High reliability – this is what the industry demands for some of the world’s most important devices. From implantable devices going into the human body, to space and military devices, these applications are built to last under extreme conditions. To do so, they are made of high-quality components with appropriate additional testing to ensure long-term reliability.

X2Y^® technology, which was originally developed by X2Y Attenuators, LLC, is based on a proprietary electrode arrangement embedded in passive components that can be manufactured using a variety of dielectrics. Using this innovative technology, Knowles Precision Devices manufactures high-performance multi-layer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) that we then use to create a variety of off-the-shelf and custom bypass and noise decoupling capacitors and electromagnetic interference (EMI) filters. Let’s look at how building these components with X2Y is different than using a traditional ceramic MLCC and the resulting benefits.

As electric vehicle (EV) adoption for both consumer and commercial purposes rapidly grows, so does the need for a more widespread, and faster, charging infrastructure. While we’ve seen vast improvements in charging technology in the last few years, as additional regulations on combustion vehicles are implemented and reliance on EVs increases, further EV charging innovations are needed. Currently, wireless charging is the newest EV charging technology evolving. 

At the end of each year, I find it energizing to reflect on all the accomplishments of the prior year and to also think about how we will tackle new challenges in the year ahead. Looking back at 2022, I am first and foremost filled with gratitude and pride in our team. Since we remained focused on our commitments to our customers, despite significant market, geopolitical, and COVID-driven turbulence, 2022 was another exciting year of growth for Knowles Precision Devices. And, because we never lost sight of our core values during this time, we are also well prepared to take on new challenges and support the industries that need our specialty components the most in 2023 and beyond.

Since our acquisition of Integrated Microwave Corporation (IMC) in 2020, we have extended our range of RF and microwave filtering solutions to include a wide variety of ceramic coaxial resonators, lumped element filters, and cavity filters from the VHF to the Ka band. During this time, we’ve also continued to innovate on and expand our product offering for one of our most popular filter types – the microstrip filter.  

In 2022, our engineering experts worked hard to provide their insights into the latest industry trends and challenges as well as teach the basics of the technology and engineering powering your most important applications. We hope you found our insights valuable and thank you for turning to us to learn about the industry. Here are the top five blog posts of the year.

Standards are a form of technical infrastructure, and their influence is felt throughout the electronics industry. For example, formed in 1924, the Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA) was an American standards organization that established an alliance of trade associations in the United States electronics manufacturing industry. Their collaboration ensured that electronic equipment produced by different manufacturers was compatible and interchangeable. The EIA formally dissolved in February 2011, dividing by sector.

To help our customers with filter selection, we generally provide a lot of detailed information on what our various filters can do. However, we thought it also might be really helpful for our customers if we took a step back and covered some background information on how filters do what they do. Regardless of the technology behind the filter, there are several key concepts that all filters share. Therefore, we decided it was time to bring together our top engineers so that we could compile their extensive filtering knowledge into a comprehensive Filter Basics ebook. 

As discussed in previous blog posts, resonators are the building blocks used to create filters. Recently, we published a blog post that discussed two different types of resonators – coaxial ceramic and dielectric. In this post, we will cover the details of a third type of resonator – the cavity resonator.

The generation of RF energy is critical for a wide range of technologies including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), semiconductor manufacturing, industrial lasers, and wireless charging systems that require high-frequency current and minimal instances of power loss. For example, with an industrial laser, the RF plasma excitation, which is when electrons are broken off an atomic bond and plasma forms, requires RF sources ranging from 1kHz to 40.68MHz depending on the energy required, and a CO₂ laser RF power supply that contains a standard source at 13.56MHz, 81MHz, or 125MHz.