Passive Components Blog
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • NewsFilter
    • All
    • Aerospace & Defence
    • Antenna
    • Applications
    • Automotive
    • Capacitors
    • Circuit Protection Devices
    • electro-mechanical news
    • Filters
    • Fuses
    • Inductors
    • Industrial
    • Integrated Passives
    • inter-connect news
    • Market & Supply Chain
    • Market Insights
    • Medical
    • Modelling and Simulation
    • New Materials & Supply
    • New Technologies
    • Non-linear Passives
    • Oscillators
    • Passive Sensors News
    • Resistors
    • RF & Microwave
    • Telecommunication
    • Weekly Digest

    Vishay Releases Miniature SMD Trimmers for Harsh Environments

    Würth Elektronik Releases Push-Button and Main Switches

    Littelfuse Unveils High-Precision TMR Angle Magnetic Sensors

    Stackpole Extends Voltage of High Temp Chip Resistors

    High Voltage MLCCs Meeting the Growing Demand for Efficiency in Power Conversion

    Bourns Releases High Power High Ripple Chokes

    KYOCERA AVX Releases Hermaphroditic WTW and WTB Connectors

    Radiation Tolerance of Tantalum and Ceramic Capacitors

    TDK Releases Compact Polypropylene Film Capacitors for Resonant Topologies

    Trending Tags

    • Ripple Current
    • RF
    • Leakage Current
    • Tantalum vs Ceramic
    • Snubber
    • Low ESR
    • Feedthrough
    • Derating
    • Dielectric Constant
    • New Products
    • Market Reports
  • VideoFilter
    • All
    • Antenna videos
    • Capacitor videos
    • Circuit Protection Video
    • Filter videos
    • Fuse videos
    • Inductor videos
    • Inter-Connect Video
    • Non-linear passives videos
    • Oscillator videos
    • Passive sensors videos
    • Resistor videos

    Percolation Phenomenon and Reliability of Molded Power Inductors in DC/DC converters

    Root Causes and Effects of DC Bias and AC in Ceramic Capacitors

    How to Calculate the Output Capacitor for a Switching Power Supply

    Switched Capacitor Converter Explained

    Understanding Inductor Dot Markings and Their Application in LTspice

    Accelerating Full Bridge LLC Resonant Converter Design with Frenetic AI

    Understanding Switched Capacitor Converters

    Coupled Inductors Circuit Model and Examples of its Applications

    Inductor Resonances and its Impact to EMI

    Trending Tags

    • Capacitors explained
    • Inductors explained
    • Resistors explained
    • Filters explained
    • Application Video Guidelines
    • EMC
    • New Products
    • Ripple Current
    • Simulation
    • Tantalum vs Ceramic
  • Knowledge Blog
  • Suppliers
    • Who is Who
  • Events
  • Home
  • NewsFilter
    • All
    • Aerospace & Defence
    • Antenna
    • Applications
    • Automotive
    • Capacitors
    • Circuit Protection Devices
    • electro-mechanical news
    • Filters
    • Fuses
    • Inductors
    • Industrial
    • Integrated Passives
    • inter-connect news
    • Market & Supply Chain
    • Market Insights
    • Medical
    • Modelling and Simulation
    • New Materials & Supply
    • New Technologies
    • Non-linear Passives
    • Oscillators
    • Passive Sensors News
    • Resistors
    • RF & Microwave
    • Telecommunication
    • Weekly Digest

    Vishay Releases Miniature SMD Trimmers for Harsh Environments

    Würth Elektronik Releases Push-Button and Main Switches

    Littelfuse Unveils High-Precision TMR Angle Magnetic Sensors

    Stackpole Extends Voltage of High Temp Chip Resistors

    High Voltage MLCCs Meeting the Growing Demand for Efficiency in Power Conversion

    Bourns Releases High Power High Ripple Chokes

    KYOCERA AVX Releases Hermaphroditic WTW and WTB Connectors

    Radiation Tolerance of Tantalum and Ceramic Capacitors

    TDK Releases Compact Polypropylene Film Capacitors for Resonant Topologies

    Trending Tags

    • Ripple Current
    • RF
    • Leakage Current
    • Tantalum vs Ceramic
    • Snubber
    • Low ESR
    • Feedthrough
    • Derating
    • Dielectric Constant
    • New Products
    • Market Reports
  • VideoFilter
    • All
    • Antenna videos
    • Capacitor videos
    • Circuit Protection Video
    • Filter videos
    • Fuse videos
    • Inductor videos
    • Inter-Connect Video
    • Non-linear passives videos
    • Oscillator videos
    • Passive sensors videos
    • Resistor videos

