Nik Cyrell Z.
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Types of Capacitor:
Aluminum Capacitors
Aluminum Capacitors are capacitors that are composed of two rolled up strips of
aluminum foil with a strip of absorbent paper between them which is soaked in an
electrolyte solution- all this being sealed in a can.
Tantalum Capacitors
Tantalum Capacitors are capacitors that are made of tantalum pentoxide. Tantalum
capacitors, just like aluminum, are electrolytic capacitors, which means they are
polarized. Their main advantages (especially over aluminum capacitors) is that they
are smaller, lighter, and more stable. They have lower leakage rates and less
inductance between leads. However, their disadvantages are they have a lower maximum
capacitance storage and lower maximum working voltage. They are also more prone to
damage from high current spikes. For the last reason, tantalum capacitors are used mostly
in analog signal systems that lack high current-spike noise.
Ceramic Capacitors
Ceramic capacitors are capacitors that are composed of materials such as titanium
acid barium as its dielectric. Together with electrolytic, they are the most widely used
capacitor around. Ceramic capacitors have high capacitance values for their size.
They are made in the range of 1pF to 220nF. They come with a working voltage of
up to 50V and are manufactured with a wide range of tolerance values. One main
advantage of ceramic capacitors are, internally, they are not constructed as a coil, so they
have low inductance and are well suited for higher-frequency applications. They are
widely used for many purposes, including decoupling.
Polyester Capacitors.
Polyester capacitors are capacitors composed of metal plates with polyester film
between them, or a metallized film is deposited on the insulator. Polyester
capacitors are available in the range of 1nF to 15F, and with working voltages
from 50V to 1500V. They come with the tolerance ranges of 5%, 10%, and 20%.
They have a high temperature coefficient. Very cheap and can store high
capacitance in such small size. A most common widely used capacitor.
Polypropylene Capacitors.
Polypropylene capacitors are capacitors that have a dielectric that is made of
polypropylene film. Polypropylene capacitors cover the value range of 100pf to
10F. One of their main and key features is their high working voltage.
Polystyrene Capacitors.
Polystyrene capacitors are capacitors that have a dielectric made up of polystyrene. They
come only in low values, usually 10pF to 47nF. Normally, their tolerance is 5% to 10%
but high precision polystyrene capacitors are also available with tolerances of 1% and
2%. Working voltages for polystyrene capacitors are 30V to 630V. Polystyrene capacitors
are advantageous in that they have high isolation resistance, so they are good for use in
coupling and storage applications. The precision types are suitable for
timing, tuning and filter circuits.
Polycarbonate Capacitors.
Polycarbonate capacitors are capacitors that have a polycarbonate dielectric. They
come in the capacitance value range of 100pF to 10F, and have working voltages up
to 400V DC. They're advantageous in the area that they have fairly good temperature
coefficients, so they don't vary much with changes in temperature. This makes them
preferred to polyester capacitors. They are disadvantageous in that they have fairly high
tolerance levels, 5% and 10%, making them not so great for high-precision applications.
Silver Mica Capacitors.
Silver Mica Capacitors are capacitors that are made from depositing a thin layer of
silver on a mica dielectric. Silver Mica Capacitors are very stable with respect to
time. They are advantageous in that they have tolerances of 1 percent or less. They
also have a good temperature coefficient and excellent endurance. However, they
don't come in high capacitance values and can be expensive. Silver mica capacitors are
used in resonance circuits and high-frequency filters, due to good stability with
temperature. They are also used in high-voltage circuits, because of their good insulation.
Paper Capacitors.
Paper capacitors are capacitors that are made of flat thin strips of metal foil
conductors separated by a dielectric of waxed paper. They have a capacitance range of
500pF to 50F and a high working voltage, so, thus, they are used mainly in high-voltage
equipment. The downside of paper capacitors are that they have high leakage rates,
making them unsuitable for AC coupling, and their tolerances are no better than 10 to 20
percent, making them unsuitable for precision timing circuits
Types of Conductors
Metallic conductors
Metallic conductors are those which allow electricity
to pass through them without undergoing any
chemical change. For example, copper, silver etc.
Electrolytic
conductors
Electrolytic conductors are those which allow
electricity to pass through them by undergoing a
chemical change. The conduction in ionic solids is due
to the migration of ions or other charged particles
under the applied field
Types of Dielectrics:
Solid dielectrics are following type: Mica, Glass, Ceramic, etc.
Liquid dielectrics are following type: Mineral insulating oils, Synthetic insulating oil
etc.
Gaseous dielectrics are following type: Air, Nitrogen, Sulfur hexafluoride etc