Characterization of Multilayer Ferroelectric Ceramic Capacitors in a Wide Frequency Range for RF Applications

Abstract

Surface mount devices (SMDs) such as multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) have been widely used to reduce the size of electronic circuits as they are mounted directly onto the surface of printed circuit boards (PCBs) and are smaller than their through-hole counterparts because SMDs have shorter internal leads or no leads at all. Another advantage of these components is the lower parasitic inductance, which results in a higher resonant frequency. This work reports on the dielectric characterization of four commercial multilayer ceramic capacitors in a broad frequency range from 0.01 GHz to 2 GHz. The dielectric characterization consists of measuring the reflection coefficient S11 (real and imaginary parts) as function of frequency to calculate the permittivity, impedance and loss tangent of the capacitors tested. In addition, dielectric chemical composition is determined using surface X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The results show that MLCCs have a resonance frequency higher than 0.3 GHz depending on the value of their capacitance, making them suitable for use in RF equipment, mobile phones, radars, and microwave electronic circuits.