3. Trends

3.1 Developments in the capacitor sector

The accelerated evolution in demand for surface-mount capacitors is now almost complete, and the use of "pick-and-place" or "mechanically fixed" components has become anecdotal. The industrial capacitor sector is characterized, from an economic point of view, by continuous price erosion and, from a technical point of view, by accelerated demand for miniaturized, low-dissipation capacitors compatible with surface transfer. As a result of these trends, the most significant growth has been in multilayer ceramic chips, which meet market requirements. The importance of this technology can only be reinforced in the coming years by its suitability for the evolution of passive components (R, L, C) towards the integration and realization of multi-function...