TDK Corporation announced a new series of EPCOS multilayer varistors of the CeraDiode® family, which includes the most compact, flattest and most rugged varistor for ESD protection of mobile equipment. It features a footprint of only 0.47 mm x 0.47 mm at an extremely low profile of 0.1 mm in LGA packaging. Available in EIA case sizes 0402, 0201, and even smaller, these components enable production of devices that are about 80 percent smaller than their predecessors while offering extremely reliable ESD protection.
The new CeraDiodes have an ESD immunity of 15 kV or 25 kV, depending on type, which more than satisfies the higher ESD protection requirements of sensitive ICs. Their clamping voltage is only 70 V or 90 V at pulse voltage of 8 kV (IEC-61000-4-2), depending on type. Thanks to their low capacitance, the signal integrity of high-speed interfaces such as HDMI is not impaired.
TDK achieved this breakthrough in miniaturization by combining a new and extremely efficient semiconductor material with TDK’s innovative micro core technology. The new ZnO material also possesses significantly more grain boundaries per volume, which increases the ability of the components to absorb ESD pulses by a factor of 50. These new micro core components can also be incorporated directly into 3D circuits and modules. The further miniaturization, improved performance and low cost of the latest CeraDiodes make them a more attractive alternative to TVS diodes.
For more information, visit www.epcos.com/CeraDiode.
