CTS21 & CTC21 SOLID TANTALUM CAPACITORS FOR SWITCHING POWER SUPPLIES AND CONVERTERS T. Boistuaud FIRADEC, Z.

I de Brais, BP194, 44604 Saint Nazaire Cedex, France Tel : + 33 2 40 01 26 51 ; Fax : + 33 2 40 01 25 08 N. D'Alessio ALCATEL Espace, 26 avenue J.F. Champollion, BP1187, 31037 Toulouse Cedex 1, France Tel : + 33 5 61 19 56 21 ; Fax : + 33 5 61 19 62 02 ; E-Mail : frdk8848@ibmmail.com

ABSTRACT
Tantalum capacitors are, with ceramic, aluminium and film capacitors, one of the most used family. In the past, solid tantalum capacitors have been not recommended in filtering function in power supplies and converters. However, because of technological improvements, changes in the design of converters and new test and burn-in conditions, a second generation of solid tantalum capacitors are being preferred for the power conversion market. This paper explains in more details the above mentionned evolutions.

Soldering GM seal Soldering Nickel lead Ni-Ta welding Ta2O5 Ta powder Tantalum-lead welding Positive lead

Metal case Soldering Nickel lead MnO2 Graphite Silver Silver epoxy bonding Negative lead Epoxy resin

INTRODUCTION TO SOLID TANTALUM CAPACITORS

Construction The basic raw material is a high purity tantalum powder which is pressed and sintered to form the pellet. This pellet is then anodized to form the insulating part (Ta2O5) and impregnated and covered by manganous dioxide (cathode). This MnO2 is obtained by a series of dipping in manganous nitrate followed by pyrolysis. The cathode is then finished by a coating of graphite covered by a silver layer. The pellets are then encapsulated, the positive lead being welded to the tantalum wire (anode) and the negative lead being either soldered (leaded types) or bonded (SMD) to the silver coating (see figure 1). Main electrical characteristics - Wide operating temperature range : -55C to +125C - Large capacitance range : less than 1F to 1000F - Low leakage current - Long life under operating and storage conditions - Good stability of electrical characteristics vs temperature (see figure 2)

Figure 1 : construction of metal case (CTS21 type) and SMD (CTC21 type)

C/C +15% +10% +5% 0 -5% -10% -50 -30 -10 0 ESR 2,5 2,0 1,5 1,0 0,5 -50 -30 -10 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 T (C) 20 40 60 80 100 120 T (C)

Figure 2 : typical capacitance and ESR changes vs temperature

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INTRODUCTION TO POWER CONVERSION

For years and years, the linear mode have been the only mode used for power conversion. A typical diagram is shown below and the main advantages of these types of converters were the following : - Good output voltage precision - Low output ripple voltage but there were also some important drawbacks : - Single output - Low efficiency due to losses in the transistor (<50%) - Weight due to the large transformer - Necessity to use a high capacitance value for the output filtering (frequency = 50 or 60Hz). PE 0,95 PE + Regulation Figure 3 : typical diagram of a linear mode converter Because of using transistors in a switching mode or others switching devices, linear mode has been gradually replaced by switching mode in most of converters. This technology brought a lot of advantages: - High efficiency (80 to 90%) - Low volume and weight (small transformer) - Multiple output voltages Due to the high switching frequency (a few ten's to a few hundred KHz), it is no more necessary to use a high capacitance value for the output filtering ; however, it is important to choose a capacitor with a low ESR to limit the output ripple voltage, which remains generally high with this technology. PE + Switching Figure 4 : typical diagram of a switching mode converter 0,9 PE 0,85 PE Insulation and energy storage 0,8 PE 0,85 PE 0,45 PE

1000 500 200 100 Output voltage Flyback 50 20 10 5 Forward 2 1 1 2 5 10 20 50 100 200 500 1K 2K Output power Flyback or Forward Forward or Push Pull

Figure 5 : converter type vs output voltage and power The typical diagram of a forward switching converter is given below ; one of the advantages of this type is the low output ripple voltage due to the good filtering obtained with the inductance and the capacitance. Primary switching Filtering inductor

