, marketing intelligence, for Vishay.
“The goal from the beginning has been not just to
come back, but to increase Vishay Electro-Films’ competitive advantages in innovation and production level,”
said Smith. “We are on track to fulfilling that goal. By
the end of the year, the fire will be a distant memory.”
For more information about Vishay and its products,
visit www.vishay.com.
B o u r n s ® Introduces Multifuse ® 600V PPTC
R esettable Fuses
Bourns, Inc., announced a new line of 600V overcurrent
protection products designed for telecom networks.
Equipment such as modems, cable modems, fax
machines, set top boxes, point of sale and security
systems all require overcurrent protection due to
hazards posed by lightning strikes and contact
with AC power lines. The
Bourns® MF-R/600 products are designed to protect against an overcurrent
condition. The MF-R/600
series consists of two base
models, the MF-R015/600
and MF-R016/600, which
have operating currents
with Ihold values of
1 5 0 m A up to 160mA
r espectively.
These radial leaded devices are available in a number
32
PASSIVECOMPONENT INDUSTRY
MARCH/APRIL 2003
of variations such as narrow and binned resistance
ranges for line balancing and longer lead lengths to
facilitate board layout. The MF-R/600 series of polymer
PTC resettable fuses complements the other Bourns®
telecom overcurrent protection devices including Multifuse® polymer PTCs, Surge Line Protection Modules
and Telefuse® telecom fuses.
Samples of the products are now offered for evaluation. Based on a quantity of 100k, the products are
priced at $0.42 per piece. Lead-time is four weeks ARO.
For more information, visit www.bourns.com.
New IEEE Standards Group to Raise Mobile
Broadband to LAN-Like Levels
Mobile broadband wireless access (MBWA) for computers, personal digital assistants and other batterypowered devices is set to take a major step forward. The
next two years will see a standard developed at the
I nstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
(IEEE) to create an air-interface that delivers service
levels to mobile users traveling at speeds as great as
250 km/hr that are comparable to wired broadband
systems, such as cable and DSL connections.
The standard, IEEE P802.20™ “Standard Air Interface for Mobile Broadband Wireless Access Systems
Supporting Vehicular Mobility – Physical and Media
Access Control Layer Specification,” will seek to boost
real-time data transmission rates in wireless metropolitan area networks from the dial-up rates of today’s
cellular phones to a broadband experience of 1 Mbps or
more. By providing ubiquitous mobile broadband networking based on cell ranges of up to 15 km or more, the
standard will remove barriers for mobile interactive
voice, video and data services.
IEEE P802.20 will address MBWA in licensed bands
below 3.5GHz. It will optimize airwave use for mobility
and allow for many more simultaneous users than
existing mobile systems now accommodate. IEEE plans
to have the standard in place by the end of 2004.
“Our goal is to bring a true broadband experience to
wireless users,” said Mark Klerer, 802.20 Working
Group Chair and Executive Director of Standards at
Flarion Technologies. “In so doing, we hope to make
MBWA a viable option for transferring large amounts of
data in real time via the Internet, intranets and enterprise systems to mobile users within metropolitan area
networks.
“The standard will target sustained spectral efficiencies of more than 1 bit/second/Hz/cell, which is more
Continued on page 34
Newsmakers
Continued from page 32
than double that of today’s systems. It will promote fully
QoS-enabled airlinks having high spectral efficiency
and low latency, giving users a high-speed wireless data
experience equivalent in quality to wired links.”
The standard will provide for an efficient packetbased air interface with high-speed downlink and uplink capabilities. In providing for low latency, it will
enable telephony using Voice over Internet Protocol
(VoIP) and activities needing rapid network response
times, such as online gaming and financial transactions. The standard also will support other IP-centric
applications, so that native IP applications can be
used without alteration.
Individuals with expertise in mobile wireless systems,
air interfaces and mobility are invited to join the IEEE
802.20 Working Group. For more information on IEEE
802.20 visit http://grouper.ieee.org/groups/802/mbwa/.
Additional information about the IEEE can be found at
www.ieee.org.
Cooper Releases IEC-Designed 5mm x 20mm Fuses
in North America
IEC-designed Series 500 5mm x 20mm fuses, readily
available in Europe and Asia, are now available in North
America. These Bussmann Electronic Fuses from Cooper
Electronic Technologies, a business unit of Cooper
Bussmann, are all UL recognized. They can be mounted
in Buss fuse clips and ordered with optimal axial leads
for use in printed circuit boards. Rated at 250 VAC, the
entire S500 series protects expensive electronic components and guards against the potential for fire.
