Ceramic capacitor formula analysis report

Are there any methods for estimating the lifetime of a ceramic capacitor?

Ceramic Capacitors FAQ Q Are there any methods for estimating the lifetime of a capacitor? Typical accelerated life testing for ceramic capacitor is an accelerated life testing using temperature and voltage factors. There have been many reports until now describing that acceleration equation for ceramic capacitor conforms to Eyring model.

Does acceleration equation for ceramic capacitor conform to Eyring model?

There have been many reports until now describing that acceleration equation for ceramic capacitor conforms to Eyring model. The duration period can be estimated by determining voltage acceleration constant (*1) and activation energy (*2).

How does temperature affect the lifetime of a capacitor?

Changes in applied voltage and temperature will have an effect on the lifetime of individual components. As a baseline, KEMET provides data that can be used with the MIL-HDBK-217 formula to calculate Failures In Time (FIT) for ceramic and tantalum capacitors. Measuring the number of failures over time provides a failure rate (λ).

How do you determine the allowable power dissipation of a capacitor?

As previously stated, the allow-able power dissipation can be determined by the knowledge of the thermal resistance Θcap, the equivalent series resistance ESR of the capacitor, the maximum allowable internal temperature and the maximum temperature that solder or epoxy on the ter-mination can tolerate without destruction.

What is the breakdown voltage of a porcelain dielectric capacitor?

For one series of porcelain dielectric capacitors,** the breakdown voltage exceeds 1000 volts/mil of dielectric thickness and is virtually independent of temperature. Other dielectrics, such as barium titaniate and many NPO’s have much lower breakdown voltages/mil.

What is the second criterion of a multilayer capacitor?

The second criterion is due to the temperature rise caused by power dissipation, (discussed in succeeding paragraphs). In most applications, multilayer capacitors are soldered into the circuit or fastened into place by use of a conductive epoxy.