Multilayer Ceramic Capacitors
(MLCCs)
In order to meet the ultimate goal of a completely non-conflict iPhone, the most basic premise of this investigation must be changed; tantalum capacitors must be eliminated from the equation. Extracting coltan from the Democratic Republic of the Congo poses too much of a risk to the environment, the workers, and the local government. Instead, the alternative option of multilayer ceramic capacitors, or MLCCs for short, can replace the more traditional tantalum capacitors found in iPhones. As ceramic is an overly abundant resource when contrasted with tantalum, it is more easily obtained and needs not take such a toll on its environment as coltan does.
How They Work
The function of a capacitor is to store relatively small amounts of electrical charge and then later release them into circuits. Inside the capacitor, the terminals connect to two metal plates separated by a non-conducting substance, or dielectric. Currently, tantalum is used as the dielectric in the capacitors for iPhones; however, typically by using more than the standard two layers of metal plates, ceramics can also work as dielectrics. Though other dielectrics such as aluminum and glass are sometimes used, tantalum and MLCCs are the most common and most efficient.
Properties of MLCCs vs. Tantalum Capacitors
MLCCs, though typically used in more high-frequency electronics like MRI machines and antennas, can be made to serve the same purposes carried out by tantalum capacitors in mobile phones with relatively few design modifications. However, tantalum capacitors suffer from many limitations that hamper their performance, limitations not found in MLCCs.
Tantalum capacitors have to be kept at a relatively stable temperature at all times, and any voltage charges over 85°C will result in a sharp linear decline in the capacitor's functionality. MLCCs, on the other hand, work the same at all the temperatures that a capacitor could typically be subjected to, meaning more power (and therefore higher temperatures) could be stored and discharged by the capacitors.
Furthermore, MLCCs are non-polarized, unlike tantalum capacitors. Polarity poses the danger of malfunction, damage, or even explosion if mounted incorrectly or exposed to unusual stimuli. Intense temperatures, heavy wear and tear, or dropping one's iPhone can in some instances qualify as this kind of unusual stimuli, and the result can be less than pleasant, as shown below.
Tantalum capacitors have to be kept at a relatively stable temperature at all times, and any voltage charges over 85°C will result in a sharp linear decline in the capacitor's functionality. MLCCs, on the other hand, work the same at all the temperatures that a capacitor could typically be subjected to, meaning more power (and therefore higher temperatures) could be stored and discharged by the capacitors.
Furthermore, MLCCs are non-polarized, unlike tantalum capacitors. Polarity poses the danger of malfunction, damage, or even explosion if mounted incorrectly or exposed to unusual stimuli. Intense temperatures, heavy wear and tear, or dropping one's iPhone can in some instances qualify as this kind of unusual stimuli, and the result can be less than pleasant, as shown below.
Beyond preventing the occasional but potentially deadly explosion, MLCCs also have a far lower DC current leakage rate than tantalum capacitors. DC current leakage rate refers to the likelihood of a capacitor unexpectedly releasing its stored charge, which can cause potentially serious issues with the device it is running. The leakage rate of MLCCs is 0.001 μA (microaperes) compared to the 0.5 to 30 μA leakage rate of tantalum capacitors; both values are low, but MLCCs are significantly lower.
So why aren't they already in use in cell phones?
Historically, the major issue with multilayer ceramic capacitors was their cost. Though the dielectric itself was cheaper, they took more work and more time to manufacture, leading to higher prices. This dissuaded tech companies from using them in their mobile phones, as small price differences in components like capacitors quickly add up when one looks at the amount of phones that are sold; Apple sold over 35.1 million iPhones in the last quarter alone.
However, their rising popularity, improvements in their design, and superior manufacturing methods have recently addressed this cost issue, making them a much more viable solution. By maintaining a consistent medium plate width instead of alternately thinning and thickening the metal plates used in the capacitor, as was done before, production is made easier and more efficient, while the growing industry has created competition and brought prices lower. These prices are likely to continue to drop, as the price of the raw materials necessary in MLCCs are in high supply, and therefore relatively constant. Coltan prices, on the other hand, are not nearly as stable; they have been rising sharply as of late, and are susceptible to further increases due to both high demand and the high cost of extracting the material.
However, their rising popularity, improvements in their design, and superior manufacturing methods have recently addressed this cost issue, making them a much more viable solution. By maintaining a consistent medium plate width instead of alternately thinning and thickening the metal plates used in the capacitor, as was done before, production is made easier and more efficient, while the growing industry has created competition and brought prices lower. These prices are likely to continue to drop, as the price of the raw materials necessary in MLCCs are in high supply, and therefore relatively constant. Coltan prices, on the other hand, are not nearly as stable; they have been rising sharply as of late, and are susceptible to further increases due to both high demand and the high cost of extracting the material.
MLCCs are also much more easy to improve on than tantalum capacitors, which have a relatively standard, set design. This will further lower their cost over time. Additionally, since MLCCs are still a developing industry, the mass-scale purchase of them by Apple will encourage a boom in the field of ceramic capacitor research and production, therefore promoting further manufacturing by other distributors and driving costs down due to increasing competition.
