Samsung Electro-Mechanics on Feb. 5 unveiled the world’s first multilayer ceramic capacitor (MLCC) specifically designed for LiDAR sensors, a crucial component in autonomous vehicles. With this development, the company aims to expand into the automotive electronics market.
Known as the “rice of the electronics industry,” MLCCs are essential for electronics, much like rice in South Korean diets. These capacitors store and distribute power to semiconductors, ensuring their reliable operation.
The newly developed MLCC is notably compact, measuring just 1mm by 0.5mm, and operates at a high voltage of 10V, a 60% increase from the previous standard of 6.3V. It is the first in its class to receive AEC-Q200 certification, the critical reliability standard for automotive components.
This high-voltage MLCC is optimized for LiDAR in autonomous vehicles. LiDAR, a sensor used for distance measurement, requires compact, high-capacity MLCCs to achieve millimeter-level precision. A Samsung official said, “Our MLCC delivers industry-leading high-voltage performance, even in challenging conditions such as humidity and physical impact.”
In addition to LiDAR, Samsung Electro-Mechanics plans to apply this automotive-grade MLCC to various vehicle systems, including advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), vehicle body controls, chassis, and infotainment systems. Typically, modern vehicles use between 3,000 and 10,000 MLCCs. This growing demand is driving component manufacturers to increasingly target the automotive sector as the next major market after smartphones.
