Ceramic Capacitors Over Time

When it comes to capacitors a logarithmic decrease in capacitance over time is referred to as aging.

Ceramic capacitors over time.

Tantalum capacitors do not even have a known wear out mechanism. The capacitance value additionally depends on the voltage applied. The terminations of ceramic capacitors will typically oxidize over time degrading solderability and affecting the wetting characteristics of the capacitor if not stored properly. Ceramic capacitors do age while tantalums do not.

Ceramic capacitor aging made simple christopher england applications engineer hvs products class ii dielectrics experience a phenomenon called aging and it is simply a decrease in capacitance over time due to crystalline changes that occur in all class ii dielectrics x7r x5r and y5v. Barrier layer ceramic capacitors are made of doped ferroelectric materials such as barium titanate batio 3. The dielectric is characterized by very high nonlinear change of capacitance over the temperature range. This is caused by the relaxation or realignment of the electrical dipoles within the capacitor.

In terms of capacitor performance tantalums and ceramic capacitors differ in a few key ways. When using these products for time constant circuits etc please take time to fully understand their characteristics and check the actual conditions of use and actual equipment. As well they have very high losses and age over time.