EPCOS, a brand of TDK Corporation, has announced the expansion of its film capacitor portfolio with new series specifically designed to meet the stringent requirements of automotive electronics applications. The newly qualified product lines are AEC-Q200 certified, ensuring compliance with automotive industry standards for quality, reliability, and performance in demanding automotive environments.
Addressing Automotive Market Demands
The expansion addresses the growing need for reliable passive components in automotive applications, particularly driven by the increasing electrification of vehicles, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), and the growing number of electronic control units (ECUs) in modern automobiles. The new series targets critical automotive applications including engine control units, transmission control systems, body controls, and infotainment systems.
Automotive electronics face demanding requirements including extended temperature ranges (-40°C to +125°C with some components rated to +150°C), high vibration environments, resistance to thermal cycling, and extended operational life requirements often exceeding 15 years. The new EPCOS film capacitors are designed specifically to address these challenges.
With the automotive industry moving toward electrification, there is an increased demand for components that can handle the higher ripple currents and switching frequencies associated with electric vehicle powertrains while maintaining the reliability required for safety-critical applications.
AEC-Q200 Qualification
The new automotive series meets the AEC-Q200 standard, which defines stress test qualifications for passive components used in automotive applications. AEC-Q200 qualification requires components to pass rigorous testing including:
- Temperature cycling from -40°C to +125°C or +150°C
- High-temperature storage tests
- Moisture resistance testing
- Vibration and shock testing
- Electrical stress testing over extended durations
- Electrostatic discharge (ESD) testing
Qualification involves statistical sampling of production lots to ensure consistent performance and reliability over the component's intended life. This qualification provides automotive manufacturers with confidence in the long-term performance of EPCOS components.
Key Product Features
The new automotive film capacitor series incorporates several key features tailored for automotive applications:
Enhanced Temperature Performance
Improved metallization and dielectric formulations provide stable performance over the extended automotive temperature range. The new series maintains capacitance stability with temperature coefficient within ±5% over the entire operating range, reducing the need for temperature compensation in circuit designs.
Improved Vibration Resistance
The new series incorporates enhanced mechanical design with improved end cap attachment and internal construction to withstand the high-vibration environment typical in automotive applications. Specialized potting compounds and mounting systems further enhance vibration resistance.
Self-Healing Properties
The metallized polypropylene construction features enhanced self-healing properties that provide improved reliability in automotive applications. This allows the capacitors to clear local dielectric defects without catastrophic failure, which is critical for safety-related automotive systems.
EMI Filtering Capabilities
The series includes specialized options for electromagnetic interference filtering applications, with reduced equivalent series inductance (ESL) and optimized frequency response characteristics. These features make them ideal for filtering in power electronics and communication systems.
Applications in Automotive Systems
The new series addresses multiple automotive application areas:
Power Electronics
For inverter and converter applications in electric vehicles, the new series provides high ripple current capability while maintaining stable performance at elevated temperatures. These capacitors are suitable for DC-link applications in traction inverters and onboard chargers.
Engine Control Systems
The series offers stable timing and filtering capabilities for engine control units (ECUs), supporting precise fuel injection, ignition timing, and emissions control systems. The stable electrical characteristics over temperature are particularly valuable for sensor applications.
Infotainment and ADAS
For high-frequency applications in infotainment systems and advanced driver assistance systems, the film capacitors provide stable performance across the required frequency range with low dielectric losses. These applications benefit from the capacitors' stable electrical characteristics.
Package Variants and Specifications
The new series is available in multiple package options to suit different automotive applications:
- Radial leaded packages from 5mm to 15mm diameter
- SMD options for space-constrained applications
- Enhanced termination options for improved connection reliability
- Various lead materials for lead-free soldering processes
Capacitance values range from 100pF to 10µF with voltage ratings from 50V to 1000V. The series maintains typical dissipation factors below 0.0015% at 1kHz, ensuring low losses in high-frequency applications.
Supply Chain and Availability
To support the automotive industry's just-in-time manufacturing requirements, EPCOS has implemented specialized supply chain procedures including automotive-specific inventory management, kanban systems, and dedicated production scheduling. The new series is manufactured in ISO/TS 16949 certified facilities.
LiTong Electronics, as an authorized distributor, provides comprehensive support for automotive customers including specialized automotive inventory programs, technical support from automotive-certified field application engineers, and design verification services.
Design Support and Technical Resources
EPCOS is providing expanded technical resources for automotive customers, including:
- Application notes specific to automotive use cases
- Design tools for capacitance selection and life calculation
- SPICE models for simulation and validation
- Reference designs for common automotive applications
- Technical seminars and training programs
Our field application engineering team provides specialized support for automotive customers, including design reviews, application-specific recommendations, and validation support.
Market Impact
This expansion enhances EPCOS's position in the rapidly growing automotive electronics market, which is projected to reach $500 billion by 2030 driven by electrification and autonomous driving technologies. The automotive-qualified series positions EPCOS to capture increased market share in this growing segment.
For automotive manufacturers and Tier 1 suppliers, the new series provides a qualified source of reliable film capacitors with the performance characteristics required for safety-critical applications and the supply chain reliability needed for high-volume production.