Patented technology at heart of fast switching capacitors

18th March 2015

Mick Elliott

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The newest additions to the CeraLink capacitor series, the CeraLink SP and LP Capacitors from EPCOS are on sale at Mouser Electronics. CeraLink capacitors have a feature that as the voltage across the capacitor increases, the capacitance of the device increases. The capacitors also display very low series resistance (ESR) and very low series inductance (ESL), allowing them to switch extremely fast. These capacitors target high frequency applications.

The capacitor family features EPCOS’ patented antiferroelectric capacitor technology, which allows the capacitors to exhibit an increase in capacitance as voltage increases. The CeraLink is based on the ceramic material lead lanthanum zirconate titanate (PLZT). In contrast to conventional ceramic capacitors, it has its maximum capacitance at the application voltage, which increases proportionately to the share of the ripple voltage.

Other advantages include high insulation resistance and very low parasitic effects. Uncontrolled thermal runaway is not an issue. This makes the technology perfect for embedding in IGBT modules to act as snubber capacitors. These capacitors are very compact and may be placed very close to the semiconductor with negligible ESL.

The CeraLink LP (Low Profile) series targets fast switching systems and can handle voltages up to 650V. The LP series features high ripple current capability and low ESR and ESL, resulting in low power losses for high frequency systems of up to several MHz.

The capacitors are RoHS compliant and feature copper inner electrodes and silver outer electrodes with a silver coated copper lead frame with an epoxy resin adhesive. These capacitors target industrial power converters as well as DC‑to‑AC inverter applications.