    Percolation Phenomenon and Reliability of Molded Power Inductors in DC/DC converters

    Root Causes and Effects of DC Bias and AC in Ceramic Capacitors

    How to Calculate the Output Capacitor for a Switching Power Supply

    Switched Capacitor Converter Explained

    Understanding Inductor Dot Markings and Their Application in LTspice

    Accelerating Full Bridge LLC Resonant Converter Design with Frenetic AI

    Understanding Switched Capacitor Converters

    Coupled Inductors Circuit Model and Examples of its Applications

    Inductor Resonances and its Impact to EMI

    Trending Tags

    • Capacitors explained
    • Inductors explained
    • Resistors explained
    • Filters explained
    • Application Video Guidelines
    • EMC
    • New Products
    • Ripple Current
    • Simulation
    • Tantalum vs Ceramic
  • Knowledge Blog
  • Suppliers
    • Who is Who
  • Events
No Result
View All Result
Passive Components Blog
No Result
View All Result

Hearing Aids Capacitors: Requirements and Technologies

28.6.2022
Reading Time: 3 mins read
A A
Hearing aids on white background

Hearing aids on white background

Hearing aid technology has improved tremendously in the last two decades. Although the early designs of hearing aids were analog, most of today’s devices are digital. Digital hearing aids use advanced digital technology and can implement various types of algorithms including noise reduction, feedback cancellation, and statistical data logging. Capacitors are fundamental components in both analog and digital hearing aids, and their characteristics greatly influence the overall performance of a product.  It is therefore crucial for circuit designers to ensure that they select the right capacitors when designing a hearing aid.

Key considerations in selecting capacitors for hearing aids

The circuit of a typical hearing aid device consists of a multi-stage sound amplification system, a microphone, a speaker, and a battery. Unlike general purpose electronic systems, hearing aid devices demand electronic components with special performance characteristics. One of the key considerations for these applications is the component size. The high volumetric efficiency and impressive performance characteristics of tantalum capacitors make them the preferred choice for today’s hearing aid devices.

RelatedPosts

Vishay Releases Miniature SMD Trimmers for Harsh Environments

Würth Elektronik Releases Push-Button and Main Switches

Littelfuse Unveils High-Precision TMR Angle Magnetic Sensors

One of the main uses of capacitors in hearing devices is signal filtering. For this use, high capacitance values are required. Miniature surface mount tantalum capacitors are commonly used for this application because they offer high capacitance values and therefore higher volumetric efficiency.

Conformally coated versus molded surface mount tantalum capacitors

The two most common types of surface mount tantalum capacitors are conformally coated and molded types. In terms of properties, both types have nearly identical electrical characteristics. Conformally coated components were commonly used in the early designs of hearing aid devices. For the new generation of devices, most manufacturers are now using molded capacitors.

One of the main reasons why molded surface mount capacitors are preferred for use in modern hearing aids is that they offer impressive size uniformity and repeatability. In comparison, conformally coated components lack these characteristics, and this irregularity in size (although minor) makes them less than ideal for high volume pick and place manufacturing lines.

Molded construction technology produces miniature tantalum capacitors with flat and smooth tops. This flat top design allows manual and automatic machines to pick the components with ease. For components that do not have smooth and flat tops, such as conformally coated devices, it is common for machines to miss them when picking them during assembly.

Different capacitor manufacturing technologies also yield different solder reflow conditions. These solder reflow characteristics significantly determine the overall reliability of a component. For a molded tantalum capacitor, the terminations of the component are specially designed to absorb thermomechanical stresses caused by solder reflow. Unlike molded tantalum components, conformally coated tantalum capacitors exhibit poor solder reflow response, and are disposed to  thermomechanical stresses can result in the cracking and failure of the component.

