Thin-film passives in RF/microwave circuits

Until recently, most microwave capacitors were based on fired multilayer ceramic technology. In this process, layers of highly conductive electrode metal alloys are interleaved with low-loss ceramic dielectrics in a multilayer fashion until the target capacitance is obtained. The resulting stack is then sintered into a monolithic structure in a high-temperature firing process. This process continues to satisfactorily serve high-power capacitor needs in addition to those in larger value RF capacitors.