eKTN & IEC/TC40 Annual Conference on Passive Components

The conference will bring together an international group of experts, component suppliers and designers to discuss the latest developments in passive components. This year's conference will have six major themes • Passives go Underground - Embedded passives As semiconductor technologies continue to shrink, it is becoming increasing difficult to accommodate passive devices for the simple reason that passives do not scale at the same rate as semiconductors. In order to overcome this issue, designers are looking for other ways to integrate passives into the overall design, in particular, by embedding them into the circuit board or even the package surrounding the semiconductor IC. This session will look at current trends to embed components, especially passive devices. • Passives get Together - Integrated passives Handling miniature sized components, such as the 01005 sized passive capacitor and resistor, has been a challenge and has delayed its introduction to mainstream contract manufacturing. It is unclear whether any further miniaturisation of individual passive devices will be possible. In order to overcome these issues, component manufacturers are now producing devices that integrate a number of different types and values of passive devices in one small integrated unit, an IPD. This session will look at the development of IPDs, their application and future direction. • Passives get real small - The 01005 revolution 01005 sized devices were billed as just the next progression in gradual miniaturisation of passive devices. Manufacturing them is one issue - handling them and manufacturing products using them has been a challenge that the equipment manufacturers and contract manufacturers have had to address. So are 01005 sized devices now mainstream? • Capacitors get Powerful - Double Layer capacitors for transportation application. Energy storage for transportation is becoming an important issue with an number of alternatives. This session will look at the EDLC in transportation applications as well as other capacitor technologies. • Capacitors get ultra-efficient - Low leakage, high value capacitors for energy storage applications. Energy harvesting applications have a particular requirement for energy storage. The storage capacity needs to be large, very low leakage and yet able to deliver high currents for small durations of time. This session will look at advances in capacitor or alternative energy storage technologies that will help enable energy harvesting, particularly for wireless sensors. • Passives get Standardised - The case for Standards All areas of electronics require standardisation to enable their widespread usage in industry. The pace of development of all components including passives presents a particular challenge to standards development. This session will cover the development of IEC standards in TC40 and related technical committees, and the role of the various standardisation bodies. To register, click here.