MLCC Pricing
The most important thing to talk about with MLCC is their price. When the company first makes the switch from tantalum to ceramics in iPhone capacitors, Apple will take a loss; this is a given. MLCCs are commercially priced at around $2.22 per capacitor when bought in bundles of 2,000 by the majority of MLCC distributors; Circuit Ocean ICL, Shenzhen EINFO Semiconductor LTD, Up Teks CO LTD, Maymove Semiconductor CO LTD, and more. The actual price of buying them would be much lower (perhaps as low as $1.50 or even $1 per capacitor) when bought in the mass quantities needed to fulfill the demand for iPhones, as agreements could be made between Apple and the distributor(s) to arrange for the fairer pricing of MLCCs. While tantalum capacitors are currently valued from around $0.75 to $1.75, their variability in prices makes them unpredictable, and their prices are likely to rise due to the trend of rising coltan prices. If it is assumed that every MLCC will currently cost $0.30 more than a tantalum capacitor, Apple would have made approximately $150,000 less in revenue if it used them in all iPhones sold in the most recent quarter*. This difference, while real, is not overly substantial for a corporation with revenues that regularly exceed $12 billion per quarter. Over time, as tantalum prices rise and MLCC pricing falls, these losses will even out and potentially even turn to profits. If it is assumed that for every year that passes, technological and distributive advancements lower the price of each MLCC by 5 cents, after ___ years the MLCCs would've broken even (assuming the tantalum capacitors haven't risen in price, which they likely will have).** At all points after that until MLCCs reach a point in which their advanced level of design dictate that costs can no longer be reduced as such, Apple will make a profit; small, but still a profit.
However, an even larger monetary benefit with exchanging standard capacitors for ceramic ones is the PR campaign that we intend to implement as soon as the switch is made, which will ideally .
*There would also likely be some changes needed to be made in the manufacturing process of iPhones, but such changes already happen with every new model of iPhone and as such are not an important factor to take into consideration when weighing the pros and cons of MLCCs.
**This is assuming that there is an average of 120 million iPhones sold per year, in accordance with the average of 30 million units per quarter as observed in exterior graphs
**This is assuming that there is an average of 120 million iPhones sold per year, in accordance with the average of 30 million units per quarter as observed in exterior graphs
PR Campaign
“I think that buying a smartphone is like buying a bullet” – Congolese activist
This is the view we want to change. While we cannot ignore the past mistakes we have made, we can instead use this opportunity to provide us with the motivation to innovate and help repair what has happened.
This is the view we want to change. While we cannot ignore the past mistakes we have made, we can instead use this opportunity to provide us with the motivation to innovate and help repair what has happened.
Our Plan
We will make the use of conflict-free ceramics in the new iPhone very evident. In doing so, Apple will display campaign videos that not only advertise the product but also the good that Apple is doing in switching to ceramic capacitors. Lastly, Apple will donate 3% of its quarterly profits on the new iPhone to the DRC in order to show its efforts to give back. Based on the average of $4 billion in profit made each sales quarter, the amount repaid to the DRC will be around $120 million per quarter. This money will go to help fund the effort in stopping the rebel groups. It will also go to efforts to protect the environment, bring aid to rape victims, aid to displaced people throughout the DRC, and help funding towards health care and vaccinations. These donations will be carefully monitored by Apple, ensuring that it is funneled to where it is most needed. If desired, an individual may also donate to the fund and it will be advertised in all Apple Stores and when purchasing Apple products.
By utilizing MLCCs, Apple will ultimately prove to be an innovative and developing company, fit to lead the way forward by implementing this new technology. Our campaign will implement the new conflict-free iPhone along with economically supporting the restoration and stabilization of the DRC as compensation for our contribution to the chaos found there today. It is our hope that due to Apple’s image in the economic world and the inherent power of capitalism and competition, other companies will follow suit in eventually changing over to ceramic capacitors and diminishing their dependency on the resources of the Congo, as well. |
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Benefits of the Solution
DRC Benefits
Political:
By decreasing the need for distributors to supply Apple with coltan for iPhones, it is assumed that much of the tension between rebel groups surrounding resources will be decreased. There will be less motivation for their greed, since tantalum mining will no longer be quite as profitable. This will help the DRC's long-term political stability as far as the widespread violence is concerned, as this is one of the biggest impediments to a stable political climate. Additionally, by reducing dependance on the mines, the DRC will be more able to expand into different industries, such as the agriculture field, instead of focusing so heavily on the mining of coltan.
Funding:
The donations from Apple's profit will be greatly beneficial in helping to improve the DRC. We will track where the money goes and ensure that it is helping to fix existing problems- in all aspects, not just environment, or just the rebel groups. Rather, this will be going towards a collection of areas in order to help out all over and where needed.
Apple’s Image
Innovation:
This new plan will prove to the market that Apple is in fact constantly innovating and implementing new ideas to expand upon technology. This brings to the public a good image of Apple and its growing, successful development rather than a company set on a stagnant, harmful path.
A Socially Conscious Company:
We want to bring about a good image for Apple as a company and display its benefits. We will make it widely known to consumers that our new iPhone is conflict-free and that we are acting for the good of both the consumer and the Congolese. This new iPhone will be both efficient and free of its historically violent legacy.