We are an enterprise whose main business is the research and development, production and sales of semiconductor discrete components and products. Our company has core technologies in many fields such as wafers, packaging, device testing, and application design. We are committed to the research and development, production, sales, and application solution design of new components, and have obtained more than 80 national authorized invention patents.
Technical Excellence
Our company ensures superior product quality by leveraging cutting-edge technology in wafer manufacturing, packaging, and testing, providing clients with reliable and high-performance electronic components.
OEM/ODM Services
Leverage our OEM/ODM prowess to bring your product vision to life. With custom designs and high-quality manufacturing, we deliver solutions that perfectly align with your brand and market needs, ensuring a competitive edge in a rapidly evolving marketplace.
Leading Service
We have many years of industry experience and a complete production management, quality supervision, sales service operation system. Whether you want to buy transistors or diodes, just send your requirements by email and we can customize the product for you.
Quality Guaranteed
Our products have obtained ISO-14000; ISO-9001 IATF-16949 and other certificates, and have obtained more than 80 national invention patents, including the MB10F bridge stack commonly used in the power supply industry, the UMB10F/B7 bridge stack used in the LED industry, the world's smallest bridge stack IBS and a series of high junction temperature products.
Multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCC) are a type of capacitor that have multiple layers of ceramic material that act as a dielectric. They can also be thought of as consisting of many single-layer capacitors stacked together into a single package. MLCCs have alternating layers of metallic electrodes along with layers of dielectric ceramic. These capacitors work as a 'dam' that temporarily charges and discharges electricity. They regulate the current flow in a circuit and prevent electromagnetic interference between components.The thickness of a single dielectric and the number of stacked layers are directly proportional to the capacitance of the MLCC. Various technologies are used for thinning each layer in order to stack more layers to develop ultra-small high-capacity capacitors.
Features of Mlcc capacitors
Bypass
MLCC has many functions. The primary function is bypass, which is an energy storage device that provides energy for local devices. It can make the output of the voltage stabilizer uniform and reduce the load demand. Like a small rechargeable battery, the bypass capacitor can be charged and discharged to the device. To minimize impedance, bypass capacitors should be placed as close as possible to the power supply and ground pins of the load device. This is a good protection against ground potential rise and noise caused by excessive input values. Ground potential is the voltage drop across the ground connection through a high current glitch.
Decoupling
The second is decoupling. The decoupling capacitor acts as a "battery" to meet the change of the current of the drive circuit and avoid mutual coupling interference. It will be easier to understand by combining bypass and decoupling capacitors. The bypass capacitor is actually decoupled, but the bypass capacitor generally refers to the high-frequency bypass, which is to improve a low-impedance leakage prevention way for the high-frequency switching noise.
Energy storage
In addition, the most important role is energy storage. The energy storage capacitor collects the charge through the rectifier and transfers the stored energy to the output of the power supply through the inverter leads. Aluminum electrolytic capacitors (such as B43504 or B43505 from EPCOS) with a voltage rating of 40 to 450 VDC and a capacitance of 220 to 150 000 μF are commonly used. Depending on the power supply requirements, devices are sometimes used in series, parallel, or a combination thereof. For power supplies with power levels exceeding 10KW, bulky can-shaped screw terminal capacitors are usually used.
Types of Mlcc capacitors
X7R
This type offers a balance between capacitance, voltage ratings, and temperature stability. X7R capacitors have moderate capacitance changes with temperature variation and are widely used in many applications.
X5R
Similar to X7R, X5R capacitors also provide moderate capacitance stability across temperatures, although they might offer slightly lower capacitance compared to X7R types.
Y5V
Y5V capacitors offer high capacitance values but exhibit considerable changes in capacitance with temperature fluctuations. They’re suitable for applications where temperature stability isn’t critical.
C0G (NP0)
C0G, also known as NP0, stands out for its exceptional temperature stability, with minimal capacitance change over a wide temperature range. However, C0G capacitors typically offer lower capacitance compared to other types.
X8R
These capacitors offer extended temperature range capabilities compared to X7R and X5R types, with improved capacitance stability over a wider temperature range.
High Voltage MLCCs
Some MLCCs are specifically designed to handle higher voltage ratings, catering to applications requiring elevated voltage thresholds.