Input capacitor

Output filtering capacitor

Figure 6 : typical diagram of a forward converter The important parameters of the output capacitance are : - Capacitance range from a few ten's to a few hundred microfarads (depending on the switching frequency) - Low ESR to reduce the output ripple voltage - High ripple current capability (current flowing through the capacitor being generally 10 to 20% of the output current). Solid tantalum capacitors became interesting for this application, because of their capacitance range and size, but could not be used for several reasons : - no specified maximum ESR and ripple current - poor performances at high frequencies - necessity to add a resistance in serie (3/V) That is why some new types with new associated test conditions have been developped : - High surge current test - High ripple current test

Several types of switching mode can be used depending upon the power and voltage outputs ; the most used are Forward, Flyback and Push Pull

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SOLID TANTALUM CAPACITORS FOR POWER SUPPLIES & CONVERTERS

The aims of the different research programs were therefore the following : - better stability of capacitance in frequency - very low ESR - ripple current capability - high surge current capability For this purpose, two different models have been used as the equivalent circuit of a tantalum capacitor C1

MODEL 1
C2 Re L

R2

MODEL 2
L Re Ri Ce Ci

MODEL 1
Rd C1 C2 Re L

Rp R2 Rd : dielectric losses (Ta2O5) Rp : insulator resistance (leakage current) C1 : capacitance of Ta2O5 C2-R2 : interface cell between Ta2O5 and MnO2 Re : contact resistance (graphite, silver, leads) L : serie inductance (leads)

When plotting the curves of capacitance and ESR changes in frequency , it is obtained similar diagrams for both models.

Capacitance

MODEL 2
Rp

ESR
L Re Ri Ce Rd

Ci
10K 100k 1M 10M f (Hz)

Rp Rd : dielectric losses (Ta2O5) Rp : insulator resistance (leakage current) Ce : external capacitance (outer surface of pellet) Ci : internal capacitance (inner surface of the pellet) Ri : internal resistance (due to MnO2 in the porosity) Re : external resistance (external MnO2, graphite, silver, leads) L : serie inductance (leads) At medium and high frequencies, effects of dielectric losses (Rd) and leakage current (Rp) can be considered as negligeable, two more simple equivalent circuits have been used In model 1, capacitance and ESR changes are due to the cell R2-C2, which is the representation of the interface between the Ta2O5 (insulator) and the MnO2 layer (cathode) ; the better the deposition of MnO2 is, the higher is C2 and the lower is R2. In model 2, the changes are due to the fact that, at high frequencies, current will be flowing only through Re and Ce. As Ce is very small compared to Ci (internal surface in the porosity), the capacitance will drop down at high frequencies. These two representations can therefore be considered as valid.

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OBSERVATIONS FROM EQUIVALENT CIRCUITS By using one these equivalent circuits and by measuring capacitors at different frequencies, it becomes possible to characterize each physical part of the capacitor and therefore to adjust the process parameters to improve performances. It can be seen that : - to improve the contact resistances (leads, soldering, silver, graphite) will effectively give lower ESR at high frequencies but will not improve the functionning at high frequencies. - on the other hand, a better MnO2 coating quality will improve both ESR at medium frequencies and capacitance stability. Manufacturer experience and different research programs also showed a strong relation between high surge current and high ripple current capability and MnO2 layer quality. Depending upon the choosen equivalent circuit, there can be different explanations to this phenomen. Model 1

High ripple current capability If the internal resistance (Ri) is high, current will flow at high frequencies only through the outer surface of the pellet (Re and Ce) and the dissipated power will be locally very high, inducing overheating and electrical breakdown. PROCESS CHANGES AND CHARACTERISTICS IMPROVEMENTS It was therefore necessary to improve the different parts of the capacitor to get best results on all these parameters. It has been obtained by : - a better structure of the internal part of the pellet (porosity) : choice of tantalum powders, pressing and sintering parameters. - improving the nature and the structure of the deposited MnO2 : temperature, pressure and ambiant atmosphere during pyrolysis, number of cycles. - improving the contact rsistances : type and curing conditions of graphite and silver layers. Comparison between a capacitor with high internal and external resistances and another one with low resistances is shown on curves of figure 7. CAPACITANCE CHANGE (in F)

