A model car decorated by Samsung Electro-Mechanics' multi-layer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) for vehicle powertrains / Courtesy of Samsung Electro-Mechanics

By Baek Byung-yeul

Samsung Electro-Mechanics is expanding its multi-layer ceramic capacitor (MLCC) lineup, as the company developed a new MLCC for automotive powertrains that performs well at high temperatures, the IT component arm of Samsung Group said, Monday.

The company said it developed 13 types of MLCCs for automotive powertrains with guaranteed use under temperatures up to 150 degrees Celsius.

Powertrains require high reliability for internal components as internal temperatures can rise to 150 degrees Celsius during transmission of power to the internal combustion engine of a traditional engine-powered car or the motor of an electric vehicle (EV).

As MLCCs that can guarantee operations at 150 degrees Celsius had been manufactured only by some Japanese makers such as Murata and TDK, the industry view is that Samsung Electro-Mechanics, the world's second-largest MLCC maker, is paving its way into the fast-growing automotive MLCC sector.

With the successful development of the new MLCCs, a company spokesman said, "Samsung Electro-Mechanics will step up its efforts to expand its market share by increasing its product competitiveness with an extended lineup of automotive components."

An MLCC is a core component of electronics in devices including smartphones, controlling the stable flow of current within electric circuits. With more cars adopting electronic equipment, MLCC makers are now putting more focus on the automotive MLCC market.

The electrification of vehicles has fueled the demand for smaller, high-performance and high-reliability MLCCs. Industry data estimates the automotive MLCC market to grow at a compound annual rate of 9 percent thanks to the increasing number of sensors and electric control units for EVs.

Samsung said the new MLCCS come in various sizes and capacitances, ranging from what it calls the 3225 size which is 3.2 millimeters in width and 2.5 millimeters in length with a high-capacitance of 22 microfarads, the smaller 1608 size.

"Automotive products used in extreme environments are more difficult to develop than products for IT devices, and among them, powertrain applications are the most difficult," said Kim Doo-young, head of the Component Solution Unit at Samsung Electro-Mechanics.

"Samsung Electro-Mechanics will further expand our presence in the automotive MLCC market by using differentiated materials and manufacturing techniques, such as in-house development of dielectric materials."