ST Micro balances line capacitance, attenuation in new chips

The two new low-capacitance EMI-filter and electrostatic-discharge (ESD) protection chips from STMicroelectronics are designed to suppress EMI/RFI noise in sensitive, high-volume equipment such as LCD screens and cameras in mobile phones, communication systems, computers and printers, and microcontroller boards. Providing high-efficiency EMI filtering with ultra-low line capacitance, these four- and six-line flip-chip devices are suitable for use on high-speed data lines.

According to ST Micro, the new devices offer the best trade-off on the market between line capacitance and attenuation. These products provide ESD protection against surges up to 15kV, meeting the IEC61000-4-2 level 4 specification for ESD immunity. Attenuation is -40dB at 900MHz, while input capacitance is typically 16pF at the normal 3V operating voltage. A low 100 ohm series resistance makes the filters also suitable for camera applications.

The products' overall dimensions are 1.92-by-1.29mm (four-line) and 2.92-by-1.29mm (six-line), and both packages are 0.65mm thick. By integrating the equivalent of five discrete components per line in wafer-level packaging, the company added, the chips reduce component count and parts costs while improving reliability and minimizing parasitic elements.

Both the EMIF04-VID01 and EMIF06-VID01 devices are characterized for the -40°C to 85°C operating temperature range, and are available in 10-bump and 15-bump lead-free flip-chip packages on tape-and-reel. Prices range from 40 cents to 60 cents in quantities of 5,000.