Reliability and Critical Applications of Tantalum Capacitors

Despite constant competition from aluminum and ceramic capacitors, tantalum (Ta) capacitors have been on the market for more than half a century. They still continue to grow, especially, relatively new types of Ta capacitors like Ta capacitors with conductive polymer cathode. The major parameters, which keep Ta capacitors on the market and make them attractive for use in electronic devices, are high volumetric efficiency (CV/cc), low Equivalent Series Resistance (ESR) and Equivalent Series Inductance (ESL), highly stable characteristics with respect to voltage and temperature, and high stability over long periods of time (i.e., high reliability).