Applications of Mlcc capacitors
Electronics Coupling Device
Multilayer Ceramic Capacitors (MLCCs) primarily function as coupling devices in electronics. They bridge two separate circuits, allowing them to operate as a unified system. This ensures smooth signal transfer between stages of a device without any DC offset interference.
Frequency Adjustment and Polarization
MLCCs can modify DC voltage frequencies, offering the flexibility to become polarized to specific frequencies. This makes them essential in devices requiring frequency specificity, such as in tuners or signal generators.
A/C Frequency Filters
These capacitors serve as A/C frequency filters, adjusting a range of frequencies through varied capacitance values. With capabilities to manage frequencies from three to six megahertz, they are crucial for circuits needing precise frequency control, like in radio or communication systems.
Voltage Regulation
MLCCs play a critical role in voltage regulation. Their ability to convert high-voltage pulses into lower voltages, around twenty-five volts, is vital for circuits requiring stable power supply, protecting against voltage spikes that could damage components.
Applications in Various Industries
Beyond traditional electronics, MLCCs are integral to medicine, telecommunications, and computer technology. Smaller electronic devices, including computers and mobile phones, especially rely on them for analogue circuit applications, where precision and miniaturization are key.
Radio Transmitters and Receivers
Commonly used as coupling capacitors in radio transmitters and receivers, MLCCs contribute to high-quality audio applications. Their reliability and efficiency are crucial for clear signal transmission and reception.
Reverse Bias Applications
In DC amplifier circuits, MLCCs find use in reverse bias applications. By altering their capacitance values from high to low, they can change the gain of an amplifier circuit, thus fine-tuning its performance.
Noise Suppression
For noise suppression in radio receivers and transmitters, MLCCs, when connected in a parallel circuit with the power supply, can eliminate high-frequency noise, ensuring clearer transmissions.
Medical Use: Defibrillator Capacitors
In a significant medical application, MLCCs act as defibrillator capacitors. Used in devices that regulate cardiac rhythms, these capacitors deliver an electric current to shock the heart and restore normal rhythm. Using MLCCs enhances the efficacy of defibrillators by introducing higher voltage levels into the circuit compared to ordinary capacitors.
How to Select the Right MLCC Capacitors for Your Business
MLCC selection: Meeting the parameters is not enough
The general decision logic for purchasing goods is: Whether it can be used, whether it is easy to use, whether it is durable, and how much it costs. In fact, this logic can also be applied to the selection process of MLCC: First, the MLCC parameters meet the circuit requirements, secondly, whether the parameters and dielectric can make the system work in the best state, and then whether the incoming MLCC has defects and reliability, and finally whether the price is advantageous and whether the supplier cooperates in time. Many design engineers do not pay attention to passive components, thinking that they can only rely on theoretical calculation parameters. In fact, the selection of MLCC is a complicated process.
Selection factors
Parameters: Capacitance value, tolerance, withstand voltage, operating temperature, size
Material
DC bias effect
Failure
Price and availability
Dielectric properties determine the use
- C0G capacitors have high temperature compensation characteristics and are suitable as bypass capacitors and coupling capacitors.
- X7R capacitors are temperature-stable ceramic capacitors, suitable for industrial occasions with low requirements.
- Z5U capacitors are characterized by small size and low cost, and are particularly suitable for decoupling circuits.
- Y5V capacitors have the worst temperature characteristics, but large capacity, and can replace low-capacitance aluminum electrolytic capacitors.
- Common MLCC dielectric specifications include C0G (NP0), X7R, Z5U, Y5V, etc. Different specifications have different characteristics and applications. The main difference between C0G, X7R, Z5U, and Y5V is the different filling dielectrics. Under the same volume, due to the different filling dielectrics, the capacitance of the capacitor is also different, and the dielectric loss and capacitance stability of the capacitor are also different. Therefore, when using capacitors, different capacitors should be selected according to their different functions in the circuit.
Working principle of MLCC capacitors
Multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) function based on the principle of storing electrical charge within their layers. They are constructed from alternating layers of ceramic material and metal electrodes, creating a sandwich-like structure.
