TECHNICAL

INFORMATION

GLOSSARY OF TERMS USED IN

THE TANTALUM INDUSTRY
by John Gill
AVX Ltd., Tantalum Division
Paignton, England

Abstract:
Terms used in the tantalum industry can often be
confusing to the layperson. The purpose of this paper is
to allow someone to look up any terms of which he or
she is unsure. It is directed at the reader of
technical literature in particular.
 GLOSSARY
␮ Symbol used to represent the term micro, Dispersion A uniformly distributed particle
meaning x 10-6. suspension of a solid in a liquid carrier.

Aqueous solution A chemical solution made using water as Dissipation factor (DF) A measure of the losses in the capacitor,
the solvent. or the extent to which the capacitor is
not a perfect capacitor. DF is usually
Ambient temperature Temperature of the air surrounding the expressed as a percentage or a decimal
capacitor, usually considered to be 20°C if equivalent. DF for a tantalum capacitor
in open air. is measured at 120 Hz at 20°C using a
measuring bridge supplied by a 120 Hz
Anode The positive electrode of a polar capacitor.
source, free of harmonics, with a 2.2 volt
Also used to refer to the capacitor during
DC bias.
the manufacturing process.
Electrolyte The electrically active liquid (or gel) that
Bias The DC voltage onto which an AC signal
provides the connecting path between
is superimposed.
the anode oxide layer of a wet tantalum
Capacitance The technically correct term for capacity. capacitor and the cathode termination.
It is the measure of the amount of For example, an aqueous solution of
electrical charge stored in a capacitor, sulphuric acid.
usually expressed in units of microfarads.
ESL Equivalent series inductance. The extent
One farad is one coulomb of charge at 1
to which the capacitor acts as though
volt. For Tantalum capacitors, nominal
there was an inductor in series with the
rated capacitance is measured at 20°C
capacitor. ESL is generally only important
using a measuring bridge supplied by a
at high frequencies.
120 Hz source, free of harmonics, with a
2.2 volt DC bias. ESR Equivalent series resistance. The extent
to which the capacitor acts like a resistor
Capacitor Two conductive plates separated by an
when charging and discharging in an
insulator, or dielectric which is tantalum
electronic circuit expressed as a resistance
pentoxide in a tantalum capacitor.
in series with the capacitor.
Category voltage This is the maximum voltage that may
Extended range Capacitors that are manufactured with a
be applied continuously to a capacitor. It
higher density than standard capacitors
is equal to the rated voltage up to 85°C,
(i.e. higher capacity per unit volume),
beyond which it is subject to linear
usually selling at premium prices.
derating, to 2/3 of rated voltage at 125°C.
Failure rate A scientifically measured reliability rating
Chip Term loosely used to describe surface
usually expressed in units of percent per
mount capacitors.
thousand hours (under maximum voltage
Conductor A material with very low resistance, like and current, and a set circuit resistance
most metals. condition) at a specified statistical confi-
dence level (typically 60% or 90%), or
Counter electrode The negative plate material of an expressed as mean time between failures
electrolytic capacitor. (MTBF).
Current A specific quantity of electrons passing a Formation The process of building the oxide layer
certain point per unit time. onto the tantalum metal. Higher voltages
(with thicker oxide layers) require longer
CV The capacity and voltage of the capacitor.
forming.
CV is often used as an arithmetic product
to classify a particular range. Formation ratio The ratio of the voltage to which a capacitor
is formed, against the capacitor’s rated
Date code Most capacitors are stamped with a code
voltage.
that gives the date and week of manufac-
ture; for example 9410 would mean the Formation voltage The voltage at which the power supply
capacitor was manufactured in the tenth used in the formation process changes
week of 1994. There are several date from constant current to constant voltage.
coding systems, but year and week is the The formation voltage is proportional to
most common. the dielectric thickness.
DCL DC leakage current. Impedance Opposition to the flow of AC current.
See leakage current. Impedance is particularly a concern with
capacitors that are intended for high
Dielectric The insulation material that separates the
frequency applications. In a tantalum
two plates of the capacitor.
capacitor it is measured at 20°C using a
Dielectric constant (K) The measure of the effectiveness of a measuring bridge supplied by a 100kHz
dielectric material in making a capacitor source, free of harmonics, with a 2.2 volt
size efficiency. The higher the dielectric DC bias. Values are in ohms or milliohms.
constant the higher the size efficiency of Three factors contribute to the impedance
the capacitor. A vacuum is defined as of a tantalum capacitor; the resistance of
having a K of 1; tantalum pentoxide has the semiconducting region, the capacitance
a K of about 27. value and the inductance of the leads.
Leakage current Current flowing from one conductor to an Short circuit Description of a failed capacitor that
adjacent conductor through an “insulating” results in essentially a bypass of the
layer. The leakage current is measured dielectric enabling high currents to pass.
after 3 minutes at 20°C, through a 1K½
resistor connected in series with the Sintering To coalesce under the influence of heat,
capacitor, with rated voltage applied. without actually liquefying.
Typically in microamps or nanoamps. Slug Term given to a tantalum capacitor before
Low profile Specially designed capacitors which it is molded into the encapsulation. It is
mount onto circuit boards with less than sometimes used to refer to the capacitive
standard height. Low profile styles are element which is held in the encapsulation
usually more expensive than standard material.
profile. SMT Surface mount technology. An acronym
Microfarad (µF) Most common unit of capacity for for the broad field of leadless surface
tantalum capacitors. mounting electronic components. SMT
carries with it the idea of high speed “pick-
Mikes “Mikes” is jargon for microfarads. and-place” manufacturing processes, as
opposed to the hybrid approach of slow
Open circuit A term used to define a failed capacitor assembly under a microscope.
which has become of such a high
impedance that it no longer functions as Solid tantalum A sintered tantalum pellet with a solid
a capacitor. Such failures are rare. counter electrode.
Operating voltage The actual circuit voltage that the Steady-state This refers to the conditions under which
capacitor sees in the circuit application. the capacitor is operating once power
has been applied. It assumes constant
Pick-and-place Equipment used to put surface mount temperature, voltage, and circuit resis-
capacitors (and other components) onto tance and the absence of any voltage or
circuit boards. current transients.
Polar Capacitors that must be inserted into Stringer Term given to a metal strip containing
circuitry with the anode on the positive many tantalum slugs.
side and the cathode on the negative side.
If connected with the wrong polarity Surface mount A category of unleaded capacitors that
across the capacitor, it will conduct a far use “pads” (instead of wire leads) to mount
higher current and will ultimately become directly on the printed circuit board. A
a short circuit. strong implication in the word is the idea
that the components can be automatically
Pyrolysis The decomposition of a substance by heat. placed with high speed “pick-and-place”
Power factor The ratio of real power to reactive power machines; it is in this sense that the word
in a capacitor. is narrower in meaning than “chip”.

