We will compare the characteristics of different types of capacitors, bringing in related data where relevant. Figure 1 is a comparative table of capacitor characteristics. Aluminum electrolytic capacitors (can type) using a conventional electrolyte and tantalum electrolytic capacitors using manganese dioxide (MnO2) are comparatively inexpensive, but they are inferior to polymer capacitors in their frequency characteristics, temperature characteristics, service life, and reliability.
Chip type polymer aluminum electrolytic capacitors have the lowest ESR among all polymer capacitors, which makes them advantageous for ripple absorption applications, etc.
(symbol) ◎: excellent, ○: good, △: normal, ×: bad
Figure 1. Comparison of Capacitor Characteristics
- Low ESR
- Compared to liquid electrolyte-type aluminum electrolytic capacitors, the conductive polymer used has low resistance, and compared to tantalum capacitors, the multilayer structure electrically connects the internal elements in parallel, so ESR can be reduced.
- Long service life
- Compared to liquid electrolyte-type aluminum electrolytic capacitors, there is no risk of dry-up, and compared to tantalum capacitors, there is no risk of ignition, for longer service life.
- Temperature characteristics
- Temperature dependence in terms of materials is low compared to MLCCs and liquid electrolyte-type aluminum electrolytic capacitors, so the temperature characteristics are extremely small and stable.
- DC bias characteristics
- There is no piezoelectric effect like MLCCs, so the DC bias characteristics are extremely stable.
- High capacitance
- Temperature characteristics and DC bias characteristics are extremely stable compared to MLCCs, which enables higher effective capacitance in actual use.
- High voltage
- In order to satisfy market demands for products with high capacitance and low ESR, the high-voltage capability, which is an electrical characteristic inversely proportional to high capacitance, is below that of other capacitors.
- Compact & thin
- The multilayer structure electrically connects the internal elements in parallel, which enables a thinner/lower profile than conventional can types.
- Acoustic noise
- Compared to MLCCs, there is no piezoelectric effect (electrostrictive effect) due to materials, so acoustic noise can be reduced.