What are the materials of surface mount capacitors?

Surface mount capacitors have significant differences in performance and application fields depending on the dielectric material. The following are several common materials and their characteristics for surface mount capacitors.
NPO (COG) material
This type of material has extremely high stability, and its capacity hardly changes with temperature, voltage, or time. It is suitable for applications such as high-frequency circuits, oscillators, and timing circuits that require strict accuracy. The NPO capacitors provided by brands such as Murata and TDK perform well in high-frequency applications.
X7R material
X7R is a stable universal material with acceptable capacity variations within the conventional temperature range. It is widely used in power filtering, coupling, and DC isolation circuits, and is one of the most common types of consumer electronics products. The X7R capacitors from Guoju and Samsung Electric have high cost-effectiveness and stable supply.
Y5V material
This type of material has a high dielectric constant and can achieve a large capacity in a small volume, but its temperature stability is poor. It is commonly used in applications that do not require high capacity accuracy but require compact design, such as general decoupling circuits.
High frequency application materials
Some brands have developed specialized materials for RF and microwave circuits. For example, the high-frequency capacitors launched by ATC and Kyocera use special ceramic formulas that have extremely low losses and stable performance at high frequencies, making them suitable for equipment such as base stations and satellite communications.
In addition, there are materials such as X5R and Z5U, each with its own specific temperature range and capacity stability. Engineers need to choose according to the working environment and performance requirements of the circuit.
In general, when choosing the material for surface mount capacitors, comprehensive consideration should be given to capacity stability, operating frequency, temperature range, and circuit space. Mainstream chip capacitor brands, including Murata TDK、 Guoju, Samsung Electric, and AVX all offer product lines in various materials to meet the needs of different electronic designs. In practical design, it is crucial to refer to the specifications of specific brands for selection.