Advantages of Tabbed Surface Mount Ceramic Capacitors (MLCCs)

CalRamic Technologies LLC manufactures a variety of high voltage ceramic capacitors, including tabbed multilayer chip capacitors (MLCCs).   It is important to consider the thermal and mechanical stresses and strains an MLCC may be subjected to in both soldering it to a printed circuit board (PCB) and in its operation.  One way to mitigate the risks associated with thermal and mechanical fracturing of an MLCC is to provide stress and strain relief to it through electrode-mounted tabs.  CalRamic Technologies offers several tabbed MLCCs—as well as custom designs—for increased reliability in demanding environments.

The extent and type of thermal fracturing depends on several factors.  Tabbed MLCCs are a simple way to eliminate concerns about these variables by simply reducing the amount of heat an MLCC is exposed to during soldering to the PCB and during operation.  Due to temperature gradients that may develop during heating, CalRamic Technologies recommends tabs for MLCCs greater than .200” x .200”.  MLCCs are also susceptible to mechanical fracturing when a PCB flexes or expands because they are relatively inflexible in comparison.  Tabs provide critical stress and strain relief to MLCCs in environments where mechanical deformations of the PCB occur.

Tabs on an MLCC can significantly reduce the risk of thermal and mechanical fracturing compared to their bare counterparts.  CalRamic is committed to the success of your applications and offers several products designed to achieve this.  Additional educational information on the topics discussed here can be found in our Application Notes.  For questions about your particular application(s) and our capacitors, please contact our Applications Engineering, Jeff Day and Anthony Bass team.