Rated voltage This is the DC rated voltage for Tantalum A metal element in the transition group
continuous operation up to 85°C. of the periodic table. The ore is mined in
many parts of the world.
Reform The process of reducing leakage current
by removing manganese dioxide from sites Temperature rating The temperature (usually in Celsius)
which conduct a high current and producing over which the capacitor may be safely
a dielectric to cover the opened site. operated. With tantalum capacitors there
is a lower (derated) voltage at the high
Reverse voltage The voltage applied to a polar capacitor end of the temperature rating.
in the opposite direction of the indicated
polarity. Reverse voltage has the poten- Voltage derating Using a capacitor below its rated voltage.
tial effect of causing the capacitor to fail. The percentage of derating applied is
given by the equation:
Resistivity A measure of the ability of a unit cross- ( 1 - circuit voltage ) x 100% rated voltage.
sectional area and unit length of a material
to resist the flow of an electric current Volumetric efficiency A measure of the size or volume of a
through it. component relative to its capacitance and
voltage. It takes into account the surface
Ripple current The current passing through a capacitor area of circuit board covered by the com-
when an alternating voltage is applied ponent and the height of the component.
across its terminals. This generates heat.
The maximum ripple current permissible Wet tantalum A sintered tantalum pellet in a liquid acid
is determined by the maximum power electrolyte, as compared with solid
dissipation of the capacitor body. tantalum.

Ripple voltage The voltage across the terminals of a

capacitor when an alternating current is
passed through it (see also ripple current).
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