What is a capacitor ?

Discover the basic information about capacitors, to improve your choice


▲ WHAT IS A CAPACITOR ?

 

Definition from the dictionnary: « Capacitor »: Device able to accumulate charges and to relaunch them in a very short time. 

 

See our capacitors in catalog 

 

What it really is:

It's an electrical component made of 2 conductive armatures (called electrodes) separated by an isolating layer. Its main property is to store electrical charges on its armatures.

There is a direct link between the voltage put on the capacitor and the value of the charge at the armatures

This coefficient C, the capacitance, is the value caracterizing mathematically the capacitors.

As we can identifie a direct link between U and I in the capacitor we can caracterize it as a dipole this way:

3 main dipoles :

In the physical reality:

  •   Contacts with the PCB (terminations) + Other internal contact suh as the metallic contacts, or the physical internal resistivity of the used materials. → Resistance in the circuit
  •   Other losses due mainly to the leads → inductive effect in the circuit.

Example of possible caracterization:

That’s why the Esr is always written « at a certain frequency »  which should be the resonnance frequency.

This is also why the capacitors have frequency optimal ranges. The higher the resonance frequency is, the higher the frequencies are withstanded by the capacitor.

 

In terms of energy

Efficient energy is Ec.

 

In reality E= Ec+Er+Ei with:

Ec = Energy due to the ideal capacitor

Er = Energy to the ESR

Ei = Energy due to the leakage.

 

So Er and Ei are caracterized by heating (Joule effect).

So even if that’s not always a key paramter, the lower the esr the better it is for the circuit.

                                                                                                                                                                             

If the capacitor is polarized :

If the capacitor is not polarized :

See our capacitors in catalog

 

▲ MAIN CARACTERISTICS

1) Voltages (V)

2) Capacitance of Capacitor

 

3) Capacitance / volume

4) Tan Delta / ESR

 

5) Price of the function

Whatever the function, the price of capacitors is important !

A cheap function does not mean a cheap product:

10 caps at 10€ is less expensive than 1 cap at 50€ … 

 

See our capacitors in catalog

 

▲ FINAL OVERVIEW

  Technology

                                        Benefits of capacitors

                         Constrains

 Aluminum

  • The least expensive
  • The highest energy density
  • Polarized
  • Difficulties in storage
  • High ESR and tan Delta
  • Lowest temperature range

 Ceramic

 

  • Ideal for high frequencies
  • The biggest range of values (CAPA voltage)

 

  • Highest Price of the functions
  • Low energy density
  • Low values of capacitance

 Film

  • Highest ripple curents
  • Highest voltages
  • Lowest ESR and tan Delta
  • Most expensive
  • Lowest energy density
  • High price of the function

 Tantalum

  • Lower ESR than aluminum,
  • Good energy density and price of the function
  • Polarized
  • Solid can burn
  • High ESR and tan Delta

 

 

 

See our capacitors in catalog

Published on 10 Jan 2022 by Stephane PERES

Revolutionary Exxelia MML™ Ultra-High Energy Density Film Capacitors

Discover the power of MML™ technology The best performing film capacitors on the market with the highest energy density ever! Exxelia&#39;s revolutionary MML™ ultra-high energy density Film Capacitors are a game changer in the industry due to their unparalleled energy density of 400 J/dm3. This allows for a significant reduction in size and weight in comparison to traditional Polypropylene or Polyester dielectrics, as well as an increased operating temperature of up to 140°C and protection against transient voltage. Not only do MML™ capacitors offer a large flexibility in design, allowing for low profile configurations, but they have also been tested in actual cases for controls and DC-Links functions in aircraft applications and have shown a reduction in size and weight of about 50% compared to other film technologies.   Furthermore, when compared to MLCCs, MML™ capacitors have demonstrated a reduction in weight of between 70% to 90%, with no capacitance derating with voltage applied and a low drift of less than 5% across the temperature range. Applications that previously required clusters of stacked MLCCs can now be replaced by a single MML™ unit of similar size, with the added reliability that film dielectric offers. The exceptional properties of Exxelia&#39;s new MML™ capacitors make them suitable for a wide range of applications including power supplies, DC-links, AC/DC/AC power converters, charge/discharge or power generation functions of commercial/military aircraft, satellite platforms and payloads, launchers, defibrillators, downhole tools and any other applications that require confined electronics. Samples are available upon request.   Features & Benefits : Miniaturization of the function : Up to 50% size reduction vs other film technologies ; matching footprint with stacked MLCC Lightweight : 50% lighter vs other film technologies ; 80 to 90% lighter than ceramic No capacitance derating in voltage, stable in temperature (<5% drift through the temperature range) Capacitance from 1μF to 1000μF  Voltages from 50V to 1000V  Operating Temperature -55 °C to +140 °C Highly customizable   Get your white paper around our MML Film Capacitor Download our white paper now on our innovative Miniature Micro-Layer™ (MML™) technology, which offers the highest capacitance per volume for film capacitors available on the market, by filling out the form below.   Chargement&hellip;

Exxelia brand celebrates its 10-year anniversary!

Exxelia brand celebrates its 10-year anniversary!  @Exxelia #poweringperformance #Exxelia10years Paris, France - August 29th 2019 – Exxelia, a leading global designer and manufacturer of highly engineered passive components and electromechanical solutions, celebrates the 10-year anniversary of its brand by confirming its market growth. The group Exxelia was born from the merge of five long-established companies with complementary activities and know-how (Eurofarad, Firadec, Sic Safco, Microspire and Astema). Today, Exxelia counts thirteen manufacturing sites located in France, the United States, Vietnam and Morocco. Embedded into the most advanced commercial aircrafts, the latest generation of fighter jets, onboard the most prestigious space exploration missions such as ChangE4 and Insight, Exxelia products have always been the trusted choice where the environment is harsh and reliability a must. Paul Maisonnier, CEO of Exxelia says: “Over the past 10 years, Exxelia has double its revenue thanks to organic growth and strategic acquisitions. We are proud to be recognized as a leading designer and manufacturer of standard and custom solutions with a worldwide reputation for performance and quality.” Looking ahead, Exxelia focuses on expanding its international presence to become the pure player world leader of complex passive components for high reliability applications. To see Exxelia’s latest success stories, visit https://www.linkedin.com/company/ #poweringperformance