The three most common types of capacitors are ceramic, thin film, and electrolytic capacitors, given their versatility, cost-effectiveness, and reliability. This article examines how these three types of capacitors are manufactured and highlights some key differences. What are capacitors made of?
These are primarily aluminum electrolytic capacitors, and tantalum as well as some film capacitors and Class 2 ceramic capacitors. Aluminum electrolytic capacitors, the most common type for power supplies, experience shorter life expectancy at higher ripple currents.
Depending on the type of metal and electrolyte used, the electrolytic capacitors are classified into the following types. Aluminum electrolytic capacitors – aluminum oxide (dielectric). Tantalum electrolytic capacitors – tantalum pentoxide (dielectric). Niobium electrolytic capacitors – niobium pentoxide (dielectric). Aluminum electrolytic
Standard, bi-polar, and polymer types are included. Figure 5: An illustration of the range of voltage/capacitance ratings for aluminum capacitors available through DigiKey at the time of writing. The primary strength of aluminum capacitors is their ability to provide a large capacitance value in a small package, and do so for a relatively low cost.
A capacitor consists of two metal plates and an insulating material known as a dielectric. Depending on the type of dielectric material and the construction, various types of capacitors are available in the market. Note: Capacitors differ in size and characteristics.
Film and paper capacitors are named for their dielectrics. Silver mica, glass, silicon, air-gap and vacuum capacitors are named for their dielectric. In addition to the above shown capacitor types, which derived their name from historical development, there are many individual capacitors that have been named based on their application.
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A ceramic capacitor is a non-polarized fixed capacitor made out of two or more alternating layers of ceramic and metal in which the ceramic material acts as the dielectric and the metal acts as the electrodes. The ceramic material is a mixture of finely ground granules of paraelectric or ferroelectric materials, modified by mixed oxides that are necessary to achieve the capacitor''s desired characte…