Murata Introduces Soft Termination Capacitors - Advanced Conductive Polymer Layer Reduces Damage Caused by Board Bending and Flexing

Smyrna, GA, February 9, 2010 - Murata Electronics North America, a world-leading innovator in electronics and the largest global supplier of ceramic passive components, today introduced soft termination capacitors to reduce cracks caused by bending stress. Based on Murata’s leading GCM and GRM series of multi-layered ceramic capacitors (MLCCs), the new GCJ (for automotive applications and AEC-Q200 compliant) and GRJ (for consumer applications) are designed with an advanced conductive polymer layer, which provides elasticity in the terminations to absorb mechanical stress that sometimes occurs during manufacturing, installation, or through general product use. Murata formulated this unique polymer layer with proprietary technology to assure quality and durability.

Typically, the terminations of standard Murata MLCCs have three layers starting with the innermost copper, then a nickel barrier, and on the outside a 100 percent matte tin finish. In the GCJ and GRJ series, after the copper layer a conductive polymer is applied followed by the normal application of the nickel and tin layers. In tests conducted by Murata, soft termination MLCCs were soldered with 200mm thick solder to a 1.6mm thick printed circuit board (PCB). When the board was flexed 5mm, the soft termination versions did not suffer any stress damage.

“Murata’s development of a capacitor with end termination technology that significantly reduces the risk of damage when subjected to bending strain will make an immediate impact on the market,” stated Dave Wilt, associate product engineer for Murata Electronics North America. “This solution, which meets IPC-9592 standards, is an important product for the future of MLCC growth in power supply and automotive applications as it mitigates risks.”

The addition of the flexible polymer layer does not affect the equivalent series resistance (ESR) or current rating. With performance preserved, the GRJ series is available with 250V, 630V and 1KV rated voltages while the GCJ series currently offers rated voltages of 10V, 16V, 25V, 50V and 100V. The standard EIA size for the GRJ is 1206 while the GCJ comes in sizes 0603, 0805, 1206 and 1210.

Murata’s GCJ sample price for 0603/0.1uF/50V is $0.05 while the GCJ 1210/0.1uF/250V is available for $0.11. The sample price for GRJ 1206/0.1uF/250V series is priced at $0.09. The lead-time is 10 to 14 weeks. Additional purchasing info can be found online at www.murata-northamerica.com.

Murata's capacitors, including the GCJ and GRJ series, are manufactured from in-house, superior 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.