After solder reflow, electronic assemblies are usually cleaned using special solutions. For surface mount assemblies with cracks caused by thermomechanical stresses, the cleaning solutions can penetrate through the cracks and significantly affect the electrical performance of a device. This contamination is common for assemblies with conformally coated capacitors. In comparison, the leads of molded capacitors are specially designed to prevent such defections. The high tolerance of these components to contamination during cleaning makes them a better choice for hearing aid devices.

Apart from hearing aid devices, tantalum capacitors are also widely used in other medical appliances such as handheld medical devices, heart pacemakers, and other life and non-life support medical devices. These components have impressively high reliability, and this makes them a suitable option for critical applications.Moreover, these passive components have a long service life.

Conclusion

Capacitors are used in both analog and digital hearing aids for filtering and other applications. Due to space constraints, these devices demand miniature components with high capacitances and high reliability.

The high volumetric efficiency, process compatibility, and impressive reliability of tantalum capacitors make them an unrivalled choice for hearing aids. The two most common types of surface mount tantalum capacitor technologies are conformally coated and molded tantalum capacitors.

As compared to conformally coated surface mount capacitors, molded components have a uniform and regular topology, high resistance to contamination, and impressive solder reflow properties. These characteristics make them an ideal choice for use in hearing aid devices and similar medical appliances.

Related

Recent Posts

High Voltage MLCCs Meeting the Growing Demand for Efficiency in Power Conversion

12.8.2025
38

Radiation Tolerance of Tantalum and Ceramic Capacitors

8.8.2025
60

TDK Releases Compact Polypropylene Film Capacitors for Resonant Topologies

7.8.2025
31

Percolation Phenomenon and Reliability of Molded Power Inductors in DC/DC converters

6.8.2025
34

Root Causes and Effects of DC Bias and AC in Ceramic Capacitors

6.8.2025
46

Knowles Unveils High-Performance Safety-Certified MLCC Capacitors

6.8.2025
39

How to Calculate the Output Capacitor for a Switching Power Supply

6.8.2025
40

SCHURTER Releases Chip Fuse for ATEX and Precision Applications

4.8.2025
16

Additive Manufacturing of Mn-Zn Ferrite Planar Inductors

4.8.2025
21

Evaluation and Modeling of Supercapacitors for Reliability of Lifetime Predictions

4.8.2025
31

Upcoming Events

Sep 22
September 22 @ 13:00 - September 25 @ 15:15 EDT

Pre Cap Visual Inspection per Mil-Std-883 (TM 2017)

Sep 30
September 30 @ 12:00 - October 2 @ 14:00 EDT

MIL-Std-883 TM 2010

Oct 17
12:00 - 14:00 EDT

External Visual Inspection per MIL-STD-883 TM 2009

Oct 21
October 21 @ 12:00 - October 23 @ 14:15 EDT

Space and Military Standards for Hybrids and RF Microwave Modules

Nov 4
November 4 @ 12:00 - November 6 @ 14:15 EST

Wirebond Materials, Processes, Reliability and Testing

View Calendar

Popular Posts

  • Buck Converter Design and Calculation

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Boost Converter Design and Calculation

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Flyback Converter Design and Calculation

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • LLC Resonant Converter Design and Calculation

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • What is a Dielectric Constant and DF of Plastic Materials?

    4 shares
    Share 4 Tweet 0
  • Ripple Current and its Effects on the Performance of Capacitors

    3 shares
    Share 3 Tweet 0
  • Dual Active Bridge (DAB) Topology Explained

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • How to Design an Inductor

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • MLCC Case Sizes Standards Explained

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • MLCC and Ceramic Capacitors

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Newsletter Subscription

 

Passive Components Blog

© EPCI - Leading Passive Components Educational and Information Site

  • Home
  • Privacy Policy
  • EPCI Membership & Advertisement
  • About

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Knowledge Blog
  • Premium Suppliers

© EPCI - Leading Passive Components Educational and Information Site

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.
Go to mobile version