Features of Solid-State Capacitors and Ultra-Small Electrolytic Capacitors


Release time:

2022-07-21

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The dielectric of liquid electrolytic capacitors is a liquid electrolyte. At high temperatures, the liquid particles become highly active, generating pressure inside the capacitor. Since its boiling point is not very high, there is a risk of the capacitor bursting. Solid capacitors, on the other hand, use polymer dielectrics. At high temperatures, the expansion or activity of solid particles is lower than that of liquid electrolytes, and their boiling points can reach as high as 350 degrees Celsius; thus, bursting is virtually impossible. Theoretically, solid-state capacitors are almost entirely immune to bursting.

Solid-state capacitors and Ultra-small electrolytic capacitor The characteristics.

The dielectric of liquid electrolytic capacitors is a liquid electrolyte. At high temperatures, the liquid particles become highly active, generating pressure inside the capacitor. Since its boiling point is not very high, there is a risk of the capacitor bursting. Solid-state capacitors, on the other hand, use polymer dielectrics. At high temperatures, the expansion or activity of solid particles is lower than that of liquid electrolytes, and their boiling points can reach as high as 350 degrees Celsius; thus, bursting is virtually impossible. Theoretically, solid-state capacitors are almost entirely immune to bursting.

Compared to conventional ultra-small electrolytic capacitors, solid-state capacitors exhibit superior equivalent series impedance performance. Tests show that solid-state capacitors have very low equivalent series resistance when operating at high frequencies, with excellent conductivity across a wide frequency range. They feature reduced resistive impedance and low thermal output, a characteristic that is particularly pronounced between 100 kHz and 10 mHz.

In terms of high- and low-temperature stability, traditional Ultra-small electrolytic capacitor They are highly susceptible to the temperature and humidity of the operating environment. While solid-state capacitors have an ESR (equivalent series resistance) impedance as low as 0.004 to 0.005 ohms—even across a temperature range from -55°C to 105°C—electrolytic capacitors exhibit significant variation with temperature. In terms of capacitance, liquid electrolytic capacitors drop below their rated values at temperatures below 20°C; the lower the temperature, the greater the reduction in capacitance—by about 13% at -55°C and by roughly 37% at even lower temperatures. Of course, this doesn't typically affect ordinary users. However, for enthusiasts who use liquid nitrogen to overclock their systems, solid-state capacitors can ensure that the capacitance remains stable despite falling temperatures, thereby greatly enhancing overclocking stability. In contrast, the capacitance of solid-state capacitors drops by less than 5% even at -55°C. Solid-state capacitors indeed offer numerous advantages, but they are not always the best choice for every application.

The low-frequency response of solid-state capacitors is inferior to that of electrolytic capacitors, which in turn is inferior to that of ultra-small electrolytic capacitors—especially when it comes to audio quality in components involving sound effects. In other words, using a motherboard equipped exclusively with solid-state capacitors isn't necessarily advisable! Whether they're solid-state capacitors or electrolytic capacitors, their primary function is to filter out noise and interference. Therefore, as long as the capacitance of the capacitor meets the required specifications and its component quality is up to standard, it can still ensure stable operation of the motherboard. Electrolytic capacitors can also achieve this just fine!

When solid-state capacitors operate at 105℃, their service life is... Ultra-small electrolytic capacitor The devices are identical. After the temperature is lowered, their service life will increase—but the service life of solid-state capacitors will increase even more. Generally, the operating temperature for capacitors is 70℃ or lower. At this temperature, the service life of solid-state capacitors can reach up to 23 years—almost six times longer than that of electrolytic capacitors!

Compared to electrolytic capacitors, solid-state capacitors have significantly higher capacitance at the same volume and voltage. Currently, most CPU power supply sections on computer motherboards use solid-state capacitors. Although this approach avoids the issue of electrolyte leakage, due to space constraints, there is relatively little margin for capacity redundancy. Moreover, because of capacity limitations, the switching frequency of the CPU power supply must be increased. Both solid-state and electrolytic capacitors experience capacitance degradation during use. However, in circuits using solid-state capacitors, even slight fluctuations in capacitance can cause power supply ripple, leading to improper CPU operation. Therefore, although solid-state capacitors theoretically have a very long service life, the actual lifespan of printed circuit boards that use them may not be as high.


Keywords:

Ultra-small electrolytic capacitor