Takashi Noji General Manager, Product Development Dept. 1, EMI Filter Division, Components Business Unit
Noji joined Fukui Murata Manufacturing in 1984 and engaged in the development of electrical double layer capacitors. He was later appointed to positions responsible for capacitor-related production technology and development. Projects he was in charge of included the development of ultra-compact capacitors (in 0201 and 01005 sizes), capacitors for automotive use, and capacitors embedded in substrates. Since 2012, Noji has been serving the EMI Filter Division, taking advantage of his expertise in monolithic and mounting technology to achieve customer-oriented manufacturing. In his free time, he loves to play with his dog.
The EMI Filter Division has three categories of target markets:
The commodity market; markets for in-vehicle systems and industrial electrical equipment, and new markets; and future markets.
For about a year now, we have been working on the development of component manufacturing for the future.
Very soon we will see the completion of the prototypes we have developed to open up new markets.
It is time for new businesses to open up for Murata’s EMI filter business.
Our motto: “Give it our all for customers.”
Murata Will Win the Market for EMI Suppression/Inductor Components with New Technologies and Reduced Costs
The primary issue for noise suppression components is, as their name suggests, the level of noise suppression they provide. In order to meet increasing performance expectations, we aim to continuously develop these products. Inductors can be grouped into two categories: power inductors and RF (Radio Frequency) inductors. The segment for power inductors shows a clear trend: development of products for power lines that pass larger currents. RF inductors are required to deliver high Q values (quality coefficients). On the cutting edge of technology, we can clearly see the paths to follow. Along these paths, we must vie against our rivals in terms of technology and win the development race.
Cost is another key consideration in component manufacturing. Nowadays, the scale of the market for EMI suppression/inductor products is being expanded by their use in smartphones and tablet computers. Greater demand translates into more competition. If we fail to win the race, we will lose our market. Not only that, but the same thing could happen in the cutting-edge fields we have managed to develop successfully. The EMI Filter Division has diverse fronts of competition.
Three Processes No Longer Suffice , We Must Seek New Processes
The EMI Filter Division has three kinds of production processes: winding, film, and monolithic. Having these three proprietary processes is one of Murata’s greatest advantages. But I no longer believe that suffices. The choice of production process depends on a combination of marketing and material technology considerations. We will offer various combinations in this regard to meet customer requirements. We aim to expand our portfolio of processes and technologies and strengthen our ability to offer optimal combinations to fulfill stringent requirements.
In the EMI Filter Division, we develop measures on a case-by-case basis to match them with the circuit designed by the customer. It is unpredictable what kinds of circuits the customer will design. Circuit designs and IC structures vary from customer to customer. Murata practices a business approach named ESI (Early Stage Involvement): we try to get deeply involved in customer product operations right from the product development phase so we can make optimal proposals on a continual basis. Technical marketing is indispensable in the EMI suppression/inductor business, where success depends on access to accurate information on development trends.
When it comes to material technology, the partnership with Toko, Inc. is a major milestone. Toko is the pioneer in developing a metal-based magnetic material and boasts great expertise in processing technology. As we develop our relationship further, we will be able to make great achievements especially in the field of power inductors.
Three Processes Employed by the EMI Filter Division
- The winding process winds copper wires around a core. It has so far been developed to the point where it is possible to wind thin copper wiring around a core as small as 0.8mm in length. This process is used to produce components including power inductors, choke coils, RF coils (LQH and LQW series), and common mode choke coils (DLW series) .
- The film process uses etching technology to expose a pattern to light in order to create a thin film coil. It is able to form 10μm-wide conductors. The components produced using this process include RF coils (LQP series), and common mode choke coils (DLP series) .
- The monolithic technology is also employed for ceramic capacitors. Ferrite sheets a few dozens of μm in thickness are formed and stacked in many layers. This process is used to produce components including power inductors, choke coils, RF coils (LQG and LQM series) , common mode choke coils (DLM series) , and ferrite bead (BLM series) .
By making full use of these three production processes, Murata continues to create innovations to provide noise suppression/inductor components featuring even higher performance, even greater user-friendliness and even lower costs.