Proud to be on Mars !

Two Exxelia film capacitors on-board the InSight spacecraft


The NASA InSight spacecraft landed on Mars on November 26, 2018 with two Exxelia film capacitors onboard. Designed and manufactured in France, these high precision capcitors are mounted on the French sismometer.

Published on 29 Nov 2018 by Marie Evrard

Innovative RF/Microwave components at IMS - Booth# 635 -

Ultra low ESR, high RF power and high self-resonant frequency The NHB series is a complete range of MLCC based on NPO dielectric material providing a very high Self Resonant Frequency and limiting the parasite Parallel Resonant Frequencies. The series is available in 1111 size with capacitance ranging from 0. 3pF to 100pF. NHB series offers excellent performance for RF power applications at high temperature up to 175°C and at 500 VDC. The lowest ESR is obtained by combining highly conductive metal electrodes and proprietary of new NPO low loss rugged dielectrics. NHB series particularly fits for high power and high frequency applications such as: cellular base station equipment, broadband wireless service, point to point / multipoint radios and broadcasting equipment. Typical circuit applications: impedance matching, bypass, feedback, tuning, coupling and DC blocking. 100% invar tuning screws with self-locking system Invar-36 is a unique Iron-Nickel alloy (64 % Fe / 36 % Ni) sought-after for its very low coefficient of thermal expansion. With 1.1 ppm. K–1 between 0°C and 100°C, Invar-36 is about 17 times more stable than Brass which is the most traditional and common alloy Tuning Elements are made of. The working temperature range in Space is so wide that this property becomes essential for a reliable and stable cavity filter tuning. Self-locking system is a technology commonly used on Tuning Element made of Brass or other soft “easy-to-machine” alloys but is innovative and pretty advanced when applied to hard and tough Invar 36. The design consists of two threaded segments separated by two parallel slots. After cutting both parallel slots, the rotor is compressed in its length in order to create a plastic deformation. Thus, an offset is induced between the two threaded segments which generates a constant tensile stress in the rotor from the moment threaded segments are screwed. High Q Factor Dielectric Resonators Dielectric resonators are designed to replace resonant cavities in microwave functions such as filters and oscillators. Exxelia has developed with support of ESA and CNES, a new high-end dielectric material, E7000 series, designed for high-end filters where high Q factor is requested. E7000 is Ba-Mg-Ta materials based that combines an ultra-high Q factor and the possibility to get all the temperature coefficients upon request. E7000 provides high-performance requested for space use in the frequency range 5 to 32 GHz, and guarantees up to Qxf > 250 000 at 10GHZ. Typical applications: Satellite multiplexing filter devices, radio links for communication systems (LMDS), military radars.

Exxelia acquires Deyoung MFG., INC.

“The DMI acquisition directly supports our Magnetics SBU expansion strategy. DMI’s strategic location in the Pacific Northwest aerospace market provides a key geographic location for driving growth and profitability,” said François Vignaud, Exxelia Magnetics’ SBU VP. “DMI is highly regarded for the quality of its products and the operational performance of its organization. DMI products can be found on most major commercial aerospace platforms, supporting in flight power, lighting and entertainment sub-systems.” “We welcome DMI into the Exxelia Group,” said Exxelia USA President Michael Thomas. “During its 40-plus years in business, DMI has built solid customer relationships with a strong brand reputation in the aerospace, medical and other high-reliability magnetics markets. Acquiring DMI creates the potential for both revenue and cost synergies related to cross selling and procurement savings as we leverage Exxelia Group’s broader global supply chain and operational excellence practices to support DMI’s operations.” According to Martin DeYoung, President & CEO of DMI, “We are excited to now be a part of Exxelia’s growth and expanded product offerings. The DeYoung’s recognized a shared business culture driven by a passion for quality and customer loyalty. By joining Exxelia Group we achieve a goal of meeting our strategic growth objectives while protecting our long standing relationships with our key aerospace customers and their contract manufacturers.” “This acquisition addresses our aerospace customers increasing requirements for global manufacturing access and timely support” stated Eric DeYoung, VP of Operations at DMI. “Together, we have global reach with the capability to serve our customers – whatever their size, location, or aerospace industry sector with one of the most comprehensive and competitive groups of design and manufacturing capabilities.”