Murata Electronics' New Chip Ferrite Beads Offer 60 Percent Lower DC Resistance - Low Profile, Advanced Performance Component Saves Power and Space

Smyrna, GA, August 18, 2009 - Murata Electronics North America, a world-leading innovator in electronics and the largest global supplier of ceramic passive components, today introduced the BLM15AX_SN series, an advanced ferrite bead that lowers DC resistance by up to 60 percent compared to previous models. As part of Murata’s expanding electromagnetic interference filter (EMIFIL™) line, the chip ferrite bead was developed with new ceramic materials and processing technologies that improve performance and reduce size in order to provide power and space savings in portable electronics.

“Power reduction is now just as critical as space reduction when it comes to designing components for handheld devices,” said Deryl Kimbro, group product manager for Murata Electronics North America. “Murata’s ability to provide our customers with advanced components that meet these important criteria is fully demonstrated in the new chip ferrite bead series.”

Compared to its predecessors, the BLM15AX_SN chip ferrite bead has DC resistance as low as 0.02Ω, a reduction of 60 percent, while the corresponding maximum rated current has increased from 1000mA to 1740mA. The series' low DC resistance also helps reduce power consumption for battery-powered applications. Developed in a compact 0402-size package (1.0mm x 0.5mm x 0.5 mm), it is ideal for designers seeking to reduce board space without performance degradation in portable equipment. The ferrite bead’s wide impedance ranges from 10Ω to 1000Ω, with an operating temperature range of -55ºC to +125ºC.

The BLM15AX_SN series is available for $0.016 and lead times are approximately six to eight weeks.

Aside from the BLM15AX-SN, Murata offers numerous EMIFIL™ products that are designed for use on signal lines and in power supply and general electronic circuits. The product range includes ferrite beads, ferrite cores, common mode chokes and a variety of other components to effectively suppress noise. Murata also provides technical support and guidance based on years of experience operating in the field of noise suppression. The technical support includes design kits, application manuals and a comprehensive set of software tools to simulate virtually any circuit condition.