Why should you choose a capacitor?

Choosing the right capacitor for an application can make a significant difference in the performance, reliability, and efficiency of products such as power supplies for defense, aerospace, medical technology, critical energy infrastructure, or fast EV chargers.

What type of capacitor should I use?

In both cases the capacitors should have low leakage current and have adequate precision. The best choices for feedback capacitors are class 1 ceramic capacitors, polystyrene film capacitors, and for high temperature applications, polycarbonate film capacitors.

Do all types of capacitors provide capacitance?

Although all the different types of capacitors provide capacitance - they are not all equal. Capacitance is not the only critical parameter when selecting a capacitor, and each type of capacitor is used in different applications, so sometimes making the right choice is not an easy task.

What type of capacitor is used for power conditioning?

Aluminum electrolytic and tantalum electrolytic capacitors are common choices for power conditioning. Pulsed power capacitors are energy discharge capacitors designed to provide high peak discharge current, high energy density, low inductance and low equivalent series resistance.

What are capacitors used for?

Capacitors are one of the main components in all electronic devices and are vital to their operation. In modern electronics, you will most commonly find ceramic capacitors decoupling power supplies for almost every integrated circuit (IC) on a circuit board or aluminum electrolytic capacitors as bulk capacitance for a voltage regulator.

What factors should you consider when choosing a capacitor?

In critical applications, consider the capacitor’s estimated lifetime and reliability. Some capacitors, such as electrolytic capacitors, have a limited lifespan. As well as these considerations, there are other factors to bear in mind such as cost, environmental impact, temperature stability and equivalent series resistance (ESR).