Samsung Electro-Mechanics Develops World's First MLCC for Autonomous Driving LiDAR

Samsung Electro-Mechanics announced on the 5th that it has developed the world's first MLCC (Multilayer Ceramic Capacitor) for LiDAR systems, a core device for autonomous driving in automobiles.

The newly developed MLCC supports a 1005 size (1.0 mm width, 0.5 mm length), a capacitance of 2.2 μF (microfarads), and a high voltage of 10V, achieving about 60% higher voltage compared to the existing 6.3V.

This product is the first in the world to obtain automotive electronics component reliability certification (AEC-Q200, Automotive Electronics Council-Q200) in the same specification.

MLCC is a component that controls the current to flow steadily and stably in electronic circuits. It is used in various fields such as smartphones, PCs, IT devices, home appliances, and automobiles. In particular, automobiles are equipped with at least 3,000 to 10,000 MLCCs for power transmission, safety, driving, and infotainment.

LiDAR, a compound word of Light and Radar (Light Detection and Ranging, LiDAR), is a technology that rotates dozens of times per second and uses high-power laser pulses to precisely recognize the surrounding environment.

When LiDAR is installed in a vehicle, it can measure distance, width, and height information in real time in 360 degrees, analyze the 3D environment, and has become a key element of autonomous driving functions.

The newly developed MLCC supports stable power supply and signal transmission for autonomous driving LiDAR systems. Since LiDAR precisely senses the vehicle surroundings and ensures safe driving through distance measurement, a highly reliable MLCC is essential for stable operation. Additionally, considering that LiDAR systems are mounted outside the vehicle, high reliability was secured to respond to various environmental changes such as temperature, humidity, and impact.

MLCCs generally find it difficult to satisfy both voltage and capacitance characteristics simultaneously. Increasing voltage requires thickening the dielectric that stores electricity, which reduces the number of internal dielectric layers, making it difficult to increase capacitance. Samsung Electro-Mechanics applied a proprietary additive and a new process that minimizes space within the dielectric to enable stable operation even at high voltages.

Samsung Electro-Mechanics plans to apply the newly developed MLCC to various applications such as ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems), vehicle body, chassis, and infotainment.

Choi Jae-yeol, Vice President and Head of the Component Solutions Division at Samsung Electro-Mechanics, said, "With the electrification of automobiles, the demand for high-performance and high-reliability MLCCs is increasing," adding, "Samsung Electro-Mechanics will continuously develop elemental technologies such as materials, equipment, and processes for MLCCs to secure differentiated technological competitiveness and actively respond to growth markets focusing on high value-added products."

Samsung Electro-Mechanics is strengthening its lineup of automotive products with high temperature, high pressure, and high reliability based on ultra-small, ultra-high-capacity MLCC technology, and is expanding MLCC supply to global automotive parts companies and original equipment manufacturers.