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| | A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z |
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| | Actuator | |
| | In control engineering, the opposite of a sensor. An actuator transforms sensor signals into motion, such as opening or closing valves. | |
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| | Amplifier | |
| | An electronic device that amplifies an incoming signal before outputting it. A distinction is made between current, voltage and power amplification. | |
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| | BAW | |
| | Innovative RF filters in bulk acoustic wave (BAW) technology are predestined for use in future generations of mobile phones thanks to their performance features and compact dimensions. Unlike conventional SAW filters that use surface acoustic waves, these new filters operate on the basis of bulk acoustic waves. BAW technology from EPCOS combines the benefits of SAW and microwave ceramic technologies. | |
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| | Bluetooth | |
| | A standard for short-range wireless connections between mobile phones and headsets or between desktop computers and printers, say. Bluetooth allows these devices to communicate with each other without using cables or wires. | |
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| | CAN bus | |
| | A Controller Area Network (CAN) interconnects the various electronic components in an automobile. | |
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| | Capacitance | |
| | The capacity of a capacitor to store electric charges. Capacitance is given in farads. The farad is a rather large unit of measurement; most capacitors have capacitances between several trillionths (pico) and several millionths (micro) of a farad. | |
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| | Capacitor | |
| | A passive electronic component that can very quickly store and release electric charges. A capacitor basically consists of two mutually insulated conductive plates. Capacitors are needed in virtually all electronic circuits. | |
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| | CDMA | |
| | Code Division Multiple Access is a mobile communication standard. Signals from multiple sources or transmitters are transferred simultaneously over the same frequency. Wideband CDMA is used for UMTS, for example. | |
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| | Choke | |
| | An inductive component used in switch-mode power supplies, for example. Chokes ensure that the ripple of rectified AC voltages is smoothed. | |
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| | COMPETE | |
| | Launched in 2002, the COMPETE program stands for cost management, process excellence and time efficiency. It describes a change in EPCOS' corporate culture that pursues three goals: rapid reduction of costs, simplification and optimization of processes, and making better use of time. It uses the Six Sigma methodology successfully applied for years by major companies. Six Sigma uses statistical means to optimize processes throughout the company. | |
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| | Common rail | |
| | Technology for injection of diesel fuel into the cylinders under high pressure. In common rail systems, the fuel in highly compressed by a pump and fed via a single pipe (common rail) to the injection valves of all cylinders. | |
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| | Copper | |
| | A relatively soft, readily malleable metal. Since it is a good conductor of heat and electrical current, copper is widely used to manufacture wires, printed connections and electronic components. | |
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| | CSSP | |
| | Chip-sized SAW package. A packaging technology developed by EPCOS for further miniaturization of surface acoustic wave (SAW) filters. The area of a CSSP component is virtually identical with that of the bare die and not enlarged by the package. Filters in CSSPs are primarily found in mobile radio applications. | |
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| | Dielectric | |
| | A dielectric is an electrically nonconductive, insulating material. The capacitance of a capacitor depends considerably on the dielectric used. The higher the associated dielectric constant, the more energy can be stored in the capacitor. Another characteristic is dielectric strength, i.e. the threshold voltage at which the dielectric loses its insulating properties. | |
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| | Distributor | |
| | A company that buys complete products from EPCOS and sells them to end customers. Distributors are used to sell small and mid-sized quantities of standard components or in countries in which EPCOS does not have its own sales offices. | |
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| | DNV | |
| | Det Norske Veritas, a leading provider of management system services. DNV audits and certifies environmental management systems, for instance. For more information, visit www.dnv.com. | |
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| | DSL | |
| | Digital Subscriber Line technology allows access to the Internet via the wireline network at high speeds. | |
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| | Duplexer | |
| | A filter component used in surface acoustic wave (SAW) or bulk acoustic wave (BAW) technology. In mobile phones, for example, duplexers separate the transmit signal from the receive signal. This enables simultaneous transmission and reception of radio frequency signals and influences the acoustic quality of these signals. | |
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| | DVB | |
| | Digital Video Broadcasting: Global standard for the digital transmission of television and radio signals. Digital TV broadcasting makes better use of transmission bandwidth than analog technology, as multiple channels can be transmitted via a single frequency range. | |
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| | DVD | |
| | Digital versatile disk. A storage medium with the same dimensions as a compact disk (CD) but substantially higher memory capacity. The DVD is therefore suitable for storing the data of a full-length movie, for example, complete with supplementary information. | |
