Former APPLICATION NOTES FOR MIL-PRF-123 that are no longer applicable

The NPSL application notes for multilayer ceramic capacitors were being amended (May 2013) to reflect the following recommendations from a NASA Engineering & Safety Center (NESC) report ^[1] on the subject of low voltage failure phenomenon of ceramic capacitors:

R-1. NASA guidelines should be amended to remove any requirements to perform Humidity Steady-State Low Voltage (HSSLV) test as an add-on lot acceptance test for MIL QPL MLCCs.

R-3. NASA guidelines should be amended to remove restrictions on MLCCs rated at less than 100 V when used in low voltage applications.

Reference:

[1] “Multilayer Ceramic Capacitors (MLCC) –Low Voltage Failure (LVF) Phenomenon” NASA/TM-2010-216852, NESC-RP-07-056, October 2010, NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC)

Per the Recommendations of the Above Referenced NESC Report, the Following Application Notes Are No Longer Applicable to Parts Purchased in Accordance With MIL-PRF-123

1. MIL-PRF-123 capacitors are recommended for use in low voltage applications (< 10 Vdc). The test requirements imposed on the manufacturer are effective at identifying part lots which may be susceptible to the low voltage failure mechanism observed in multilayer ceramic capacitors.