1. Ceramic technology and electronic components

Components for electronics are traditionally classified into one of two families: active components and passive components; it is remarkable to note that the sales figures for each of these two categories are more or less the same. Passive components are essentially interconnect components, encapsulation components, capacitors, piezoelectrics, magnetics, linear and non-linear resistors, connectors, gas and humidity sensors, and so on.

Most of the functions performed by passive components are listed in table 1 . Many of the components involved in these functions are based on ceramic technology.

The criteria for choosing one type of component rather than another to perform an electronic function can be either purely technical (for example, an electronic function can only be performed...