Online

Montane, Paul

Mechanical Engineering

2017

Ph. D.

Tantalum capacitors are electronic components that are widely used in many types of devices. They are particularly valued for their exceptionally high capacitance and volumetric efficiency. One of the most vital performance parameters for this type of capacitor is the ability to handle unwanted AC ripple, since high levels of ripple can lead to overheating and capacitor failure. Yet the actual ripple limit for a capacitor has been historically difficult to quantify, and has been previously provided to customers only in the form of heavily padded estimates. Throughout the capacitor industry there has been significant demand for more realistic ripple ratings. The discussion here describes a new test system that has been designed to meet this demand for ripple characterization of wet tantalum capacitors.