Plastic Film Capacitor Data

- Value Change Over Temperature-

[Dielectric] [Temperature] [Board Placement]
[IC By-Pass Caps] [equivalent Cap Circuit]
[Capacitor Decoupling Value] [Terms]
[Surface Mount Chip Size] [MIL Specs]
[Capacitor Manufacturers]
[Home]

Capacitor Value x Temperature

There are a number of reasons a capacitors value will change.
This particular graph shows value change over temperature for various dielectrics.

Capacitor change vs Temperature

The graph above shows the change in Capacitance value vs Temperature change for a number of different plastic film capacitor dielectric types. This is not the same as the tolerance listed on the capacitor. The tolerance value marked on the device indicates what the expected value should be at room temperature. Derating guide lines for capacitors is listed on the Component De-Rating page.
The graph shows how a capacitor's value will change over a change in temperature, regardless of the tolerance.
One way to compensate for a temperature change is to use two capacitors in parallel;
one capacitor having a positive change and one having a negative change, so they cancel each other out [if you have the space for two caps].

Dielectric Types

Paper Dielectric [Paper Capacitors Manufacturers]
Capacitors that use paper dielectric are used in High voltage applications. Paper devices should not be used in a high moisture environment unless the device is in a hermetic case, the capacitance will increase, the power factor, insulation resistance, dielectric strength, and Capacitor life will degrade. Paper capacitors have a near 10% tolerance.

Plastic FILM [Plastic Film Capacitors Manufacturers]
   Mylar: has a wide temperature change of 20% over -55 to +125C. Moisture absorption is half that of paper. Mylar is the same as polyester. The term Mylar is a trade name.
   Polycarbonate: Out performs Mylar in all areas. Low Power factor, works best with AC. Polycarbonate has a low temperature drift (graph below), dissipation factor, and dielectric absorption. Use polyphenylene sulfide as a possible replacement.
   Polyester: Replaces paper for many applications, and smaller in size. Polyester does not have the moisture problem that paper does, but does have a worse tolerance, at 20% ~ over -55 to +125C. May also be called PETE, or PETP. The Polyester Dielectric has an Absorption of around 0.20%.
   Polypropylene: It has negative temperature coefficient.
   Polysulfone: Has a very high operating temperature of +170C.
   Polystyrene: Will only work to +65C. It has a flat to negative temperature coefficient.
   Polyetrafluoroethylene (PTFE): [Teflon] Has a very high operating temperature of +170C.

MICA High Precession. The material is inert it will not change over time or temperature. Mica Capacitor

CERAMIC [Ceramic Capacitors Manufacturers]
The standard By-pass capacitor resides with in two main classes, Type I and II; However the major distinction resides with the temperature and frequency characteristics. Normally the frequency characteristics come first and then the temperature {It depends on the design application}.
  NPO (Type I) Stable over temperature [CGO] EIA temperature Coefficient Designation]
  X7R (Type II) 15% variation over temperature
  Z5U General Purpose [EIA temperature characteristic code]
  Y5V General Purpose [EIA temperature characteristic code]

Related Issues:
Capacitor Failure Rates over Temperature
Capacitor Case Size vs. Altitude

Engineering tags: Capacitor value change over Temperature. Maximum Operational Range of a Dielectric.
What is the change of capacitance over temperature for Plastic Film Dielectric.
What are the different types of capacitor Dielectric material. What are the different EIA codes for Temperature Characteristics.

Home
Distributors	Components	Equipment	Software	Standards	Buses	Design	Reference