Chris Dugan, President of Knowles Precision: More than just a passive component company

MicrowaveJournal interviewed Chris Dugan, president of Knowles Precision Devices, to answer questions about the many applications of Knowles Precision Devices products and the challenges facing the industry.

Q: Can you tell us about Knowles Precision Devices? What acquisitions have you made and how have they contributed to your product portfolio?

A: Knowles Precision Devices as we know it today has continued to evolve since Dielectric Laboratories (DLI), the company that invented the single layer capacitor, was acquired by Dover Corporation in 1985. Since then, Knowles has been spun off from Dover and we have expanded our product offerings and industry expertise portfolio through the strategic acquisition of six companies – Novacap for high reliability MLCCs, Syfer for demanding commercial/industrial MLCCs, Voltronics for precision variable capacitors, Johanson for capacitors for RF and microwave applications, Compex for single layer capacitors, and DITF for thin film technology.

We operate in a market where both competitors and customer base are very fragmented, so acquisitions are a cost-effective way to grow our portfolio and provide customers with a wider range of products. Since all of our acquisitions to date have been technologically strong companies, we have introduced new technologies and manufacturing processes that make us more competitive.

Q: Does Knowles Precision Devices support specific markets or applications?

In summary, we don't want to be in the easy components business, we want to do something hard, which is why we focus on four key markets - military/defense, medical, telecommunications and automotive. Each of these industries has a challenging technology moat, full of niche applications that require the high-performance components we produce.

For filters used in military radar and electronic warfare equipment, providing high frequencies and excellent suppression, our ceramic technology allows us to do so. Our high-reliability capacitors undergo rigorous testing to ensure they can achieve functional safety in implantable medical devices such as pacemakers. For telecommunications, we are supplying high-Q MLCs to multiple base station OEMs, and our many years of experience in millimeter wave frequencies enable us to meet the needs of new 5G telecommunications equipment, including RF filtering in small base stations. Finally, our high-voltage capacitors are perfectly matched to the increasing voltage and temperature requirements of electric vehicles (EVs).

Q: Do you see any regional differences in requirements or design challenges around the world?

Yes, we do see regional design differences, especially in the telecom and electric vehicle markets, and we need to account for these differences. For example, as 5G continues to expand, we see that major network equipment manufacturers need to build equipment at various frequencies depending on the geographic market they sell into. And, for electric vehicles, some regions, such as China, focus only on building battery-powered electric vehicles, while other regions, such as Japan, prefer hybrid vehicles. This means that each country requires components with different voltage levels. As a global, specialized component supplier, we must meet the needs of various regions in a timely manner.

Q: Knowles Precision Devices is one of the few companies offering compact 5G mmWave filters. What makes your technology so well suited for this application?

Our mmWave filter technology is uniquely positioned for 5G FR2 applications because our custom dielectrics can be packaged into filters that are 20 times smaller than current products while still supporting surface mount. And, we can do this while maintaining exceptional performance, including 3GHz bandwidth, greater than 50dB rejection, and a wide temperature range of -55°C to +125°C. We have a large installed base of available mmWave filters due to our experience making similar filters for military radar applications. We really understand this space.

Q: What unique technologies do you offer in capacitor solutions?

Knowles是一个专家团队，包括陶瓷科学家和机电工程师，他们帮助我们加快创新，尤其是在我们使用的材料方面。因此，我们不仅创造了独特的定制电介质，而且还开发了专利的柔性终端技术FlexiCap，它提高了我们对机械应力的响应能力，以及堆叠电容器技术StackiCap，它显著减小了元件尺寸。

Q: What types of design challenges are you solving in the high-reliability medical market?

The medical device market faces two major challenges. First, the quality and safety of medical devices are strictly scrutinized to ensure long-term suitability in the human body. Therefore, our capacitors are designed to meet reliability specifications such as MIL-PRF-55681 and MIL-PRF-123.

Another unique challenge for medical imaging applications is that none of the components, including the capacitors, can have any magnetic properties. We address this by offering non-magnetic capacitors with silver/palladium (Ag/Pd) terminations (instead of nickel) as well as custom non-magnetic hardware, which is not available from most suppliers. However, an emerging challenge is that the cost of palladium has more than doubled in the last year alone. For customers who want similar performance at a lower cost, we offer less expensive metals as palladium alternatives.

Q: What are the main design challenges you see when it comes to vehicle electrification?

Electric vehicle manufacturers are moving to higher voltage battery systems, which means all components now need to withstand extremely high voltages and temperatures, but still be compact. We have developed an MLCC that is the first AEC-Q200 qualified capacitor that can support voltages up to 4000V DC. In addition, automotive assembly places unique stresses on components. Therefore, we offer FlexiCap MLCCs that protect the ceramic from mechanical stresses, reducing the likelihood of catastrophic failure due to cracking.

Q: What solutions do you offer for the high-performance military market?

We specialize in helping defense customers solve their most difficult design challenges. In capacitors, this often means high reliability components and very high energy density. For microwave products, it is often a small size solution operating at high frequencies, such as the RF filters we design for K-band or Ka-band radar applications. We are also a major supplier of single layer capacitors to the defense market.

Q: What technological challenges do you foresee emerging in the coming years?

In general, as technology advances, we see customers asking for help solving increasingly challenging problems (higher frequencies, bandwidths, temperature grades, etc.), and we like that. Instead of having an office full of people dreaming up new things, we have our talented engineers focused on solving the very challenging problems our customers bring to us. We love it when a customer says they can’t find a capacitor that meets their design parameters. We want electric vehicle and medical device manufacturers, telecom and military/defense companies to bring us their most difficult challenges and their technical pain points. We have a deep bench in technology and are willing and able to work on custom designs that others can’t or won’t.

Q: We know that you are involved as a volunteer with several organizations. Can you tell us more about these organizations and your involvement?

As a former Navy SEAL, I support the Navy SEAL Foundation, which provides funding to organizations that help with the welfare of wounded warriors or SEAL families who have lost their lives in combat. Additionally, I have always been interested in helping improve our local healthcare and education systems. I was a Boy Scout leader when my kids were young, but I have now transferred that experience to serve on the board of a local nonprofit hospital. Rural hospitals like ours are facing tremendous challenges due to the impact of COVID-19, so I am currently working to help the CEO think about how to get out of these difficult situations.