An aluminum electrolytic capacitor is a polarized capacitor that uses aluminum oxide film as a dielectric.
These capacitors are also classified according to whether the electrolyte is liquid or solid.
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- ?Aluminum foil is used for both the anode part and cathode part
- 础苍辞诲别
- Conductor (aluminum) with a high-purity of 99.9% or more
- 颁补迟丑辞诲别
- Liquid or solid electrolyte closely adhered to the dielectric
- ?Dielectric
- Oxide film adhered to the surface (aluminum: Al?O?)
The capacitance of a capacitor increases the wider the electrode area, the higher the dielectric constant, and the narrower the distance between the electrodes.
Aluminum is a special metal with a rectifying effect called a valve metal. Other metals with the performance of valve metal include tantalum and niobium. The dielectric constant of oxide film (Al?O?), which is a dielectric formed by anodic oxidation on the aluminum surface, is approximately 7 to 10. That means it is not necessarily higher than the dielectrics used in other capacitors. Nevertheless, forming a porous structure with a surface area expanded up to 350-fold by etching the aluminum surface with electrolysis realizes a large-capacity capacitor. Moreover, the withstanding voltage (rated voltage) of a capacitor depends on the thickness of the dielectric. On the other hand, the thicker the dielectric, the smaller the capacitance. Aluminum is characterized by a thin dielectric per 1 V of approximately 1.3 nm. Accordingly, it is suitable for designing high withstanding voltage and large-capacity capacitors.
Tab 2-1. Dielectric Characteristics of Various Capacitors
Aluminum electrolytic capacitors are also classified by whether the electrolyte is a liquid or solid. Aluminum electrolytic capacitors with a liquid electrolyte are only the can type, which can hermetically seal in the liquid electrolyte (electrolytic solution). They are characterized by a large capacity and high withstand voltage.
Meanwhile, aluminum electrolytic capacitors with a solid electrolyte do not need to be hermetically sealed because they are a solid (conductive polymer). Therefore, there is a resin-molded surface-mounted type in addition to a can type. They are characterized by a large capacity and low product height. Furthermore, there is no risk of volatilization because it is a solid electrolyte. This means they are characterized by a long service life compared to capacitors with liquid electrolytes.