Samsung Electro-Mechanics has succeeded in developing a multi-layer ceramic capacitor (MLCC) that boasts the best performance in the industry.
The company announced on Thursday that it has developed an ultra-small MLCC that is 0.4 millimeters and 0.2 millimeters in width and length respectively, provides a capacity of 1 microfarad, and supports rated voltage of 6.3 volts.
MLCC, which is also called the rice of electronics industry, is a core component of electronic devices that controls the stable flow of current within electric circuits.
Its electric capacity and rated voltage are important as it supplies current to major components such as semiconductors. Also, because a single smartphone uses 800 to 1,000 MLCCs, smaller MLCCs gain greater competitive edge over bigger MLCCs.
Samsung Electro-Mechanics’ latest MLCC provides the highest capacity and highest rated voltage compared to other 0402 MLCCs.
Although a MLCC released by Murata, which currently stands at the top of the global MLCC market, also has same size and capacity as that of MLCC, its rated voltage is lower at 4 volts.
Rated voltage indicates durability towards high voltage and higher rated voltage indicates that the corresponding MLCC can be used for a more variety of IT devices.
In order to secure super-gap technologies in the MLCC market, Samsung Electro-Mechanics established a task force made up of experts from manufacturing, process, and facilities last year.
Since then, it has worked on new technologies involving entire fields such as material, manufacturing, and analysis in order to develop products that provide the best capacity and voltage while being extremely small.
As a result, it has secured a nanoparticle powder processing technology that materializes ultra-thin dielectric substances and improved reliability by introducing a semiconductor process analysis technique to manufacturing process.
Samsung Electro-Mechanics plans to secure a leading status in the market with its new 0402 MLCC. Kim Doo-young, who is the vice president at Samsung Electro-Mechanics, said that the company has succeeded in materializing an ultra-small MLCC with the highest capacity and the highest rated voltage. He also said that his company will take active approach towards demands for ultra-small MLCCs with high performance and high reliability that have been growing rapidly due to commercialization of 5G, increased demands for electronic devices due to COVID-19, and an electrification trend within the auto industry.
Samsung Electro-Mechanics currently owns 23% of the global MLCC market and is ranked second after Murata. MLCC is one of main businesses of the company. Samsung Electro-Mechanics’ component business, which is responsible for making MLCCs, chip inductors, and chip resistors, was responsible for 44% of the company’s entire sales (about $7.3 billion) in 2020.
Staff Reporter Yun, Geonil | benyun@etnews.com