AVX Corporation has added a low profile version of its TACmicrochip® Series of tantalum capacitors. The company describes the new capacitor as the lowest-profile 3216-footprint tantalum capacitor currently available on the market. Measuring 0.5mm high, the first new "I" case capacitor (EIA Metric 3216-05) is rated for 10μF and 6.3V. The company will follow its release with future code releases to further extend the offering.
Capable of being embedded in 0.8mm thick PCBs or used in the latest extremely thin handheld devices, TACmicrochip capacitors are suitable for a wide variety of medical applications. These applications include hearing aids and other non-life-support devices as well as audio and power amplifier modules; embedded electronics applications including near field communication (NFC) systems and smart cards. They can also be used as coupling/decoupling capacitors in industrial, handheld, and wearable electronics.
The full line of TACmicrochip capacitors, which has also includes what the company claims to be the industry's lowest-profile 1206-06 tantalum capacitors since early 2015, is currently available in 11 case sizes with footprints spanning 10.05mm to 35.28mm, heights ranging from 0.5mm to 1.5mm, capacitance values spanning 0.10μF to 150μF, and voltage ratings spanning 2V to 25V.
In addition to exhibiting high capacitance in an extremely low profile package designed to contribute to overall space and weight reductions in end products, the new 3216-05 "I" case TACmicrochip capacitors also deliver all of the usual benefits of tantalum technology, including: inherent immunity to piezoelectric noise, higher stability, reliability, and better temperature performance than comparable MLCCs.
"Market demand for smaller and lighter electronic products remains consistent and, despite regular component innovation and the on-chip integration of many components, also remains challenging for design engineers," said Mitch Weaver, a member of the technical staff at AVX. "Discrete passive components still occupy a majority of board space in PCB designs, so we are now penetrating the PCB with a new generation of embeddable components, like our new 3216-05 TACmicrochip capacitor, that allow engineers to reliably achieve the small, thin, mechanically robust, and electrically stable designs that next-generation applications demands."
The company produces the TACmicrochip capacitors using a tantalum wafer process to achieve the high levels of mechanical tolerance needed for ultra-miniature devices. The capacitors feature an enhanced internal construction that eliminates the space-consuming elements of conventional molded J-leaded tantalum capacitors, such as the anode wire, lead frame, and the demand for greater wall thicknesses.
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Rated for use in temperatures from -55°C to +125°C, the series is generally supplied with tin over nickel terminations, but gold over nickel options are available as well.
