TDK has expanded its CN series of low-resistance, soft-termination SMD multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) with a 100 V, X7R part rated at 10 μF in the 3225 package (3.2 x 2.5 x 2.5 mm, L x W x T). The company is targeting 48 V power-line smoothing and decoupling use cases, including AI servers, humanoid robots, xEVs, and industrial equipment.
The new CN series device pairs soft termination with low resistance, a combination intended to address a common tradeoff in resin-based terminations: added layers can raise ESR (equivalent series resistance). TDK describes the CN series as a proprietary product line that is “equivalent to the regular product line in terms of terminal resistance,” attributing that to an optimized resin electrode structure.
On the spec sheet side, the headline number is the 10 μF capacitance at a 100 V rating in a 3225 body size. TDK calls this “industry-leading” as of September 2026. The company also states the part delivers twice the capacitance of its conventional capacitors of the same size, while significantly reducing ESR.
For data center power designers working around 48 V distribution, component density and reliability are constant pressure points: higher capacitance per footprint can reduce the number of parts needed for bulk decoupling, while soft termination is a known approach to mitigate MLCC cracking from external mechanical stress. But the ESR penalty of resin structures can show up quickly in ripple and transient performance, so the claim of low resistance comparable to standard terminations is the engineering detail to watch.
TDK says mass production is scheduled to begin in September 2026. The company notes AEC-Q200 qualification for automotive, and identifies CNA as the automotive designation and CNC as the commercial designation.
Source: TDK