To learn more about the specific electrical characteristics and specifications of the more than 100 fuse sizes
available in the S500, S501, S504, S505 and S506 series
line, consult a Cooper Electronic Technologies’ Overcurrent Protection technical guide. To get a free copy,
visit the literature request section of the Cooper Electronic
34
PASSIVECOMPONENT INDUSTRY
MARCH/APRIL 2003
Technologies’ web site at www.cooperET.com. Additional
information about Cooper is available on the company’s
Internet site: www.cooperindustries.com.
Gowanda Offers Inductor Series with Higher
Current Ratings
Gowanda Electronics introduced an expansion of its
CF1008 Surface Mount Inductor Series, offering new
RF inductors with very low inductance values and very
high current ratings. The new models provide inductance values ranging from 0.10µh to 1µh and respond to
the need for higher current ratings as demanded by
new RF applications.
The CF1008 series of surface mount inductors is
targeted for use in RF applications in the electronics
industry, especially for wireless and portable test &
measurement equipment where the ability to solder is a
major concern. Other applications include all RF signal
circuitry in communications equipment, medical diagnostic equipment and industrial process control equipment.
The inductors are also well suited for use in computers,
computer peripherals, security systems, instrumentation,
bar code and laboratory analysis equipment.
The CF series is based on the company’s CC series,
but the core is ferrite instead of ceramic. Both wirewound series are designed with terminations which
result in improved ability to solder and therefore
easier/faster assembly, enhanced system performance
and greater system reliability. The expansion of the
CF1008 series provides inductors with high current
ratings in a ferrite-core product.
Gowanda Electronics’ CF1008 Surface Mount Inductor
Series now includes models with inductance values
ranging from 0.10µh to 100µh and current ratings (DC
max) from 1392mA to 102mA. Within this range there
are a number of discrete products available with specific
inductance values.
The Gowanda Electronics CF1008 series of surface
Continued on page 36
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a special Exactalloy preform they designed for me.”
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“Cookson Exactalloy preforms allowed me to
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connector assembly process.”
Exactalloy
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(Filtered connector manufacturer, North America)
Exactalloy Preform Benefits
Cookson’s solder experts can have you talking cost savings and quality improvements in your
die attach and semiconductor packaging process, and help you make the “impossible” happen.
No other manufacturer has Cookson’s in-depth electronics assembly experience in solder bar, paste and
preform applications. Our Exactalloy preforms are available in a complete alloy and temperature range,
including gold-compatibility and Pb-free. We offer a wide range of sizes and shapes in flux coated and filled
varieties and laminates. Cookson engineers can cut costs and improve quality in your capacitor, diode,
inductor, resistor or filtered connector manufacturing process by designing custom preforms to meet
a myriad of applications. Contact Cookson to arrange an Exactalloy product evaluation right in your
own facility. Call 201-324-3659, or E-mail mholtzer@cooksonelectronics.com.
Worldwide Headquarters • 600 Route 440 • Jersey City, NJ 07304 • USA • 1-800-367-5460 • www.alphametals.com
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Newsmakers
Continued from page 34
mount inductors offers custom designs that meet the
requirements of specific applications. For design details
or custom requirements visit the company web site at
www.gowanda.com. Typical unit pricing for the CF1008
series is $0.19 in production quantities.
Syfer Technology Releases Pi-Filters in 1206
Package
Miniature EMI filters just got smaller with the
launch of the SBSP range of surface mount pi-filters
from Syfer Technology. The devices are available in the
popular 1206 size.
With a 1A current rating, pi-filters in the SBSP
range have working voltages of 25, 50 or 100VDC. The
choice of X7R and C0G ceramic dielectrics allows for an
expanded range of devices with capacitance values from
22pF to 150nF and ensures EMI filtering performance
up to 1GHz. Filters are suitable for both signal and
power line applications.
The filters can be surface mounted and soldered just
like any standard SMD component. However, for improved EMI performance, particularly in high frequency
applications, the filter chips may also be mounted in the
wall of a screened can. The improved screening between
the filter input and output ensures increased attenuation to frequencies as high as 1GHz.
Operating temperature range is -55°C to 125°C,
0603 size and are designed for low power filter processing and higher power signal processing circuits. The
inductors are designed for optimum performance in the
10MHz to 100MHz range. Typical applications range
from large RF circuit board assemblies to small hand
held portable RF devices.
