100-nF capacitor designed for GaN and GaAs amplifiers

Knowles Precision Devices, a division of Knowles Corp., has extended its V-Series single-layer capacitor product line with a new 100-nF capacitor. The high frequency, wire bondable 100-nF capacitor is suited for GaN and GaAs amplifier applications where small size and microwave performance are critical, said the company. The single-layer capacitors support microwave and mmWave applications up to 100 GHz, targeting general DC blocking, low-noise amplifiers, power amplifiers and high-power amplifiers, oscillators, and filters.

The V-Series capacitors offer higher capacitance in a smaller footprint. The 100-nF device, housed in a 0408 case size, leverages Class II dielectric material with X7R characteristics for DC blocking and RF bypassing in a broad frequency range. They can be used in filtering, tuning and coupling applications.

In addition to X7R temperature stability, the 100-nF capacitor is RoHS compliant and offers moisture sensitivity level (MSL-1). The capacitors offer high capacitance density and can be attached using conductive epoxy or be AuSn solder mounted.

In RF bypassing applications, the 100-nF capacitor can help eliminate supply line noise. “Supply noise can mix with RF signals, impacting signal-to-noise ratios and potentially causing spurious output,” said Knowles, and “a bypass capacitor provides an efficient path to ground for RF energy on the supply line before it enters a gain stage.”

Pricing for the V80BZ104M5SX capacitor ranges from $2.75 in quantities of 100-249 up to $1.89 in quantities of 5000 to 9999. Five-piece samples are available on request.