WHITE PAPER

Understanding Polymer and

Hybrid Capacitors
Advanced capacitors based on conductive polymers
maximize performance and reliability
The various polymer and hybrid capacitors have distinct sweet
spots in terms of their ideal voltages, frequency characteristics,
environmental conditions and other application requirements.
In this paper, we’ll show you how to identify the best uses for
each type of advanced capacitor. We’ll also highlight specific
applications in which a polymer or hybrid capacitor will
outperform traditional electrolytic or even ceramic capacitors.

POLYMER CAPACITOR VARIETIES

Hybrid capacitor technology combines the performance benefits of
electrolytic and polymer capacitors.
Capacitors may seem simple enough, but specifying them has
actually grown more complex in recent years. The reason why
comes down to freedom of choice. The universe of capacitors
has expanded greatly over the past few years, in large part
because of capacitor designs that take advantage of advances
in conductive polymers.
These advanced capacitors sometimes use conductive polymers
to form the entire electrolyte. Or the conductive polymers can be
used in conjunction with a liquid electrolyte in a design known as
a hybrid capacitor. Either way, these polymer-based capacitors
offer a performance edge over conventional electrolytic and
ceramic capacitors when it comes to:
Polymer capacitors come in four main varieties, including
the hybrid. Each type has different electrolytic and electrode
materials, packaging and application targets:
• Layered polymer aluminum capacitors use conductive
polymer as the electrolyte and have an aluminum cathode
(see Figure 1). Depending on the specific model, these
capacitors cover a voltage range from 2-25V and offer
capacitances between 2.2-560µF. The distinguishing
electrical characteristic of these polymer capacitors is
their extremely low equivalent series resistance (ESR). For
example, some of our SP-Cap™ polymer capacitors have
ESR values as low as 3mΩ, which is among the lowest in
Molding Silver Paste
Resin
Terminal

• Electrical characteristics.

• Stability.
Al2O3
• Longevity. Silver Paste
Carbon Aluminum Foil
• Reliability. Terminal
Polymer
• Safety. Figure 1
• Life cycle cost.

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 Aluminum Case
the industry. Packaged in a molded resin as compact
surface mount devices, these layered polymer capacitors
have a low profile. As a result of the electrical and form
Back Plate
factor characteristics, they have applications in a variety
of handheld electronic devices or other applications that
require a low-profile capacitor that will not interfere with a
nearby heat sink. Rubber Seal Terminal

• Wound polymer aluminum capacitors are also based on

conductive polymers and aluminum, but they have a wound Aluminum
foil structure (see Figure 2). The wound polymer capacitors Foil

Spacer
cover a wider range of voltages and capacitance values Aluminum
than other types of polymer capacitors. Voltages extend Foil
from 2.5 to 100V, while capacitances run from 3.3 to 2700µF. Al2O3
Electrolyte Impregnated in Spacer
Like the layered polymer capacitors, the wound style
Polymer
has extremely low ESR values. Some of our OS-CON™
Figure 2
capacitors, for instance, have ESR values
below 5mΩ. The wound style can
also be surface mounted, Molding
though they are not Resin
quite as compact as Terminal
the layered capacitors.

Terminal
Silver paste Ta2O5
Sintered Tantalum
• Polymer tantalum capacitors employ a conductive Carbon
polymer as the electrolyte and have a tantalum cathode
Polymer
(see Figure 3). They span voltages from 1.8 to 35V and Figure 3
capacitances from 2.7 to 680µF. They, too, have low
ESR values. They, too, have low ESR, with some of our
POSCAP™ capacitors exhibiting ESR values as low as
5mΩ. Packaged in a molded resin case, the tantalum
polymer capacitors are among the
most compact on the market. Our
POSCAP M size, for example,
measures just 2.0 by 1.25 mm.
Though compact, a wide range
of sizes is available for this
capacitor type.

