
10. AC Power Dissipation
Power dissipation is a function of capacitor size
and materials. Maximum power ratings have been
established for all case sizes to prevent overheat-
ing. In actual use, the capacitor’s ability to dissi-
pate the heat generated at any given power level
may be affected by a variety of circuit factors.
These include board density, pad size, heat sinks
and air circulation.
Table 3
Power Dissipation Ratings
Case Code
Maximum Power Dissipation
KEMET
EIA
mWatts @ +25oC w/+20oC Rise
T520/T
3528-12
T520/A
3216-18
T52x/B
3528-21
T520/U
6032-15
T520/C
6032-28
T520/W
7343-15
T520/V
7343-20
T52x/D
7343-31
T520/Y
7343-40
T520/X
7343-43
T530/D
7343-31
T530/Y
7343-40
T530/X
7343-43
T530/E
7260-38
70
75
85
90
110
120
125
150
161
165
255
263
270
285
11. Ripple Current/ Ripple Voltage
Permissible AC ripple voltage and current are
related to equivalent series resistance (ESR) and
power dissipation capability.
Permissible AC ripple voltage which may be
applied is limited by three criteria:
a. The positive peak AC voltage plus the DC bias
voltage, if any, must not exceed the DC voltage
rating of the capacitor.
b. The negative peak AC voltage, in combination
with bias voltage, if any, must not exceed the
permissible reverse voltage ratings presented
in Section 5.
c. The power dissipated in the ESR of the capaci-
tor must not exceed the appropriate value
specified in Section 10.
COMPONENT PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS
A capacitor is a complex impedance consisting
of many series and parallel elements, each
adding to the complexity of the measurement
system.
ESL — Represents lead wire and construction
inductance. In most instances (especially in
solid tantalum and monolithic ceramic capaci-
tors) it is insignificant at the basic measurement
frequencies of 120 and 1000 Hz.
ESR— Represents the actual ohmic series resis-
tance in series with the capacitance. Lead wires
and capacitor electrodes are contributing
sources.
R
— Capacitor Leakage Resistance. Typically it
can reach 50,000 megohms in a tantalum
capacitor. It can exceed 10
12
ohms in monolithic
ceramics and in film capacitors.
R
— The dielectric loss contributed by dielectric
absorption and molecular polarization. It
becomes very significant in high frequency mea-
surements and applications. Its value varies with
frequency.
C
— The inherent dielectric absorption of the
solid tantalum capacitor which typically equates
to 1-2% of the applied voltage.
As frequency increases, X
continues to
decrease according to its equation above. There
is unavoidable inductance as well as resistance
in all capacitors, and at some point in frequency,
the reactance ceases to be capacitive and
becomes inductive. This frequency is called the
self-resonant point. In solid tantalum capacitors,
the resonance is damped by the ESR, and a
smooth, rather than abrupt, transition from
capacitive to inductive reactance follows.
Figure 4 compares the frequency response of a
KO-CAP to a standard Tantalum chip. Maximum
limits for 100 kHz ESR are listed in the part
number tables for each series.
The T530 Capacitance, Impedance and ESR vs.
Frequency Comparisions are located on page
57. Maximum limits for 100 kHz are listed in the
part number table on page 56.
ESL
ESR
C
R
L
C
d
R
d
FIGURE 3
The Real Capacitor
T495D 150 uF (MnO
2
) vs. T520D 150 uF (Polymer)
Impedance & ESR (Ohms)
100
1,000
10,000
Frequency (Hz)
100,000
1,000,000
10,000,000
0.01
0.1
1
10
100
Polymer
MnO
2
ESR and Impedance
FIGURE 4
CONDUCTIVE POLYMER CHIP CAPACITORS
KEMET Electronics Corporation, P.O. Box 5928, Greenville, S.C. 29606, (864) 963-6300
45
C