MURATA ELECTRONICS’ MULTILAYER CERAMIC CAPACITORS

Murata Electronics North America, a world-leading innovator in electronics and the largest global supplier of ceramic passive components, today announced that its EVC series of multilayer monolithic ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) are used in Magneti Marelli’s Formula One Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) product. KERS, to be implemented in the 2009 racing season, stores energy that might otherwise be wasted when breaking and applies it to provide extra power on demand. The weight of the KERS is particularly important as the mass distribution inside the car can affect performance and even race eligibility. With weight and size being critical factors in racing, Murata’s EVC series is ideal because of its small footprint (L32mm × W40mm × T3.7mm) and advanced performance. Formula One cars are considered high-tech laboratories for automotive innovations and the introduction of KERS to increase energy efficiency is no exception. Automakers around the world look to Formula One for greener technologies and other improvements that they can eventually incorporate into consumer vehicles.

Murata’s EVC series is also designed to withstand the punishing conditions found inside Formula One vehicles, which can reach speeds of up to 220mph with the force of 5gs. The EVC series capacitors are made entirely from inorganic materials and have a very high intrinsic resistance to elevated temperatures, maintaining their ripple performance over the full automotive operating temperature range. The allowable ripple current is 20A (r.m.s.) at 20kHz, with a dielectric withstanding voltage of 750V and maximum operating temperature of 125°C.

“The EVC series demonstrates that Murata’s automotive grade capacitors can be used in a variety of environments, including the most technologically advanced cars in the world,” said Mark Waugh, Senior Product Manager for Murata Electronics North America. “Our commitment to size reduction and material enhancements make the EVC series ideal for all vehicles whether they are traversing the streets of Monaco or navigating American suburbs.”

Additional benefits of Murata’s EVC series include high voltage, large capacitance, and lower ESR and ESL (when compared to its film and aluminum electrolytic counterparts). For example, the maximum rated capacitance value is rated at DC630V and has an effective capacitance of 12uF at DC400V. The line also offers surface mountable capabilities, lead free termination, leads, re-flow soldering compatibility, and high resistance to thermal cycling. The series’ capacitance volume can also reach 100 times that of the present mass produced 2220 case size.

Samples of Murata’s EVC series are available for $95USD per individual sample. For quantities greater than 10,000/month, cost is $35USD each. Lead time is approximately 10 to 12 weeks. To learn more about the EVC series visit http://www.murata-northamerica.com/murata/murata.nsf/pages/10202008b 

Murata’s capacitors, including the EVC series, are manufactured from in-house, superior ceramic materials using unique design and processing technologies. To meet the demands of a wide variety of applications, Murata’s chip MLCC products range from the ultra small 01005 size devices, to high capacitance products designed to replace tantalum and electrolytic dielectrics, as well as, low ESL, high frequency and array products. In addition, Murata’s capacitors come in voltage ratings from under 3 volts to several thousand volts.