Dielectric Properties:
The ceramic material used in MLCCs serves as the dielectric, which is a non-conductive material that separates the conductive plates (metal electrodes). The dielectric properties of the ceramic, including its permittivity and insulation properties, determine the capacitor’s behavior.
Storage of Electrical Energy:
When a voltage is applied across the terminals of the MLCC, an electric field is formed between the metal electrodes across the dielectric layers. This electric field causes the accumulation of electrical charge on the metal electrodes, effectively storing energy in the form of an electrostatic field within the capacitor.
Capacitance and Charge Storage:
The capacitance of the MLCC, measured in farads (F), is a measure of its ability to store charge per unit voltage. The higher the capacitance, the more charge the capacitor can store for a given voltage.
Energy Release:
MLCCs discharge the stored electrical energy when connected in a circuit, releasing the stored charge to support the circuit’s operation. They can act as filters, voltage regulators, or energy reservoirs within electronic circuits.
Non-Polarity:
One notable characteristic of MLCCs is that they are non-polar devices, meaning they can be connected to a circuit without consideration for polarity (no specific positive or negative terminal).
Frequency Response:
MLCCs exhibit different frequency responses based on their design and construction. They can effectively store and release charge even at high frequencies, making them suitable for applications in various electronic circuits, especially those involving high-frequency signals.
To clean Mlcc capacitor after the assembly process:
Cleaning with detergents
Solvents such as isopropyl alcohol (IPA), ethanol, deionized water, and other standard PCB cleaning solutions such as Oakite, Okemclean, Biokleen, PINE ALPHA cleaner (Arakawa), Clean through series cleaner (Kao), etc. are recommended. Corrosive solvents are not recommended. MLCCs should be cleaned thoroughly without flux residue. Inadequate cleaning may leave flux residue, causing degradation of the capacitor's electrical properties, such as its insulation resistance.
Ultrasonic cleaning
If ultrasonic cleaning is used, the following guidelines are recommended:
Ultrasonic power: 20 W/ℓ maximum
Ultrasonic frequency: 20 kHz - 40 kHz
Ultrasonic temperature: 60°C / 140°F maximum
Ultrasonic cleaning duration: 5 minutes maximum
When using ultrasonic cleaning, it is important to consider that excessive vibration of the PCB or resonance between the mounted component and the PCB may cause cracking of the solder joints or capacitors. KEMET recommends testing your cleaning process on final production PCBs to verify that it is appropriate for the capacitors and PCBs being used.
General Precautions for MLCC Capacitors
MLCC capacitors are fragile and easily abraded. If not handled properly, they may cause mechanical damage such as cracking or breaking. Therefore, the following aspects should be noted:
General handling precautions
(1) MLCC capacitors are easily broken when thrown. In addition to surface damage, the capacitance value changes, the loss factor increases, the insulation resistance decreases, and the dielectric strength decreases.
(2) Rolling bulk MLCC capacitors together will cause the metal of the terminals to rub against the surface of other capacitors. The metal traces left on the capacitors will cause hidden faults such as creepage.
(3) MLCC capacitors must not be handled by hand, because sweat and skin oils will make the solderability of the terminal electrodes worse and difficult to clean.
(4) MLCC capacitors must not be handled with metal tools. Metal tweezers will peel off the chip or leave metal traces on the surface of the capacitor. When using tweezers, it is recommended to use plastic or plastic-sealed metal tweezers. Try to keep the pressure applied to a minimum when using.
Transportation precautions
(1) Use unopened original packaging for transportation as much as possible. If it has been opened, the original protective material should be replaced and resealed.
(2) Do not directly package MLCC capacitors with paper or card, as some papers contain sulfur, which can adversely affect the solderability of the capacitors. Bulk laminated ceramic compressors should use sulfur-free foam plastic padding to avoid damage caused by collision and grinding during transportation.
Certificate
Frequently Asked Questions
We're well-known as one of the leading mlcc capacitor manufacturers and suppliers in Shenzhen, China. If you're going to buy high quality mlcc capacitor in stock, welcome to get quotation from our factory. Also, OEM service is available.
NPO X7R Y5V capacitor, capacitor 0402 0603 0805 1206, Capacitor 0603