Integrated Passive Devices (IPD) supplier OnChip Devices has readied a wire-bondable miniature silicon chip capacitor for RF/Microwave, multichip module (MCM) and hybrid microelectronics applications. The SiC0101 device is built on silicon with a single wire-bondable pad on the top and metallization on the backside of the chip suitable for epoxy die attach. A layer of silicon nitride (SiN) dielectric film is sandwiched between these two metal plates to form the capacitor. According to OnChip, this high quality dielectric is deposited using proprietary processes to achieve capacitance values of 4.7 pF to 22 pF with high stability and Q values while achieving low temperature and voltage coefficients. The operating temperature range for the silicon capacitors is –55 °C to +125 °C.

By comparison, the SiC0101 offers extremely stable capacitance over a wide range of frequencies from 1 MHz to several GHz. Additionally, the semiconductor construction provides an ultra-high self-resonant frequency (SRF) and exceptionally low equivalent series resistance (ESR). Typical applications for the SiC0101 capacitor include voltage-controlled oscillators (VCOs), filter networks, matching networks in modules for wireless communications including mobile phones, cordless phones, and global positioning systems (GPS).

This single-wire capacitor is only 250 µm x 250 µm (10 mils x 10 mils or 0.25 mm x 0.25 mm) in size and is available as thin as 100 µm (4mils or 0.1mm). Other thicknesses (6 mils and 8 mils) are also available in this foot print. The wire bondable top pad consists of either aluminum or gold metallization. Back metal is typically gold. Breakdown voltage is 75 V for 4.7 pF capacitance and it goes down to 30 V at 22 pF capacitance.

The SiC0101 is available immediately at a price range of $0.01 to $0.02 USD (depending on capacitance value/tolerance and the chip thickness) in quantities of 50,000.

www.onchip.com