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| | EMC | |
| | Electromagnetic compatibility describes the mutual effects of electrical equipment by the fields that they generate. | |
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| | EMI | |
| | Electromagnetic interference, also known as radio frequency interference (RFI), is high-frequency electromagnetic radiation emitted by electrical circuits that process fast-changing electrical signals. It can produce undesired disturbances in other electronic circuits that manifest in forms such as noise. | |
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| | ESD | |
| | An electrostatic discharge is an electric current pulse triggered by a large voltage difference and can also flow via a material that is normally an electrical insulator. It may occur when someone walks on a carpeted floor, a process that can charge a human being up to several thousand volts. Electrostatic discharges can cause damage in electronic equipment, and are one of the most frequent causes of failure in integrated semiconductor components. | |
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| | Ferrite | |
| | A ferromagnetic material of nonconductive metal oxides. It is sintered (baked) under heat into ferrite cores, with which inductive components are formed. | |
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| | Forward integration | |
| | This means that the supplier integrates steps into its own value-added chain that had previously been performed by the customer, although they may not have been part of the supplier's core business. | |
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| | Front end | |
| | In wireless terminals, the system unit that processes radio-frequency signals in the send and receive directions. A front end basically comprises radio-frequency filters (usually in SAW technology), intermediate-frequency filters, and duplexers, which permit switching between send and receive frequencies. It includes demodulators and amplifiers. | |
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| | Front-end module | |
| | Combines all front-end functions in one unit. The functions of several dozen electronic components such as inductors, capacitors, resistors and varistors are integrated into the ceramic layers of a single unit or module. Other components such as SAW filters or semiconductors, which for technological reasons cannot be integrated, can be mounted on the surface for the ceramic block. The result is a module whose edges are just a few millimetres in length. Thanks to front-end modules from EPCOS, front-end space requirements can be reduced by as much as 90 percent. | |
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| | GPS | |
| | Global Positioning System: a satellite-based navigation system to determine positions anywhere on Earth. Originally intended for military uses, GPS is now firmly established in a number of civilian applications too. Examples include navigation systems for vehicles and in open terrain, and a variety of surveying applications. Assisted GPS (A-GPS) was developed specially for use in mobile phones. | |
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| | GPRS | |
| | The General Packet Radio Service is an extension of the GSM mobile phone standard to data transmission. The data is converted at the transmit end into packets, then transmitted before being reconstituted again at the receive end. GPRS is essentially an adaptation of the Internet data protocol to mobile communication services. | |
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| | GSM | |
| | Global System for Mobile Communication. A narrowband digital standard for mobile radio used in about 200 countries of the world. | |
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| | Inductor | |
| | An inductor (also known as an induction coil or inductive component) stores energy in the form of its magnetic field. An inductor basically consists of a wire helically wound around a core. The electrical properties of an inductor are used in virtually all electronic circuits. | |
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| | Integrated circuit | |
| | A component based on a semiconductor material such as silicon, on which the functions of numerous discrete components such as transistors, resistors, capacitors and diodes are integrated and interconnected. | |
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| | Keyless entry | |
| | A security and convenience feature with which more and more automobiles are being equipped. Pressing a button on the car key activates a miniature radio transmitter that locks or unlocks the car doors from a distance of several meters. | |
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| | Lithium | |
| | The lightest of all metals. Highly reactive lithium bonds readily with other substances and therefore does not occur naturally in its pure form on Earth. | |
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| | Lithium niobate | |
| | A transparent, crystalline material that does not occur in nature and is usually fabricated from a molten mix of lithium oxide and niobium pentoxide. | |
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| | Lithium tantalate | |
| | A transparent, crystalline material that does not occur in nature and is usually fabricated from a molten mix of lithium oxide and tantalum pentoxide. | |
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| | LTCC | |
| | Low-temperature co-fired ceramics: LTCC technology is vital to EPCOS. Mastering this technology is vital if dozens of components such as inductors, capacitors, resistors and varistors are to be integrated in the individual layers of a multilayer ceramic module. | |
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| | Micrometer | |
| | A unit of length equal to one millionth of a meter, or one thousandth of a millimeter. A micrometer (or micron) cannot be perceived by the human eye, which is able only discern objects that measure at least around 100 micrometers. | |
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| | Microwave ceramic | |
| | As well as SAW filters, filters made of microwave ceramic can be used for frequency selection. Principle applications are mobile radio equipment and TV sets. | |
