Example: Decoupling REG0 with 0603

Power Supply Decoupling Capacitor

If the application can fit a 0603 package which is up to 0.9 mm in height, the starting point for the VDD_nRF decoupling could be 2 × 2.2 μF + 3 × 100 nF.

The following are some 2.2 μF capacitors from the SimSurfing listing that appear to be suitable for development. Capacitance has been plotted over temperature with applied DC bias 3 V and AC bias 10 mV. The tool provides insight into details as illustrated below.

Figure 1. Temperature sweep of various 0603 2.2 μF capacitors in operating condition
Temperature sweep of various 0603 2.2 uF capacitors in operating condition

The results show that, in terms of variation, the GRM188R61C225KAAD capacitor (red, top line) in the 0603 2.2 μF category is the best choice. Effective capacitance is approximately the minimum 1.65 μF between −40 and +85°C. The result is 3.3 μF when connecting two capacitors in parallel. With the assumption that 100 nF capacitors are ideal, the range can be deduced to attain 3.6 μF, whereas the nominal is exactly 4.7 μF. By multiplying the nominal value by a 10% tolerance, the maximum capacitance can be roughly estimated to be 5.2 μF. This would be a sufficient combination for VDD_nRF decoupling.