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

    TDK Releases Industry First 1uF 100V X7R MLCCs in 1608 Case

    YAGEO Expands One Turn Inductors for AI and High-Efficiency Power Applications

    YAGEO Extends Lifetime of its Aluminum SMD Chip Capacitors to 5500hrs at 125C/Ur

    Murata Releases Worlds First 10µF/50V Automotive MLCC in 0805 Size

    Würth Elektronik Extends High Saturation Flat-Wire Power Inductors Line

    Vishay Expands Automotive High Frequency Thin Film Chip Resistors

    Advancements and Applications of Switch Capacitor Power Converters

    KYOCERA AVX Releases Robust Vertical-Mating Battery Connectors

    Accelerating Full Bridge LLC Resonant Converter Design with Frenetic AI

    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

    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

    Highly Reliable Flex Rigid PCBs, Würth Elektronik Webinar

    Causes of Oscillations in Flyback Converters

    How to design a 60W Flyback Transformer

    Modeling and Simulation of Leakage Inductance

    Power Inductor Considerations for AI High Power Computing – Vishay Video

    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

    TDK Releases Industry First 1uF 100V X7R MLCCs in 1608 Case

    YAGEO Expands One Turn Inductors for AI and High-Efficiency Power Applications

    YAGEO Extends Lifetime of its Aluminum SMD Chip Capacitors to 5500hrs at 125C/Ur

    Murata Releases Worlds First 10µF/50V Automotive MLCC in 0805 Size

    Würth Elektronik Extends High Saturation Flat-Wire Power Inductors Line

    Vishay Expands Automotive High Frequency Thin Film Chip Resistors

    Advancements and Applications of Switch Capacitor Power Converters

    KYOCERA AVX Releases Robust Vertical-Mating Battery Connectors

    Accelerating Full Bridge LLC Resonant Converter Design with Frenetic AI

    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

    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

    Highly Reliable Flex Rigid PCBs, Würth Elektronik Webinar

    Causes of Oscillations in Flyback Converters

    How to design a 60W Flyback Transformer

    Modeling and Simulation of Leakage Inductance

    Power Inductor Considerations for AI High Power Computing – Vishay Video

    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

There is now an alternative to solid tantalum capacitors

30.3.2017
Reading Time: 3 mins read
A A

source: Electronics Weekly article

Recent advances in polymer-cathode technology and improvements in tightening the tantalum supply-chain are allowing more designers to choose polymer tantalum capacitors as alternatives to traditional solid tantalum capacitors, writes Roger Tall

RelatedPosts

TDK Releases Industry First 1uF 100V X7R MLCCs in 1608 Case

YAGEO Expands One Turn Inductors for AI and High-Efficiency Power Applications

YAGEO Extends Lifetime of its Aluminum SMD Chip Capacitors to 5500hrs at 125C/Ur

In specifying the ideal capacitor most designers would start with high volumetric efficiency and then consider miniaturised packages and capacitance stability over applied voltage, frequency, temperature and time.

A low equivalent series resistance (ESR), noise-free operation, high ripple-current handling capability, and a decades-long life expectancy would also feature on this technical wish-list.

Whilst conventional solid, MnO2 tantalum capacitors meet many of these criteria, the latest polymer tantalums offer significant improvements in performance.

Capacitance retention is improved at higher frequencies up to 500kHz and ESR is reduced to as low as 5 mOhms. Polymer tantalums are also rated at up to 75V and have more relaxed derating guidelines.

The inherent risk of ignition or smoke during a short-circuit failure of a solid tantalum capacitor has also been eliminated with the polymer tantalum’s benign failure mode.

Capacitance stability

Figure 1

                                 Figure 1

The capacitance stability achieved by polymer tantalum capacitors exceeds that of MLCCs over time, temperature and voltage. Whilst MLCCs are susceptible to aging, polymer tantalums achieve long-term stability over an operational lifetime of 20 years. This longevity also makes polymer tantalums a viable alternative to aluminium electrolytic capacitors which can dry-out in use and may require re-forming after a shelf-life of 2 years or less.

