What Is The Difference Between RF/Microwave MLCC and General MLCC

 

 

MLCC (Multilayer Ceramic Chip Capacitor) is an important passive component, often referred to as the "rice of the electronics industry," and plays a crucial role in electronic manufacturing. Among its various branches, RF/Microwave MLCC is one of the key products. How does RF/Microwave MLCC differ from conventional MLCC?

 

What is RF/Microwave MLCC

 

RF/Microwave MLCC refers to multilayer ceramic capacitors used in RF/microwave circuits of electronic systems. It belongs to the Class I ceramic capacitor category and has the following technical features: high reliability, high quality factor (Q value), low equivalent series resistance (ESR), stable performance, wide operating frequency range, and the ability to handle large RF currents at RF/microwave frequencies.

 

RF generally refers to electromagnetic waves with frequencies ranging from 300 kHz to 300 GHz.

 

Microwave typically refers to electromagnetic waves in the frequency range of 300 MHz to 300 GHz, which is the higher portion of the RF frequency spectrum.

 

RF/Microwave MLCC is mainly used in the RF/microwave circuits of electronic systems such as mobile communication base stations, broadcasting transmitters, nuclear magnetic resonance coils, semiconductor RF power supplies, laser devices, military radios, radar systems, and other components like power amplifiers, LC filters, transceivers, and microwave components.

 

Due to the high-frequency, high-power, and high-reliability characteristics of RF/microwave circuits, the components in these circuits must perform at a high level and function correctly in extreme conditions. RF/Microwave MLCC must therefore possess high performance, high precision, and high reliability. With the increasing complexity of circuit signals, the performance requirements for RF/Microwave MLCC in various applications are rising. The global RF/Microwave MLCC industry is relatively concentrated.

 

Comparison between RF/Microwave MLCC and Conventional MLCC

 

Compared to conventional MLCC, RF/Microwave MLCC has a higher Q value, higher self-resonant frequency, lower ESR, lower loss, and higher reliability. The two types of MLCC differ in several technical parameters, such as Q value, ESR, rated voltage, dielectric material, number of stacked layers, capacitance, tolerance, operating temperature range, insulation resistance, and size.

 

Q Value

The high Q value of RF/Microwave MLCC is critical for signal transmission efficiency in RF/microwave circuits. A lower Q value would significantly increase heat generation and loss, which is detrimental to efficient RF/microwave signal transmission and may destabilize high-power RF/microwave circuits, potentially creating safety risks.

 

ESR, Rated Voltage

RF/Microwave MLCC is typically used in applications with high frequencies, high power, and high voltage. As a result, RF/Microwave MLCC needs to have a low ESR to improve circuit efficiency and a higher rated voltage to handle the high-power and high-voltage conditions of RF/microwave circuits, thus improving the stability of circuit operation.

 

Dielectric Material

RF/Microwave MLCC mainly uses Class I ceramic materials, which help achieve the high-frequency characteristics required for RF applications.

 

Number of Stacked Layers, Capacitance, Tolerance

RF/Microwave MLCC usually uses Class I ceramic dielectric, and typically, the capacitance value is smaller. The need for increasing the number of layers to enhance capacitance is less prominent. Applications in RF/microwave circuits require higher stability and product consistency, leading to more stringent tolerance requirements compared to conventional MLCC.

 

Operating Temperature Range, Insulation Resistance

The operating environment of RF/Microwave MLCC products is generally more complex than conventional MLCC. For example, military electronic devices need to function in extremely cold or hot environments, and communication base stations may be located in areas with vastly different climatic conditions. Additionally, RF/microwave circuits typically have higher power and heat generation, requiring RF/Microwave MLCC to have a wider operating temperature range and higher insulation resistance to ensure stable and reliable circuit performance under extreme conditions.

 

Size

Compared to conventional MLCC, the trend towards miniaturization is weaker in RF/Microwave MLCC because the internal space of downstream products is relatively large. RF/Microwave MLCC tends to focus more on performance and reliability rather than size.

 

UF Capacitors MLCC Cross Reference

 

UF Capacitors supply generally MLCC and High Q ceramic capacitors, below are what UF Capacitors can replace for generally and High Q MLCC.

General Ceramic Capacitor Cross Reference

Photo	Description	UF Capacitors' Series Code	Vishay	TDK/Epcos	Murata	AVX/Mallory	Kemet/Arcotronics
	CT41 Chip Multilayer Ceramic Capacitors 4V to 6KV	CT41 Series	VJ0201 Series VJ0402 Series VJ0603 Series VJ0805 Series	C1005 Series C1608 Series C2012 Series C3216 Series C3225 Series C4532 Series C5750 Series	GRM Series	0603 Series 0805 Series 1206 Series 1210 Series	C0201 Series C0402 Series C0603 Series

 

High Q Ceramic Capacitor Cross Reference

Photo	Description	UF Capacitors'	Johanson	Murata	Taiyo Yuden	ATC
		Series Code
	High Quality Multilayer Ceramic Capacitors - HQ Series	HQ series	0900 series	GQM	UKM series	100 series
			251R series	GJM series		700 series
						800 series

 

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