Frontier is offering four package sizes:
Series
Inductance Range
Range
SRF
Current
Rating
1008F
1.2µh to 10µh
60 to 210MHz
300 to 650mA
1210F
0.1µh to 470µh
4 to 2500MHz
25 to 450mA
1306F
.010µh to 22µh
12 to 2600MHz
80 to 500mA
1812F
.10µh to 1000 µh
2.5 to 300MHz
30 to 800mA
Temperature range is -40°C to 125°C. Package sizes
are EIA standard 1008, 1210, 1306 and 1812. Package is
standard with gold plated tabs. Price is approximately
$.20 each for production quantities. Delivery from 6-8
weeks. For more information, see www.frontierusa.com.
which combined with the small size and high performance, makes the SBSP range suitable for military,
aerospace and automotive applications, as well as for
telecoms, power supplies and industrial electronic
equipment.
Devices can be supplied taped, reeled and in bulk.
For more information, visit www.syfer.com.
Frontier Announces Large, Wire Wound Ferrite
Chip Inductors
Frontier Electronics announced four series of large,
wire wound ferrite chip inductors. The new devices provide greater inductance capabilities than the standard
36
PASSIVE COMPONENT INDUSTRY
MARCH/APRIL 2003
Sprague-Goodman Adds Nonmagnetic, L o w
Profile, Surface Mount Capacitors
Sprague-Goodman Electronics announced its low
profile, surface mount FILMTRIM® plastic dielectric
trimmer capacitors are now available in nonmagnetic
versions. Suitable for applications requiring a nonmagnetic trimmer capacitor (such as MRI and NMR
d evices), the new series offers four capacitance ranges
from 0.5 - 4.5pF to 1 - 20pF.
The devices measure only 6.8 x 5.4 x 2.6mm, much
smaller than comparable lead-through-hole models.
They are manufactured with nonferrous parts and
platings, so they have a maximum relative permeability
of only 1.0025. The dielectric used is PTFE film. Quality
factor (Q) is greater than 1000 when measured at
Continued on page 38
Newsmakers
Continued from page 36
10MHz. Operating temperature is -25°C to +85°C.
These plastic film trimmers are suitable for flow and
reflow soldering. Resistance to soldering heat is 260°C
for 10 seconds. Parts are packaged 3000 pieces per
33cm reel. Production pricing for 0.5 to 4.5pF version
(model number GSX364NM) is $0.46 each. Lead time
for production quantities is 12 weeks.
For more information, visit www.spraguegoodman.com.
The guide includes a glossary of terms and a comprehensive cross-reference page. This guide is free of
charge and may be obtained on the TTI web site,
www.ttiinc.com.
AVX MIL-Qualified Ceramic Capacitors Available
for Critical Frequency Applications
AVX Corporation now offers MIL-qualified ceramic
capacitors with space-level reliability. The M123 Series
capacitors are designed for high performance applications in BX and BR voltage levels and for temperature
stable applications in BP and BG voltage levels. The
M123A10 through M123A13 have been tested in accordance with MIL-PRF-123 specifications and are available
in a wide range of values and tolerances.
M123 Series capacitors offer design and component
engineers a proven technology for SMD processing and
applications requiring space-level reliability. These
MIL-qualified ceramic capacitors are designed for use
in critical frequency applications, timing circuits and all
applications where absolute stability is required (BP and
BG) as well as in applications where a wider capacitance
variation in temperature, voltage, frequency and life
span can be tolerated (BX and BR).
AMETEK Introduces Ultra Power™ Nickel Strip
AMETEK Specialty Metal Products is now producing
Ultra Power™ Nickel Strip for tabs, terminals and
contacts of rechargeable batteries and electronic components. The new high performance material is made
by wrought powder metallurgy, which the company said
offers advantages over traditional melt and cast materials
for forming, welding, soldering and plating.
Ultra Power offers higher conductivity than pure
nickel strip used in the manufacture of lithium polymer,
lithium ion, nickel metal hydride and nickel cadmium
rechargeable batteries, and is especially well suited for
computers, cellular phones, pagers, camcorders, power
tools and electric vehicles.
For more information, visit www.ameteknickelstrip.com.
TTI Produces Magnetic Solutions Guide
TTI, Inc., published a Magnetic Solutions Guide for
customers and others interested in training information on magnetics.
The guide offers answers to frequently asked questions and encompasses not only inductors but also
information on transformers and ferrite beads. Frank
Sganga, Director Specialty Product Marketing said,
“Customers will find easy to read value propositions of
each of TTI’s magnetic suppliers. Each page indicates
what each supplier offers and how to read and understand the various part numbers.”
