Space-level MLCCs meet extremely stringent DLA requirements for high-reliability performance

AVX Corporation claims to be the first, and currently only, company to offer space-level, X7R base metal electrode (BME) MLCCs with 'M' and 'T' reliability levels approved to the Defense Logistics Agency's (DLA's) MIL-PRF-32535 specification. Exhibiting high CV capabilities better than those of PME MLCCs, which have been the standard for the global aerospace industry, the company's MLCCs deliver a 39-fold increase in capacitance compared to standard, 100V, 1812, MIL-PRF-123 and MIL-PRF-55681 MLCCs. This enables revolutionary board space, weight, and component count reductions, directly translating into lower launch costs. It also meets stringent DLA requirements for high-reliability performance in space applications. The series also features the company's patented FLEXITERM termination technology, which offers more board flexure than standard terminations, providing proven-effective protection against thermal and mechanical stresses both during assembly and throughout component lifetimes and enabling the safe, reliable employment of large case sizes. "Achieving MIL-PRF-32535 approval from the DLA for our innovative X7R BME MLCCs underscores our unwavering support for the space electronics industry, expands upon our existing space heritage, and makes AVX the only capacitor manufacturer - the whole world over - to offer X7R BME technology approved by NASA (S-311-P-838), the European Space Agency (ESCC 3009/041), and now the Defense Logistics Agency (MIL-PRF-32535)," said Michael Conway, product marketing manager at AVX. "AVX has been actively honing and perfecting its BME MLCC technology since the 1990s and now offers an array of tried-and-tested, high-reliability, high-CV solutions. Our MIL-PRF-32535 X7R BME MLCCs feature high-capacitance packages that deliver significant PCB space and weight savings, which are especially critical in the space industry. For example, customers can downsize from an existing CDR34/1812 case size to a M3253504/0805 case size and still achieve a 100V, 56nF rating."