Ta2O5 Voids Ta MnO2 Free crystal

* High surge current capability The poor localized contact between MnO2 and Ta2O5 creates a high resistance and therefore an over heating in case of high current, consequently an electrical breakdown. It can also be explained by possible movements of loose MnO2 crystals or of the complete MnO2 structure against the dielectric, inducing damages to the Ta2O5 layer. * High ripple current capability Failures during high ripple currents are explained by frictions between Ta2O5 and MnO2 crystals, creating local over heating and then electrical breakdown. Model 2 * High surge current capability Failures are explained by the heat dissipated by the ESR. As the total energy stored by the capacitor during the charge is Es = 1/2 CV 2, the energy dissipated by the ESR will be Ed = 1/2 CV2 (ESR / ESR + Rc), Rc being the resistance of the circuit. It can be seen that if the circuit resistance is low and the ESR high, the energy dissipated in the ESR will be very high, creating an overheating and an electrical breakdown.

Ce =10 F Ci = 90 F Re = 100 m Ri = 200 m

Ce =10 F Ci = 90 F Re = 20 m Ri = 20 m

1K

10K

100k

1M

ESR CHANGE (in m)

10M f (Hz)

Ce =10 F Ci = 90 F Re = 100 m Ri = 200 m Ce =10 F Ci = 90 F Re = 20 m Ri = 20 m 1K 10M f (Hz) Figure 7 : comparison between high and low internal and external resistances 10K 100k 1M

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SMD DEVELOPMENT The last parameter to improve was the series inductance which induces impedance increase at high frequency. As this inductance is mainly due to the leads, it has been achieved by designing a surface mount device (CTC21). Curves of figure 8 show the difference of impedance changes in frequency for 3 different technologies : - wet tantalum capacitor (CLR79 type) : the high internal resistance induces a capacitance decrease (slope of curve at low frequencies is different) and ESR is high (value of impedance at resonance point). - solid tantalum in metal case (CTS21 type) : capacitance is more stable and ESR is lower, but impedance still increases at high frequencies because of the inductance. - solid tantalum SMD (CTC21 type) : capacitance is stable, ESR is very low and increase of impedance at high frequencies is less important. 1000 Wet tantalum : CLR type Solid tantalum : CSR21 type 100 SMD : CTC21 type Impedance ()

ADDITIONAL TESTS FOR SPACE MARKET Some of the special requirements for space, like : - low weight and small size - reliability, long life - shocks, vibrations are covered by the general performances of these solid tantalum capacitors. However, to improve reliability and to limit the risk of failure, some specific tests have been added to the ESA/SCC specifications for both CTS21E (ESA-SCC 3002-003) and CTC21 (ESA-SCC 3012-003). High ripple current This test has been added in Chart IV (Qualification tests) on a sampling basis of 12 components High surge current test At the start of Chart III (Burn-in tests), a high surge current is performed on each capacitor (100%) at low, high and room temperature. Testing conditions are those of MIL-STD-975K (NASA) and the typical test circuit is shown below.
Charge circuit resistance Rc Electronic or mechanical switch

10

CR = 22F

Power supply Ur

Energy storage bank capacitor Cb

Discharge circuit resistance Rd

Capacitor under test

0,1

CR = 220F

U
0,01 100 1K 10K Frequency (KHz) Figure 8 : comparison between different technologies The main characteristics of the SMD type (CTC21) are therefore: - very low ESR (down to 25m) - high ripple current capability (up to 4,3 Arms) - wide operating frequency range (up to a few MHz) - large capacitance range - low weight (1,8g for case C and 3,3g for case D) - high surge current capability That makes this product to be now commonly used in switching power supplies and converters for equipments in the professional market. 0,1 1 10
R T T t

MIL conditions : Rc = Rd = 0.3 max, T = 1s, 5 cycles

CONCLUSION
These new types of second generation capacitors are now commonly used in different markets like : AERONAUTIC : flight computers, monitors, radars MILITARY : missiles, radars, tanks They also start to be used in some space programs : - CTS21E : Columbus, Envisat (Asar) - CTC21 : Globalstar, XMM

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