Evolution of Polymer Tantalum Capacitors

The major advantage of Polymer Tantalum capacitors over other types of tantalum capacitors is their low equivalent series resistance (ESR), providing a higher capacitance stability with frequency and ripple current capability. When Polymer Tantalum capacitors were introduced to the market in mid 1990s, they were low voltage, leaky, and unreliable, which limited their applications to commercial electronics. Today, some types of polymer tantalum capacitors demonstrate the highest working voltage, lowest DC leakage, and highest reliability ever achieved in tantalum capacitors. These Polymer Tantalum capacitors combine outstanding performance and reliability with superior volumetric charge efficiency, which makes them cost effective and attractive for numerous applications, including mission critical ones. This paper is dedicated to the major technological breakthroughs and scientific discoveries that enabled the radical evolution of Polymer Tantalum capacitors.