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| | Mild hybrid | |
| | Hybrid automobile drives combine electric motors and internal combustion engines. A distinction is made between various degrees of hybridization: micro-hybrid, mild hybrid and full hybrid. The mild hybrid is currently favored by European carmakers. Although the vehicle drive is assisted by an electric motor, it is unable to drive the vehicle alone. It is usually integrated between the internal combustion engine and the transmission so that all drives always operate simultaneously. The electric motor almost always takes the form of a starter generator. It thus replaces both these units and can additionally boost acceleration during brief periods. It also permits the recuperation of braking energy, thus saving fuel. | |
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| | Monocrystal | |
| | A crystal (also called a single crystal) whose atoms, ions and molecules form a regular, homogeneous crystal lattice. This distinguishes monocrystals from polycrystalline aggregates, twinned crystals and amorphous substances. The atoms in these latter substances form irregular patterns instead of regular structures. | |
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| | MP3 | |
| | The MP3 data format can be used to greatly compress musical data. MP3 technology is used in compact MP3 players. | |
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| | Multiband | |
| | Multiband mobile phones are designed for several frequency bands. Triband handsets, for example, can operate in three networks, namely GSM-900 (900 MHz), GSM-1800 (1800 MHz) and GSM-1900 (1900 MHz). | |
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| | Multimode | |
| | Multimode mobile phones are designed for several transmission standards. Thus, UMTS phones support not only WCDMA but as a rule also GPRS and GSM. | |
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| | NAFTA | |
| | North American Free Trade Agreement oder -Area. The North American Free Trade Area includes the USA, Canada und Mexico. | |
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| | Passive integration | |
| | Passive integration is based on ceramic multilayer technology. It allows the complete integration of semiconductors and passive electronic components in miniaturized modules. The functions of several dozen passive electronic components such as resistors, capacitors and inductors are embedded in wafer-thin layers. Several SAW filters and diodes may be additionally mounted on the surface. This solution saves up to 90 percent space compared with the use of discrete components. | |
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| | Piezo actuator | |
| | The key component of piezoelectric fuel injection systems in diesel and gasoline engines. With their low mass and short switching times, piezo actuators are far superior to the conventional solenoid valves used to actuate the injection needles in fuel injection valves. Thanks to piezo technology, the injection process can be divided into seven injection events at four times the switching speed. Whereas solenoid valves have a fixed displacement, that of a piezo actuator can be varied. Key benefits are lower fuel consumption, and reduced exhaust and noise emissions. The piezo actuator uses the inverse piezo effect. If a voltage is applied to a piezoelectric crystal, its dimensions change. But this effect cannot be exploited and no significant displacement obtained until several hundred layers of piezoelectric material are superimposed. Depending on type, piezo actuators contain up to 1,800 ceramic layers in a stack up to 45 mm high. This results in a displacement of 65 micrometers - enough to operate the needle in the injection nozzle and inject fuel into the cylinder. | |
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| | Piezoelectric | |
| | Materials are piezoelectric if their surface becomes electrically charged when mechanical stress is applied. This phenomenon is known as the »direct piezoelectric effect«. Conversely, piezoelectric materials change their shape when electric voltage is applied - a phenomenon known as the »inverse piezoelectric effect«. | |
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| | Power factor correction | |
| | Electrical circuits for power factor correction (PFC) greatly reduce the reactive power of electrical loads - namely by the amount of the reactive power of the PFC equipment. Because this power comes from the supply network, PFC reduces the load on power utility installations, power lines and transmission equipment. | |
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| | Pupin coil | |
| | Improved the quality of voice transmission in telephony, making long-distance communication possible. Named after the physicist and technologist Mihajlo Pupin (1854 to 1935). | |
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| | Quadband | |
| | Quadband mobile phones can operate in GSM networks with different frequency bands, e.g. 850, 900, 1800 and 1900 MHz. | |
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| | SAW | |
| | Key components of modern information and communications. SAW components are indispensable for selecting desired signal frequencies. They have helped make outstanding picture and sound quality reality in mobile phones and other mobile devices, in TV, video and audio equipment. | |
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| | Sensor | |
| | A component that can detect certain physical or chemical properties such as temperature, thermal radiation, humidity, pressure, brightness or acceleration as measurable quantities. Physical or chemical effects are used to take these measurements and convert them to other properties - usually electrical signals. | |
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| | Set-top box | |
| | An entertainment electronics device that is usually connected to a television set to provide additional uses such as TV reception via alternative channels (satellite or cable) or in different forms (digital or encrypted). | |
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| | Silicon | |
| | A metalloid element used on a large scale as a basic material in the semiconductor industry. | |
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| | Sintering | |
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