Ceramic Capacitors

Ceramic capacitors have a dielectric made of ceramic materials. General specifications include configuration, capacitance type, and technology. There are two basic configurations for ceramic capacitors: leaded and surface mount. Leaded ceramic capacitors have leads for connections to circuits. Surface mount capacitors or chip capacitors do not. Ceramic capacitor technologies are categorized as monolithic, multilayer, or wound. Monolithic components use a dielectric made of a single layer. Multilayer devices are made of many layers and are small in size. They provide excellent temperature stability and frequency characteristics. Wound capacitors are built by winding foils, sometimes by hand. In terms of technology, there are two choices: fixed and variable. Fixed ceramic capacitors have a nonadjustable capacitance value. With variable ceramic capacitors, specific capacitance values are set with a potentiometer. 

Ceramic capacitors differ in terms of electrostatic material, the insulation between the plates of a multilayer capacitor. Ceramic COG (NPO) capacitors have a high Q, low K, temperature-compensated dielectric and stable electrical properties under varying voltage, temperature, frequency and time. They are suitable for low-lost circuits and for timing and tuning applications. Ceramic X7R (BX) capacitors have moderate K values and are temperature-stable. They exhibit moderate changes in electrical properties under conditions of changing temperature, voltage, and frequency. Ceramic Z5U capacitors are Class III devices with a dielectric that exhibits a maximum capacitance change of +22% - 56% over an operating temperature range of +10 °C to + 85 °C. Ceramic capacitors with other types of electrostatic material are also available. 

Selecting ceramic capacitors requires an analysis of performance specifications and packaging specifications. Products also differ in terms of features and compliance with Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS). Performance specifications for ceramic capacitors include capacitance range, capacitance tolerance, DC rated voltage range (WVDC), test voltage, dissipation factor, insulation resistance, and equivalent series resistance (ESR). There are three categories of packaging specifications: lead or termination type, mounting style, and packing method. Choices for lead type include surface mount technology (SMT), axial, radial, flying, tab, screw, gull-wing, and J-leads. There are five mounting styles: through-hole technology (THT), surface mount technology (SMT), bolt, bracket, and pole. Tape reel, tray or rail, and shipping tube or stick magazine are common packing methods for ceramic capacitors.

• AN0011 Solder Alloy Choice and Stress Release Cracking in Through Hole Ceramic Capacitors
  It has been well known for a number of years that solder alloy choice is a critical factor in soldering to ceramic discoidal and planar array capacitors. The introduction of lead free solder alloys as...
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• AN0025 LCD Inverter Range of SM Ceramic Capacitors (.pdf)
  5KV and 6KV range of SM ceramic capacitors for high voltage LCD inverters....
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• AN0016 Micro-sectioning of Multilayer Ceramic Capacitors
  Components are normally applied to a double sided sticky tape, in the orientation appropriate for examination. Components should be separated from one another by a reasonable gap to allow potting...
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Part Numbers for Ceramic Capacitors