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66 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I AUGUST 2024 Other benefits of IPDs include: • Miniaturization: To shrink the size of products, designers have occasionally used IPDs to save space on printed circuit boards to replace myriad discrete passive devices. • Performance improvement: Integration of passives into packages can reduce the parasitic effects that oen occur in some designs and can lead to better electrical assembly performance. • Enhanced reliability: e integrated pas- sive component can be manufactured and assembled using fewer solder joints and interconnections, resulting in more reli- able electronic designs. (is is something that has not gone unnoticed by me and is now considered an opportunity for explo- ration using the Occam Process for their manufacture.) With the benefits just accounted for, it should not be too surprising that integrated passive devices have found some reasonably broad acceptance. For example, when one attempts to establish where IPDs have found greatest acceptance, it's almost everywhere. Today, IPDs are widely used in various applica- tions, including RF modules, wireless commu- nication devices, medical devices, automotive electronics, and consumer electronics. One highlightable benefit of IPDs is their ability to enhance performance while saving space, making them suitable for high-frequency and high-performance application. However, in broad brushstrokes, the following are a few more specific places where they have provided benefits. In consumer electronics, such as smart- phones, tablets, and wearables, the adoption of IPDs has reportedly been quite high due to the stringent space and performance require- ments as discussed earlier. One estimate has it that perhaps 70% of modern consumer elec- tronic designs in recent years have incorpo- rated some form of IPD. As new cars continue to consume ever- more electronics, the automotive industry has demonstrated significant interest in the adop- tion of IPDs, particularly in advanced driver- assistance systems, infotainment systems, and power management modules to name just a few. Estimates of adoption rates in automo- tive are similar to that of consumer electron- ics. In telecommunications equipment, espe- cially for RF and high-frequency applications (think 5G), IPDs are widely used to enhance performance and reliability. With a solid foot- hold, it is likely they will continue their march into coming generations of products. e same holds true for medical and industrial products, and the list goes on. When it comes to suppliers, a long list includes familiar names such as Vishay, AVX, Murata, Texas Instruments, Johanson Tech- nology, OnChip Devices, and STMicroelec- tronics. ey offer a wide range of passive electronic components, including resistors, capacitors, inductors, and integrated passive components, with off-the-shelf and custom solutions to meet specific design needs. Integrated passive devices offer designers an opportunity to significantly reduce their designs' complexity while improving perfor- mance and reliability. I encourage you to learn more about them. DESIGN007 Joe Fjelstad is founder and CEO of Verdant Electronics and an international author- ity and innovator in the field of electronic interconnection and packaging technologies with more than 185 patents issued or pending. To read past columns or contact Fjelstad, click here. Download your free copy of Fjelstad's book Flexible Circuit Technology, 4th Edition, and watch his in-depth workshop series "Flexible Circuit Technology."