38
PASSIVECOMPONENT INDUSTRY
MARCH/APRIL 2003
“The M123 Series capacitors offer superior reliability
and performance,” said Bob Obuszewski, AVX product
manager. “Their proven performance is evidenced by
their ongoing use for military and aerospace projects
that require the highest reliability.”
MIL-PRF-123 Series capacitors are processed to order
in 26 weeks fully tested. Pricing, based on size and
quantity ordered, is between $2.00 - $8.55 each.
For more information about AVX SMPS Series
capacitors visit www.avxcorp.com.
Newsmakers
Disco Announces New Automatic Dicing Saw
Disco Corporation announced its new automatic
dicing system, the DAD3350, for the electronic components market. The new system enables component makers
to process a wide range of materials with improved yield
and efficiency by applying leading dicing technology
into one system. The DAD3350’s new design addresses
important economic and technical requirements for
passive component fabrication.
It supports a maximum workpiece size of 250mm2
while realizing a small footprint of 0.95m2. Configurations are available with either a 1.8kW spindle or a
2.2kW high torque spindle for up to 5-inch blades,
making the DAD3350 a versatile solution for all materials in the component industry, including compound
materials.
Productivity and cost
of ownership are critical
elements in component
manufacturin g. Fas t
o p erational speed of
x-, y-, and z- axis as well
as chuck table rotation
speed improves machine
utilization. The touch
screen graphical user interface with intuitive
operation contributes to
low operating and maintenance costs. Real time
process control features,
such as water flow control and a spindle current monitor, support
process analysis.
The DAD3350 features
an advanced pattern
recognition system to
support micron level precision cutting. This enables makers to reduce the margin
between components, thus increasing yield per substrate
and allowing smaller component case size. The recognition system includes auto alignment, auto focus, and
auto kerf check to shorten the alignment time. A low
magnification microscope is available to increase alignment efficiency for large substrates. In addition, by employing a bridge type frame structure, rigidity and
stability is maximized, resulting in high cutting accuracy.
For more information visit www.discousa.com.
Cooper Claims World’s Lowest Profile Power
Inductor
Cooper Electronic Technologies announced the new
Coiltronics® SD10, saying it is the world’s lowest profile
power inductor and the only commercially available
shielded inductor with a 1mm profile.
The company said the ferrite shield drum inductor
can be used in devices where radiated EMI is a concern,
or in high-density packages where noise can couple to
adjacent devices or circuit cards. The SD10 typically
has 14 percent higher saturation current ratings and a
34 percent smaller footprint than previous devices.
Applications include switching regulators for handheld devices such as PDAs, PC cards, mobile phones,
GPS receivers and laptop computers.
Additional information about Cooper Electronic
Technologies, a unit of Cooper Bussmann, is available
on the company’s web site, www.cooperET.com.
Bourns® Releases ChipGuard® Multilayer Varistors
Bourns, Inc., announced the addition of the ChipGuard® line, a Multilayer Varistor (MLV) family of
Electrostatic Sensitive Protection Devices to its circuit
protection portfolio. The metal oxide technology of the
ChipGuard® products provides high impulse current
capability of 20A at 8/20µs in the ultra-small 0402 package.
The new ChipGuard family is specifically designed to
address the IEC61000-4.2, 8kV body and 15kV air discharge requirements. The CG0402MLA-XX and
CG0603MLA-XX series are designed for general protection in IC power supplies, signal lines and control
protection lines.
The CG0402MLE-18 and CG0603MLE-18 products
are designed to provide suppression and filtering in one
device with a maximum capacitance of 50pF and low
leakage currents. They are well suited for data transmission lines such as LAN, Ethernet, RS232 and RS485
applications.
The CG0603MLC-XX series is designed for high
performance applications requiring low capacitance
loading properties. With maximum capacitance of just
0.5pF, the MLC is designed for high-speed USB 2.0 and
IEEE1394 applications.
The ChipGuard family is available in a variety of
voltage options from 5.5V to18VDC. Packaging is
industry standard 0402 and 0603 type, depending on
PASSIVE COMPONENT INDUSTRY
MARCH/APRIL 2003
39
Newsmakers
the family. Pricing at the 10,000-unit level is $0.048 per
unit. For more information, see www.bourns.com.
Tyco Electronics Introduces Single-Use Fuse for
Telecom and Networking Applications
Raychem Circuit Protection, a unit of Tyco Electronics,
introduced its first single-use fuse for telecom and networking applications. The new FT600 fuse series is
designed to assist telecommunications equipment
manufacturers in complying with North American overcurrent protection requirements, including Telcordia
GR-1089, FCC Part 68 and UL60950 3rd edition.
