Further miniaturization, performance improvements in MLCCs

by Vianie Li & Cecile de Veyra

Thanks to their multiple layers of dielectrics in an ultrasmall package, MLCCs offer more capacity for energy storage crucial to keeping the flow of current stable in circuits. With upgrades in electronic devices in recent years, driven by 5G communication, and with the automotive industry’s electrification trend, demand for more robust but smaller MLCCs has been on the rise.

In smartphones, there are about 1,000 such components, while in a car, as many as 10,000 are used – and triple that number in luxury vehicles with a greater number of onboard electronics. In 2020, the global multilayer ceramic capacitor market reached $8.8 billion, according to Expert Market Research, and will expand further at 5 percent CAGR from 2022 to 2027.

In the coming years, MLCCs will continue to shrink in size while gaining increased ability to handle high voltages and operate on a wide frequency range for enhanced overall reliability. They have a low ESR, an inherent characteristic associated with their ceramic material. This means fewer power losses and heating issues, which can otherwise affect MLCC performance and life span.

Units with a 3 to 4kV rating will be popular in the next one or two years, according to suppliers interviewed by Global Sources Electronic Components.

In the Chinese mainland, miniaturization efforts have yielded 008004 variants. Eyang, one of the major MLCC manufacturers there, introduced such components, mainly for wearable and mobile devices, in late 2021. Currently turning them out in small batches, the company is expected to achieve mass scale in 2022 or 2023.

As for units in 01005 packages, they can be sourced from some large Chinese suppliers that can produce them in large batches. From the majority, however, the typical sizes available are 0201, 0402, 0603, 0805, 1206 and 1210, with components in the first two sizes making up the bulk of shipments.

Chinese MLCC manufacturers mainly use ceramic materials from providers in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, and the other inputs from domestic companies.

Rising demand for MLCCs resulted in a supply shortage and jacked up material costs in 2021, which pushed up product prices by 10 to as much as 20 percent worldwide. This upward price trend is expected to continue through June 2022.

0603, 1µF capacitance

The Middle & High Voltage X7R-823-4244 model from Dongguan Aillen Electronic Technology Co. Ltd is a 0603 MLCC with an X7R dielectric. This 25V-rated unit has 1µF capacitance, ±10 percent tolerance and -55 to 125 C operating temperature.

The minimum order required is 5,000 units. Delivery is within 10 days.

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0201 to 2225, 0.1pF to 0.1µF capacitance

Available in 0201, 0402, 0603, 0805, 1206, 1210, 1812, 1825, 2220 and 2225 sizes, the MLCC-NPO-12-3425 from Dongguan Aillen Electronic Technology Co. Ltd has 0.1pF to 0.1µF capacitance range, +30ppm capacitance characteristic and -55 to 125 C operating temperature. Its rated voltage is 10, 16, 25, 50 or 100V.

The supplier requires a minimum order of 2,000 units. Lead time is five days.

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0402, 10V rated voltage

Rated at 10V, this 0402 MLCC from Shenzhen Topmay Electronic Co. Ltd, the TMCC05-SMD4.7MF 10V…-3759, operates in -55 to 125 C.

The 4,000-unit minimum order has a lead time of 12 days.

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0402, 16V rated voltage

Shenzhen Topmay Electronic Co. Ltd markets the TMCC05-102K50VT 0402 X7R, a 0402 MLCC with a rated voltage of 16V and an operating temperature of -55 to 125 C.

The minimum order is 4,000 units. Delivery is within 12 days.

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0201 to 2512, 6.3V to 5kV

From Thunder Components Ltd, the MLCC-R030 has 1, 5, 10, 20 or 80±20 percent tolerance and 6.3V to 5kV voltage. This unit comes in 0201, 0402, 0603, 0805, 1206, 1210, 2010 and 2512 sizes, and NPO, X5R, X7R, Y5V and Z5V variants. It meets RoHS requirements.

Order quantity is negotiable. Delivery is within seven days.

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NP0, Y5V, X7R variants

The CC Series offered by Thunder Components Ltd has ±60ppm/K temperature coefficient at 16V or ±30ppm/K at more than 16V based on an NP0 dielectric, within ±15 percent with an X7R and within +30 to -80 percent with a Y5V. Operating temperature is -55 to 125 C. This unit is RoHS-compliant.

The negotiable minimum order has a lead time of seven days.

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