Q5 interview - Glenn Palmer, Murata Electronics UK

Electronics Weekly puts its questions to an industry figure: Glenn Palmer is managing director of component manufacturer Murata Electronics UK.

What is the biggest change in chip capacitor technology in the last few years?

The most significant advance in the last few years in multilayer chip capacitor technology has been the evolution of high capacitance technology. Sub-micron thickness ceramic sheets using fine grain ceramic powders allow significantly more layers in a given case size, thereby increasing CV.

Are we likely to see any new dielectric materials which will improve CV metric without comprising temperature stability?

Yes. Our customers tell us DC bias performance is always important. New ceramic materials are under development which have less capacitance loss under DC voltage applications, without compromising temperature stability.

How do you see the needs of the design engineer changing?

The trend to achieve higher performance into smaller packages will continue and dictates that smaller case sizes and integrated passive devices, such as capacitor arrays, will be required. Additionally, lower ESR/ESL components in high frequency circuits will become important. 

Will high density power supplies require new types of high reliability components?

Undoubtedly high density power supplies will generate more heat. As a result of this, components on the PCB such as MLCC capacitors are subjected to higher ambient temperatures. For this application, 125 deg C rated X7R type is used instead of 85 deg C rated X5R type. Due to its superior temperature stability, X7R dielectric MLCCs clearly have higher reliability than X5R MLCCs. The service life of some power supply designs is now guaranteed for as long as 10-20 years.  MTTF data for MLCC capacitors should be examined to ensure they meet this condition.

How can passive component suppliers meet the time-to-market needs of customers?

We share with our customers our technology and product roadmaps to ensure they design in the most appropriate component for their cost and performance needs.

See also: Q5 - Interviews with electronics industry leaders
Read all the Electronics Weekly Q5 interviews. From ARM's chairman, Sir Robin Saxby, to touchscreen technology firm Zytronic's MD, Mark Cambridge, the business leaders share their particular insights on the UK electronics industry.