Knowles Precision Devices, a division of Knowles Corporation, recently introduced a new customizable capacitor assembly for automotive, military and aerospace applications. The custom approach to large capacitor assembly offers customers a unique combination of capability and durability, while helping to maximize board space. The capacitor assemblies utilize the vertical space above the circuit board to achieve very high capacitance and very high voltage in a smaller area.
The large capacitor assemblies are highly customizable both in height and shape. They are custom built using large diameter pins that are low loss and ultra-stable dielectric. The pins are mechanically decoupled from ceramic elements, which allows the assembly to withstand severe mechanical shock, vibration and temperature variation.
“This custom approach to large capacitor assembly enables us to better accommodate the specific needs of our customers when they have a project that requires high capacitance and proven durability in a tight space,” said Steve Hopwood, senior applications engineer, Knowles Precision Devices. “By utilizing the vertical space above the board, we can replace multi-chip assemblies where large arrays of multilayer ceramic capacitors are placed in parallel on a circuit board. While this approach has been used previously, traditional stacked caps can be susceptible to mechanical shock and vibration. There is nothing else on the market that offers the same high bump and vibration loadings as this new large capacitor assembly.”
The large capacitor assemblies—initially available in ultra-stable low loss C0G dielectric—have a high capacitance range of 10 nF to 3.9 µF and a voltage range from 500 to 5000 Vdc. The pins used are large enough to handle very high ripple currents so that the capacitance does not drop with applied voltages or changes in temperature. The capacitor assemblies are tested to meet the demands of AEC-Q200 standards and particularly suitable for use in electric vehicle and resonant wireless charging systems.