Panasonic Two Riverfront Plaza, 7th Floor, Newark, NJ 07102-5490 www.panasonic.com/industrial

 Aluminum Case
• Polymer hybrid aluminum capacitors. As their name
suggests, these capacitors use a combination of a liquid and
conductive polymer to serve as the electrolyte (see Figure
4) and aluminum as the cathode. Think of this technical
Back Plate
approach as the best of both worlds: The polymer offers high
conductivity—and a correspondingly low ESR. The liquid
portion of the electrolyte, meanwhile, can withstand high Terminal
Rubber Seal
voltages and provide higher capacitance ratings due to its
large effective surface area. The hybrid capacitors offer a
voltage range from 25 to 80V and capacitances between 10 Aluminum
and 330µF. At 20 to 120mΩ, ESR values for hybrids are higher Foil

Spacer
than other types of polymer capacitors, but still very low Aluminum
considering the higher power applications they address (see Foil
sidebar). Al2O3
Hybrid Electrolyte
Impregnated in Spacer
POLYMER CAPACITOR ADVANTAGES Polymer + Electrolyte Liquid
Despite differences in their materials and construction, the four
Figure 4
types of polymer capacitors share a collection of desirable electrical
properties:

• Great frequency characteristics. Thanks to their ultra low

ESR values, polymer capacitors have a low impedance near
their resonance point (see Figure 5). And lower impedance
Figure 5
reduces AC ripple in power circuits. Our testing has ESR lowers impedance near the
resonance point, reducing AC ripple.

IMPEDANCE CHARACTERISTICS
Impedance
Capacitance: ½πfC
Inductance: 2πfL, where L = ESL
Impedance (Z)

Impedance (Z)

Resistance: ESR

Frequency Frequency

Z Large:
Z Small:
Ripple
Ripple
Z Large:
Z Small:

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 10 STABLE CAPACITANCE
DC Bias
DC Bias
Reliable Capacitors For IT 10
0 DC Bias
Infrastructure
10
0
-10
0
-10
-20

Information technology infrastructures have a little-known -10

-20
-30

/ C (%)
weak link: The capacitors in their power supplies. -20
-30
-40

dC(%)
-30
-40

/C
Conventional electrolytic capacitors tend to fail prematurely -50

C (%)
dC / dC
-40
when their liquid electrolyte dries up‚ which happens in -50
-60
-50
response to elevated temperatures and long on times. -60
-70
-60
-70
-80
Conventional tantalum capacitors are one possible solution
-70
-80
to these premature failures. However, tantalums require -90
-80 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
voltage derating to avoid a very undesirable failure mode— -90
DC Bias (V)
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
-90
namely, the potential for fires. 0 1 2
DC Bias (V)
3 4 5 6 7
DC Bias (V)
More advanced polymer-based capacitors have emerged Temperature Range
as a way to improve lifecycle and reliability of IT equipment Temperature
20
Range
such as servers, switches, routers and modems. Temperature Range
20

C/C (%)
20
10
Polymer wound capacitors such as OS-CON do not have a

C/C (%)
10
liquid electrolyte and therefore can have extremely long life.

C/C (%)
10
0
POSCAP polymer-tantalum capacitors contain no oxygen -55 -35 -15 5 25 45 65 85 105
0
in their formulation. So they are not prone to combustion -55 -35 -15 5 25 45 65 85 105
0
upon failure. SP-Caps also have a similar benign failure -55 -35 -15 5 -10 25 45 65
Temp. ( )
85 105

mode. -10 Temp. ( )

-10 Temp. ( )

All three families of advanced capacitor also offer the -20

features required for information infrastructure: -20

-20

• Compact size.
-30

• Low ESR
-30

• High Ripple Current MLCC -30

Multilayer ceramic capacitor (6.3V47µF/3216/X5R)
• Long Life. MLCC
Multilayer ceramic capacitor (6.3V47µF/3216/X5R)
MLCC capacitor
Polymer
Multilayer ceramic
POSCAP, SP-Cap capacitor
or OS-CON (6.3V47µF/3216/X5R)
(6.3V47µF)
Polymer capacitor
POSCAP, SP-Cap Figure
or OS-CON
6 (6.3V47µF)
Polymer capacitor
POSCAP, SP-Cap or OS-CON (6.3V47µF)

