ROHM launches silicon capacitor "BTD1RVFL series" surface mount type mass production product for the first time, achieving 0402 ultra-small size in the industry

ROHM launches silicon capacitor "BTD1RVFL series" for the first time

The surface mount type mass-produced product achieves the ultra-small size in the 0402 industry, helping applications such as smartphones to further save space!

※ROHM survey as of September 14, 2023

ROHM, a world-renowned semiconductor manufacturer (headquartered in Kyoto, Japan), has newly developed silicon capacitors that are increasingly used in fields such as smartphones and wearable devices. Utilizing ROHM's silicon semiconductor processing technology accumulated over the years, the new product achieves both smaller size and higher performance.

As applications such as smartphones increase their functions and improve their performance, the industry's demand for small components that support higher mounting density is increasing. Silicon capacitors use thin film semiconductor technology and are thinner and have greater capacitance than multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCC). Due to its stable temperature characteristics and excellent reliability, this product is increasingly used in applications. ROHM predicts that the market size of silicon capacitors will grow to 300 billion yen* in 2030, approximately 1.5 times the size in 2022. Therefore, ROHM develops small and high-performance silicon capacitors using its own semiconductor process.

ROHM's silicon capacitors use proprietary miniaturization technology RASMID™*1 that can be processed in units of 1 μm, eliminating defects in the appearance molding process and achieving high-precision dimensional tolerances within ±10 μm. Because the product size fluctuates very little, it can support narrower mounting pitches; in addition, by expanding the back electrode connecting the circuit board to the edge of the package, mounting strength is also improved.

The size of the first wave of products "BTD1RVFL series" is only 0402 (0.4mm×0.2mm), which is the industry's ultra-small surface mount mass-produced silicon capacitor. Compared with ordinary products of 0603 size, its installation area is reduced by about 55% to only 0.08mm2, which is very helpful for miniaturization of application products. In addition, the new product has a built-in TVS protection device to ensure excellent ESD*2 resistance and reduce circuit design work such as surge countermeasures.

The "BTD1RVFL series" includes the "BTD1RVFL102" with a capacitance of 1000pF and the "BTD1RVFL471" with a capacitance of 470pF. It has been put into mass production with a monthly production capacity of 500,000 units starting in August 2023 (sample price: 800 yen/piece ,Excluding tax). The production base for the front-end process is ROHM Co., Ltd. (Shiga Factory, Japan), and the production base for the back-end process is ROHM Apollo Co., Ltd. (Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan).

ROHM plans to develop a second wave of products with excellent high-frequency characteristics in 2024 for fields such as high-speed and large-capacity communication equipment. In addition, ROHM will also focus on developing products suitable for industrial equipment such as servers to further expand the scope of applications.

＜Product Lineup＞

＜Application example＞

・Smartphones, wearable devices, small IoT devices, optical fiber transceivers, etc.

＜Explanation of terminology＞

*1) RASMID™

The abbreviation of ROHM Advanced Smart Micro Device. ROHM's own new process method, which is completely different from the traditional method, has achieved miniaturization and an ultra-small product series with amazing dimensional accuracy (within ±10 μm).

・RASMID™ is a trademark or registered trademark of ROHM Co., Ltd.

*2) ESD (Electro-Static Discharge: electrostatic discharge)

Static electricity (surge) is generated when the human body comes into contact with electrically charged objects such as electronic devices. This static electricity (surge) can cause malfunction or damage to circuits and equipment.