Base Metal Electrodes Reduce Size And Weight Of MLCCs In Satellites
by John Marshall, AVX, Coleraine, United Kingdom and Ron Demcko, AVX, Fountain Inn, S.C., How2Power Today, Mar 15 2019
Focus:
The rate of change in the satellite world is accelerating and along with that comes the
changes needed for power supplies onboard. This article provides a high-level view of
the emergence of base metal electrode (BME) multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) for
satellite applications. After providing some background on MLCCs and the development of
their electrode materials, this article describes the advances in component materials,
construction and fabrication techniques, and the track record in automotive and other
sectors that have proven the reliability of BME MLCCs. Then the size advantages which
motivate the use of these capacitors in space are discussed. The rest of this article
reviews the reliability studies that AVX has performed to qualify BME MLCCs for space,
and the status of space approvals for these capacitors, particularly Mil Prf 32535.
Finally, it discusses details of BME capacitor design for space. Article begins by
discussing the changeover from precious metal electrodes (PMEs) to BMEs in the broad
electronics industry.
What you’ll learn:
- How to achieve size and weight reductions in space applications by switching to MLCCs with base metal electrodes
- How to understand the capacitor design considerations and reliability studies that validate the reliability of BME MLCCs for satellite applications
View this Source (requires a PDF Viewer installed on your device)
© 2025 How2Power. All rights reserved.