Capacitors

Chap 10
 Capacitors
• A capacitor (originally known as condenser) is
a passive two-terminal electrical component used to
store energy in an electric field.
• A Capacitor displays it’s total characteristics
only when a change in voltage or current is made in
the circuit in which it exists.
 Capacitors
• A capacitor consists of two conductors separated by a
non-conductive region called the dielectric.
• The dielectric is just an electrical insulator. Examples of
dielectric media are: glass, air, paper, vacuum, and even a
semiconductor depletion region chemically identical to the
conductors
• When there is a potential difference (voltage) across the
conductors, a static electric field develops across the
dielectric, causing positive charge to collect on one plate
and negative charge on the other plate. Energy is stored
in the electrostatic field.
• The energy stored in a capacitor can be returned to the
system
 Capacitor
• A capacitor is assumed to be self-contained and isolated,
with no net electric charge and no influence from any
external electric field.
• The conductors hold equal and opposite charges on their
facing surfaces, and the dielectric develops an electric
field.
• An ideal capacitor is characterized by a single constant
value (capacitance C) and it is defined as the ratio of
charge ±Q on each conductor to the voltage V between
them.
• This is the ratio of the electric charge on each conductor
to the potential difference between them.
 Capacitance
• Capacitance is a measure of a capacitor’s ability to
store charge on it’s plates.
• The higher the capacitance of a capacitor, the greater
is the amount of charge stored on the plates for the
same applied voltage.
• A capacitor has a capacitance of 1 farad if 1 coulomb
of charge ( 6.242 x 10^18) is deposited on the plates
by a potential difference of 1 volt across its plates.
 Fundamental charging circuit
At the instant the switch is closed: electrons are
drawn from the upper plate through the resistor Plates of conducting material
to the positive terminal of the battery

There will be a surge

current at first limited
by the magnitude of
resistance present

Air gap
The level of the flow
declines creating a net
positive charge on the top
plate. Electrons are
replaced being repelled by
through the conductors on The final result
the bottom plate This transfer of electrons continues until the is a net positive
potential difference across the parallel charge on the
plates is exactly equal to the battery voltage top plate
 CAPACITANCE
• Capacitance is measured in Farads.
• The capacitance is greatest when there is a narrow
separation between large areas of conductor
(called plates)
• The dielectric between the plates passes a small
amount of leakage current and also has an electric
field strength limit, resulting in a breakdown voltage,
while the conductors and leads introduce an
undesired inductance and resistance.
 Equations
Equation for Capacitance Equation reveals that the greater the charge (Q)
on the plates (on the numerator of the
equation), the higher is the capacitance level (C)
for the same voltage

The higher the capacitance or

applied voltage, the greater Q = CV
the charge on the plates

Electric field strength between plates

= volts/m (V/m)
V = volts (V)
d = meters (m)  Distance between plates
Effect of dielectric on the field distribution
between plates of a capacitor

Alignment of dipoles Electric field

in the dielectric components between
the plates of a capacitor
with a dielectric present
 Relative permittivity (dielectric
constant) ϵt of various dielectrics
 Dielectric Strength of
some dielectric materials
 Example 10.1
a) If 82.4 x 10^14 electrons are deposited on the negative plate
of a capacitor by an applied voltage of 60v, find the
capacitance of the capacitor.
1st find the number of coulombs of charge as follow

Then find Capacitance level

= = 22 µF

b) If 40 v are applied across a 470µF Capacitor, find the charge

on the plates
Q = CV = (470µF) (40V) = 18.8 mC
 Capacitor Construction
Components are: conductive plates, separation, and dielectric
The smallest the distance between the plates, the
Larger plates permit and larger is the capacitance. Higher level of permittivity
increased area for the stores results in higher level of capacitance

General equation for capacitance

Capacitance of a capacitor with a

relative permittivity of ϵr

Equation for the permittivity of the material

Equation for the permittivity of air

 Example 10.2
If each capacitor in the left column is charged to the type appearing in the right
column, find the new capacitance level, the other factors remain the same

 The area is increased by a factor of 3

 The area staged the same
 area & distance are the same, but a dielectric of
waxed paper was added between the plates
 Many changes happening at
the same time
 Example 10.3
a) Find the capacitance
b) Determine the electric field strength
between the plates if 450 V are applied
across the plates.

c) Find the resulting charge on each plate.

 Example 10.3

a) Find the capacitance

1st convert the area and the distance
between plates to the SI system

b) find the strength of the electric field between the plates if 48v are applied
across the plates
 Example 10. cont’

c) find the charge on each plate

Q = CV = (28.8pF) (48V) = 1.38 nC

 Types of capacitors

There is a great variety of different types of

capacitor available in the market and their
characteristics and applications, range from very
small delicate trimming capacitors up to large power
metal-can type capacitors used in high voltage power
correction and smoothing circuits
Capacitors are often classified according to the material
used as the dielectric, with the dielectrics divided
into two broad categories: bulk insulators and metal-
oxide films (in capacitors known as electrolytic
capacitors).
 Two general types of capacitors

• Fixed and variable

Fixed capacitors Variable capacitors

In general for the same type of construction & dielectric, the larger the
required capacitance, the larger us the physical size of the capacitor
• Variable capacitors: a continuous variation of capacitance is
required for tuning transmitters, receivers and transistor radios
• Fixed Capacitors: is constructed in such manner that it possesses a fixed
value of capacitance which cannot be adjusted & it is classified according to the
type of material used as its dielectric, such as paper, oil, mica, or electrolyte.
Capacitors
 Types of electrolytic capacitors

Three ways to increase the area of a capacitor

Rolling Stacking Inserting

 Homework pg 428
• Problem# 3, 5, 7, & 9