Low Inductance Capacitors
Introduction
LAND GRID ARRAY (LGA) CAPACITORS
Land Grid Array (LGA) capacitors are based on the first Low
ESL MLCC technology created to specifically address the
design needs of current day Power Delivery Networks (PDNs).
This is the 3rd low inductance capacitor technology
developed by AVX. LGA technology provides engineers with
new options. The LGA internal structure and manufacturing
technology eliminates the historic need for a device to be
physically small to create small current loops to minimize
inductance.
The first family of LGA products are 2 terminal devices. A
2 terminal 0306 LGA delivers ESL performance that is equal
to or better than an 0306 8 terminal IDC. The 2 terminal 0805
LGA delivers ESL performance that approaches the 0508
8 terminal IDC. New designs that would have used 8 terminal
IDCs are moving to 2 terminal LGAs because the layout is
easier for a 2 terminal device and manufacturing yield is better
for a 2 terminal LGA versus an 8 terminal IDC.
LGA technology is also used in a 4 terminal family of products
that AVX is sampling and will formerly introduce in 2008.
Beyond 2008, there are new multi-terminal LGA product
families that will provide even more attractive options for PDN
designers.
LOW INDUCTANCE CHIP ARRAYS (LICA
®
)
The LICA
®
product family is the result of a joint development
effort between AVX and IBM to develop a high performance
MLCC family of decoupling capacitors. LICA was introduced
in the 1980s and remains the leading choice of designers in
high performance semiconductor packages and high
reliability board level decoupling applications.
LICA
®
products are used in 99.999% uptime semiconductor
package applications on both ceramic and organic
substrates. The C4 solder ball termination option is the
perfect compliment to flip-chip packaging technology.
Mainframe class CPUs, ultimate performance multi-chip
modules, and communications systems that must have the
reliability of 5 9’s use LICA
®
.
LICA
®
products with either Sn/Pb or Pb-free solder balls are
used for decoupling in high reliability military and aerospace
applications. These LICA
®
devices are used for decoupling of
large pin count FPGAs, ASICs, CPUs, and other high power
ICs with low operating voltages.
When high reliability decoupling applications require the very
lowest ESL capacitors, LICA
®
products are the best option.
470 nF 0306 Impedance Comparison
1
0306 2T-LGA
0306 LICC
0306 8T-IDC
0603 MLCC
Impedance (ohms)
0.1
0.01
0.001
1
10
Frequency (MHz)
Figure 2 MLCC, LICC, IDC, and LGA technologies deliver different levels of equivalent series inductance (ESL).
100
1000
60
AVX [ AVX CORPORATION ]
