Page 30 - PEN eBook NOVEMBER 2022

DESIGN DESIGN

Last week, Empower Semiconductor announced that
it has expanded its E-CAP family of silicon capacitors
with new technologies that offer further breakthroughs
in density and performance. The latest E-CAP solutions
offer densities of 1.1 µF/mm . In addition to the density,
2
thickness levels can be achieved below 50 µm in
overall height. Multiple matched capacitance values
Figure 1: ECAP-based solution provides >5× density compared with standard from 75 pF to 5 µF (at 2 V) can be integrated into a
MLCCs. (Source: Empower Semiconductor) single die to create custom integrated capacitor arrays.
of sales and marketing at Empower, discussed how the Packaging options based on bumps, pads, and pillars
advantages of E-CAP have allowed the firm to profit allow designers to choose the best solution based on
from advancements in IVR systems. “E-CAP combines specific system constraints (Figures 1 and 2).
a variety of discrete capacitances into one solid-state
component,” he said. “In order to take advantage E-CAP TECHNOLOGY
of their superior performance, size, configurability, solid-state device, offering the flexibility and efficiency
E-CAP integrates multiple capacitors into a single
durability, and stability, Empower now provides E-CAP
Integrating Multiple silicon capacitor solutions in a number of difficult of silicon. According to Shultis, the technique combines
an enhanced equivalent series inductance (ESL) and
application areas.
Discrete Capacitances highest-performance ceramic capacitors would not equivalent series resistance (ESR) characteristic that
“We spent a lot of time realizing that even the
significantly lowers parasitics with a capacitor density
that is nearly 5× greater than that of leading MLCCs.
Into a Solid-State be able to sustain our 100-MHz or 200-MHz switching achieve thickness levels of less than 50 µm, which is
Shultis emphasized the ability of E-CAP technology to
frequency for the first generation of IVRs when we were
developing the initial IVR platform four years ago,” he
perfect for supporting next-generation data-intensive
added. “We thus realized that we needed something
Device new, and together with our partner TSMC, we found a systems that demand high-frequency operation and
technique that utilized this technology and became
maximum efficiency from the smallest form factors,
specialists in designing for it. We are moving it in a
path that, like IVR, involves power management and as well as in the IoT, wearables, mobile, and processor
sectors, where size, performance, and flexibility are
Although semiconductor switching devices have received was not previously considered.” crucial. E-CAP solutions help designers lower the cost
a lot of attention to make these advances, capacitance Empower revealed that its partner is TSMC, with of the BoM and the risk of circuitry failure.
“With more capacitors integrated into a given area,
may also be a significant design component in helping whom there is collaboration in implementing E-CAP. you can put a lot more capacitors into a smaller area,
“The intellectual property of the design is ours, but
engineers satisfy energy storage, filtering, leveling, and through TSMC, you can use their process, so you can giving you flexibility for a range of common applications
below 4 V,” said Shultis. “High-voltage work
take the intellectual property and apply it to another
tuning needs. process,” said Shultis. necessitates specialized processing with tradeoffs.

By Maurizio Di Paolo Emilio, editor-in-chief of Power Electronics News

Power system designers are constantly under made up of layers of metal electrodes and ceramic
pressure to attain larger power densities and improved dielectrics that alternate. High temperatures are
conversion efficiencies, whether it is for data servers used during the fabrication of the laminated layers of
for the internet of things or data centers. Although MLCCs to create a sintered, volumetrically effective
semiconductor switching devices have received a lot of capacitive device. A conductive termination barrier is
attention to make these advances, capacitors may also then incorporated at the exposed ends to complete the
be a significant design component in helping engineers connection.
satisfy energy storage, filtering, leveling, and tuning
needs. Empower Semiconductor (Empower) developed
its own 220-nF capacitor technology (E-CAP) to
However, capacitor development has not kept pace complement its series of integrated voltage
with changes seen in the semiconductor world and regulators (IVRs) after recognizing the drawbacks
even leading technologies such as multilayer ceramic of traditional capacitors. In an interview with Power
capacitors (MLCCs). MLCCs are monolithic electronics Electronics News, Steve Shultis, senior vice president Figure 2: E-CAP vs. MLCC (Source: Empower Semiconductor)

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