RF ceramic capacitors operate to +200C, in small case sizes

New Products | August 15, 2017

By eeNews Europe

The capacitors are claimed as the first surface-mount multilayer ceramic chip capacitors (MLCCs) for high frequency RF and microwave applications to offer an operating temperature range to +200C; Vishay Vitramon VJ HIFREQ HT series come in four compact case sizes.

For high power communication transmitters and high frequency inverters exposed to temperatures of +175 °C or higher, designers previously had to rely on MLCCs only qualified to +150 °C. With their operating temperature range from -55C to +200C, these devices provide reliable, long term performance in these applications. For increased design flexibility, the MLCCs’ small 0402, 0603, 0805, and 1111 case sizes allow for placement close to components with high dissipation, such as SiC and GaN switches.

VJ HIFREQ HT series devices are based on an ultra stable ceramic dielectric and offer a high serial resonant frequency (SRF) and parallel resonant frequency (PRF). The MLCCs feature broad working voltages from 16V to 500V and a wide capacitance range from 0.1 pF to 3.3 nF, with tolerance as tight as ± 0.05 pF. The devices offer an excellent ageing rate and high ESD withstand capabilities to protect against high voltage transients.

Manufactured in noble metal electrode (NME) technology with a wet build process, the capacitors are available with a variety of RoHS-compliant termination finishes, including nickel barrier with 100 % matte tin plate for reflow assembly (code “X”), non-magnetic copper barrier for applications sensitive to magnetic interference (code “C”), and silver-palladium for conductive epoxy assembly (code “E”). The VJ HIFREQ HT series is also available with a lead-bearing (minimum 4%) termination finish (code “L”). The devices are halogen-free and Vishay Green (excluding “L” termination).