In some circuit designs the preferred PolySwitch
PPTC device solution may not be ideal, such as on
height-constrained, high-density line cards. In these
applications, the low profile and small footprint of the
FT600 fuse provide a practical overcurrent protection
solution. The device offers low temperature-rise performance under sneak current fault events to prevent
damage to circuit traces or multilayer boards, and when
used in conjunction with a SiBar thyristor device, helps
designers comply with regulatory standards. The
FT600 series includes devices rated for maximum operating currents of 1.25A, 0.500A and 2.0A, and is suitable for ambient temperatures up to 85°C.
The FT600 fuse is available in tape and reel packaging for compatibility with high-volume manufacturing.
It is now available, priced at $0.40 in quantities of 100k.
Delivery is 8 weeks ARO. For more information, visit
www.tycopowercomponents.com.
Tecate Releases Catalog: MLCCs for RF/Microwave
and X2/Y3 Applications
Tecate Industries, Inc., published a 226-page, full
line catalog containing information on 90 distinct series
of multilayer ceramic chip capacitors (MLCCs), ceramic
40
PASSIVECOMPONENT INDUSTRY
MARCH/APRIL 2003
disc, PPS/PEN/PET film, aluminum electrolytic and
tantalum capacitors.
The catalog includes the company’s new MLCC
capacitors for RF/microwave frequency ranges, as well
as the new SEMKO certified series of monolithic
ceramic chi p
safety capacitors
for X2/Y3 applications. MLCCs
specifically engineered for tip
and ring, and
high voltage
a pplications are
also included.
Chips are provided in sizes ranging from 0201 to
2225, and in
NPO, X7R, X5R
and Y5V dielectrics. Among
the most commonly specified
SMT capacitors
covered are PPS film and low impedance (0.066Ω)
aluminum electrolytic capacitors.
Popular leaded film capacitors offered include metallized polyester box capacitors and metallized polypropylene capacitors in radial epoxy dipped or axial configurations. Also included are axial and radial leaded
monolithic ceramic capacitors, as well as disc capacitors
in class 1, 2 and 3 dielectrics. The catalog has a section
for aluminum electrolytic capacitors, available in axial
or radial packages for general purpose, low leakage,
non-polar, long life and low impedance applications.
The catalog is free and may be obtained through the
company’s web site, www.TecateGroup.com.
EPCOS Publishes Tantalum and Niobium Electrolytic Capacitors Data Book
EPCOS released its 2003 Tantalum and Niobium
Electrolytic Capacitors Data Book. The publication
includes the EPCOS portfolio of tantalum and niobium
chip capacitors in surface mount technology, including
ultra-low ESR with tantalum polymer technology in
V, D and E case sizes; ultra-low ESR with tantalum
polymer multiple anodes; niobium chip capacitors,
HighCap and low ESR series in V, D and E case sizes;
B case size, low ESR series; and the extended product
range of low profile, HighCap, low ESR series and
multiple anode technology.
The catalog is free and may be obtained from EPCOS
at (800) 888-7729.
T h e
P a u m a n o k
G r o u p
The Capacitor & Resistor W orld
Market Over view
2003
Presented by Dennis Zogbi
CARTS 2003 • Phoenix, Arizona
Now Available on
DVD
$995.00 Includes: Seminar Notes and a DVD Recording
of the Presentation
Paumanok Publications, Inc.
(919) 468-0384
(919) 468-0386 Fax
email: info@paumanokgroup.com
A D VANCED PRODUCTS.
w technology of the KEMET AO-CAP
rked interest in a broad variety of
tions and industries.
emely low ESR
h-capacitance retention for superior
ormance at high operating frequencies
e surface-mount capability
“dry-out” or “wear-out” related
re mechanism
gn failure mode
voltage de-rating up to +125˚ C
rall lower placement costs
A D VANCED PRODUCT KNOWLEDGE.
Susan and the TTI capacitor team know the
KEMET AO-CAP better than anyone in the
industry. With every AO-CAP order from TTI,
you get a capacitor specialist who is familiar
with the products, the applications, and what
it takes to make the buyer’s job easier.
For your next AO-CAP order, call the
capacitor team at TTI. They’re leading the
industry with the products and information
you need, consistently delivering more than
you expect.
ut more at www.ttiinc.com/ap
PASSIVES & INTERCONNECT SPECIALIST