The lack of a significant change in capacitance when polymer tantalum capacitors operate at temperatures down to -55°C is a major advantage over capacitors containing a liquid electrolyte.  However, their upper temperature limit of 125°C is lower than that of MnO2 capacitors which include versions which can operate at temperatures of up to 200°C.

Lower ESR for higher frequency

A relatively high equivalent series resistance (ESR) has always been a weakness for conventional MnO2 capacitors which typically have ESR of 40 to 50mOhm. The capacitance roll-off experienced by MnO2 at frequencies above 10kHz has, therefore, limited their use in some applications.  In contrast, polymer technology can reduce ESR to as low as 5mOhm, which ensures useful capacitance is available at frequencies of up to 500kHz.

Capacitance volume vs frequency

Tantalum is not the only capacitor technology in which polymer is being used to enhance stability. For frequencies approaching 1MHz, the 2mOhm ESR achieved by polymer aluminium capacitors can provide slightly higher capacitance retention without adding to design complexity. This reduced ESR does, however, have to be traded-off against the lower maximum capacitance of the polymer aluminium which is just 50% to 80% of a polymer tantalum in the same package.

For applications in which miniaturisation is a priority this could be critical. The minimum case size offered by a polymer aluminium capacitor is 7343, compared to 0805 for polymer tantalum. The voltage range of polymer aluminium capacitors is also capped at 35V whereas polymer tantalums can be used in applications up to 75V.

Eliminating ethical constraints

The selection of tantalum capacitors is not always limited to electrical performance, but can also be also affected by ethical and commercial issues. Much of world’s tantalum ore is extracted in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) where years of armed conflict have seen militias using the tantalum and other mines to fund their activities whilst inflicting severe human rights abuses.

The world’s response to this has been the introduction of US legislation such as the Congo Conflict Minerals Act of 2009 and a new EU law, announced in March 2017, which will become effective in 2021. Both of these regulations require companies to provide the traceability necessary to ensure that their supply-chains are free from conflict minerals.

Many companies decided that the simplest compliance strategy would be to avoid any trade with the DRC.

By taking a more radical approach to the eradication of conflict minerals from the supply-chain, capacitor manufacturer Kemet, has fundamentally answered the ethical issues surrounding the sourcing of tantalum ore. Working in partnership with a certified conflict-free mine in the DRC allows Kemet to ensure that the mine operates in accordance with codes such as iTSCi and that the revenues are fairly distributed to miners and the local community.

This not only frees OEMs from the ethical constraints of using tantalum capacitors, it also helps to eliminate supply risk, price instability and lead-time fluctuations.

The combination of low ESR with higher voltage, stability and frequency, in addition to more stable and ethical sourcing of the tantalum ore, means that designers can now apply the benefits of polymer tantalum technology across a wider range of applications.

Recent Posts

TDK Releases Industry First 1uF 100V X7R MLCCs in 1608 Case

27.6.2025
5

YAGEO Extends Lifetime of its Aluminum SMD Chip Capacitors to 5500hrs at 125C/Ur

27.6.2025
3

Murata Releases Worlds First 10µF/50V Automotive MLCC in 0805 Size

26.6.2025
29

Advancements and Applications of Switch Capacitor Power Converters

25.6.2025
23

Samsung Delivers Silicon Capacitors to Marwell AI Systems

24.6.2025
32

June 2025 Interconnect, Passives and Electromechanical Components Market Insights

23.6.2025
43

Smolteks CNF MIM Capacitor Break 1 µF/mm²

19.6.2025
34

Samsung Electro-Mechanics Releases 0201 X7T 1uF 6.3V MLCC for ADAS Applications

19.6.2025
20

2025 Thick and Thin Film Resistor Networks Environment Overview

19.6.2025
38

Advanced Conversion Announces Mass Production of 200C Film Capacitors

18.6.2025
31

Upcoming Events

Jul 23
13:00 - 14:00 CEST

PCB design for a Smartwatch

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
  • What is a Dielectric Constant and DF of Plastic Materials?

    4 shares
    Share 4 Tweet 0
  • LLC Resonant Converter Design and Calculation

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

    3 shares
    Share 3 Tweet 0
  • How to Design an Inductor

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

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

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Why Low ESR Matters in Capacitor Design

    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