4 864-963-6300 1,2 / 978-658-1663 3 / 847-517-1030 4 (Phone) 864-967-6876 1,2 / 978-658-1790 3 / 847-517-1037 4 (FAX) johnprymak@kemet.com 1 / mikeprevallet@kemet.com 2 / peterblais@kemet.com 3 / billlong@kemet.com 4 (Email) Abstract The primary fault created in surface-mount MLC capacitors is related to flex cracking. This fault is created by a shear force applied to the ceramic element suspended between the terminations faces in contact with the PCB. The fault creation probability is proportional to the size of the ceramic chips in that smaller chips have a greater flex capability than larger chips. Utilizing this ceramic device in more circuitry requires larger chips in order to achieve higher capacitance at higher voltages. Early attempts of thicker cover plates, extended end margins, and soft terminations to mitigate this problem have not been 100% effective as the crack is still capable of being created. We will present a review of those attempts as well as two new variations in design that can influence the levels at which the crack occurs or eliminates the crack.