Driven by demands from the automotive industry for more robust and more reliable components, AVX has developed FlexiTerm, a soft termination system for components that it claims allows almost three times the amount of PCB flexure when compared to standard termination systems.
Further enhancing the capabilities of a standard MLCC (multilayer ceramic capacitor), FlexiTerm was developed as an additional flexible termination layer added to the component to ensure electrical integrity is maintained when external forces are applied. This new high conductivity termination material was added to the AVX standard X7R dielectric ceramic capacitor to prevent failures in the system due to cracking.
AVX guarantees a minimum flexure of 5 mm, without internal cracks, versus the industry standard of 2 mm. In addition, FlexiTerm can achieve 3000 temperature cycles as compared to the industry standard of 1000 cycles. FlexiTerm is designed so that the capacitors will not crack under most extreme environmental conditions. However, in the rare scenario where a board may flex beyond 5 mm, AVX says that FlexiTerm is designed so if there were to be a failure, it would be in the termination area and in open mode. This is especially important on power lines where failure could involve fire damage due to short circuit. With FlexiTerm, the open circuit occurs in a small area of the termination meaning little or no degradation to the capacitor's performance.
The ruggedness of FlexiTerm makes it an ideal choice for applications such as depanelisation in high flexure stress circuit boards, variable temperature applications and automotive applications.
FlexiTerm's flexible termination comprises a conductive polymer used in conjunction with base metal electrode (BME) technology. The conductive polymer coats a copper termination that is then plated with nickel and tin. Resistance to mechanical failure can be attributed to FlexiTerm's ability to reduce the transfer of mechanical stress exerted on the component body.
FlexiTerm is available in 0603 to 1812 case sizes, with a voltages ranging from 6,3 V to 100 V.
For more information contact Ashley Sundraj, Arrow Altech Distribution, +27 (0)11 923 9600, [email protected]
| Tel: | +27 11 923 9600 |
| Email: | [email protected] |
| www: | www.altronarrow.com |
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