Tantalum is a rare mineral found only in a few locations and is deemed a conflict mineral, as much of it is mined in regions that experience armed conflict and human rights abuses. As a result, the supply can be scarce and unpredictable, leading to dramatic increases in pricing and lead-times. As this chart illustrates, the price trend of tantalum raw materials for the last ten years has been unstable. For example, in the spring of 2011 the price of tantalum was approximately $120.00 per pound, three times higher than the previous year. In contrast, aluminum, used in Murata’s polymer aluminum ECAS series, is not subject to the same supply, lead time and pricing problems as tantalum because it is a more abundant mineral and not mined in conflict areas. In addition, polymer aluminum capacitors offer numerous design benefits due to the advanced technology which will be reviewed later in this presentation.