Core technical advantages (compared to traditional capacitor solutions)

High-performance multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCC) outperform traditional solutions such as aluminum electrolytic capacitors and tantalum capacitors in terms of voltage withstand, capacity density, and high-frequency characteristics. According to the 2025 Q3 report of the China Electronic Components Industry Association, the capacity density of automotive-grade high-capacity MLCC can reach 500 μF/cm³, which is 10 times that of traditional aluminum electrolytic capacitors (50 μF/cm³), while the volume is reduced by 70%, significantly saving space in the electric control system of new energy vehicles. Its voltage withstand value exceeds 1500 V, which is 2 times higher than that of conventional MLCC (500 V), and the equivalent series resistance (ESR) at 1 MHz frequency condition is only 5 mΩ, which is 1/5 of that of tantalum capacitors (25 mΩ), effectively reducing power loss. Additionally, the working temperature range of MLCC covers -55℃ to 150℃, and after 2000 temperature cycle tests, the performance degradation is less than 2%, with stability far exceeding that of aluminum electrolytic capacitors (degradation of more than 15%).

Key material and fabrication breakthroughs

A domestic material enterprise announced a breakthrough in dielectric ceramic materials in Q2 2025: by doping lanthanide elements (La₂O₃) to optimize the barium titanate (BaTiO₃) base ceramic formula, the dielectric constant was increased to 8000, which was 60% higher than the traditional formula (5000), achieving a capacity doubling in the same volume, and the related results were published in "Electronic Components and Materials". At the same time, a Japanese electronics enterprise developed the "ultra-thin dielectric layer stacking process", reducing the thickness of the MLCC dielectric layer to 0.5 μm, which was 140% higher than the industry mainstream 1.2 μm process, and the number of layers of a single MLCC exceeded 2000, achieving a dual breakthrough of "high capacity + miniaturization". This process increased the yield of automotive-grade 100 μF/500 V MLCC from 72% to 93%, and reduced the unit cost by 35%.

Application scenarios in the industry

In the field of new energy vehicles, high-performance MLCC is the core component of the electric control system. The MLCC usage in a high-end pure electric vehicle is over 5000 pieces, which is 4 times higher than that of fuel vehicles (1000 pieces). A certain automaker's 800 V high-voltage electric control system equipped with this type of MLCC reduces power loss by 28%, increases the range by 12 km, and reduces the volume of the electric control module by 25%, freeing up more space for the battery compartment. In the industrial energy storage field, MLCC is applied in energy storage converters (PCS), increasing the conversion efficiency to 99.2%, which is 70% lower than the traditional capacitor solution (98.5%), and a 100 MWh energy storage station can save about 1.2 million yuan in electricity costs annually. In the 5G base station power supply system, the high-frequency characteristics of MLCC support a 600 kHz switching frequency, reducing the volume of the power module by 40% and facilitating the miniaturization deployment of the base station.

Existing technical and market challenges

The core materials and equipment for high-end MLCC still have technical barriers: currently, the domestic self-sufficiency rate of high-purity barium titanate powder (with a purity of 99.99%) is only 45%, mainly relying on imports, resulting in a material cost accounting for 40%. Technically, the insulation performance control of ultra-thin dielectric layers is difficult, and the breakdown probability of 0.5 μm dielectric layer is still 1.8%, higher than the industry target value (below 1%), requiring additional interface modification processes to improve reliability, which increases manufacturing costs.