revealed as much as a fivefold reduction in peak-to-peak
voltage changes when comparing polymer capacitors to
conventional low-ESR tantalum capacitors.
• Stable capacitance. With ceramic capacitors, capacitance
drifts in response to temperature changes and DC bias.
Polymer capacitors have no such problem and remain
stable over time (see Figure 6). This stability is particularly
important in industrial and automotive applications, which
tend to experience fluctuations in operating temperatures.
We’ve seen cases where elevated temperatures caused
an effective capacitance loss of 90% or more for ceramic
capacitors, meaning that the conventional capacitors
deliver subpar performance in the field. Hybrid capacitors
add another dimension to capacitance stability. They keep
a stable capacitance in the face of common operating
conditions—high frequencies and low temperatures—that
reduce the capacitance of conventional liquid electrolytic
capacitors.
(see Figure 7).
• Enhanced safety. Conventional electrolytic capacitors
can suffer from safety issues that could cause them to
short circuit and fail. The problem arises when electrical
or mechanical stresses create defects or discontinuities in
the oxide film that forms the capacitor’s dielectric. Polymer

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 HYBRID CAPACITOR
capacitors have a self-healing capability that eliminates
this failure mode. The repair takes place in response to the
PERFORMANCE
Capacitance vs. Frequency
1000.0000 Capacitance vs. Frequency
joule heating that occurs when a dielectric defect triggers a 1000.0000
Capacitance vs. Frequency
short circuit. The heating breaks the molecular chain of the 1000.0000
conductive polymer near the defect, driving up its resistance 100.0000
100.0000
and effectively forming a barrier against any current leaking

Good
100.0000
from the electrode (see Figure 8). In the case of hybrid

Good
( F)
10.0000
capacitors, an additional self-healing mechanism comes

C (C F)
Good
10.0000
into play—because the liquid electrolyte causes current

C ( F)
10.0000
flow near the defect to reoxidize the aluminum. We have
1.0000
conducted numerous over-voltage tests to demonstrate 1.0000

the self-repairing nature of polymer and hybrid capacitors. 1.0000

One such test compared our SP-Cap polymer capacitors 0.1000

0.1000 100 1,000 10,000 100,000 1M 10 M
to a conventional tantalum-MnO2 capacitors. The polymer 100 1,000 10,000 100,000 1M 10 M
0.1000 Frequency (Hz)
model withstood short currents as high as 7 amps, while the 100 1,000 Frequency100,000
10,000 (Hz) 1M 10 M
tantalum capacitor started smoking at 3 amps and ignited Frequency (Hz)

at 5 amps. This safety enhancement has important design Hybrid capacitors offer stable capacitance at high frequencies.
and cost implications. Conventional tantalum capacitors are
normally derated in use by 30 to 50% their labeled voltage ESR vs. Temperature
100 ESR vs. Temperature
to ensure that they operate safely. This derating, while a 100
ESR vs. Temperature
common and accepted engineering practice, results in an 100
upsizing of capacitors and increased cost. For our polymer 10
10
capacitors, by contrast, we guarantee operation at 90% of
10
( ) ( () )

the full-rated voltage. 1

Good

1
Good

1
Good

Polymer And Hybrid 0 .1

0 .1

Capacitors Are Road Ready 0. 01

0 .1

0. 01-60 -20 20 60 100 140

Polymer capacitors are seeing increasing use in automotive 0. 01-60 -20 20 60 100 140
Temperature ( )
electronic applications. Our polymer and hybrid capacitors -60 -20 20 60(
Temperature ) 100 140
ESR (100kHz)
meet the following automotive production requirements: ESR (100kHz)
Temperature ( )

• OS-CON, Hybrid and POSCAP models comply with ESR (100kHz)

E-Cap
AEC standards. E-Cap
Hybrid
• Capacitors are produced in a TS16949 certified
Hybrid
E-Cap
production facility. Hybrid capacitors offer stable Hybrid
ESR even at temperatures as
low as -55ºC.
• Production Part Approval Process (PPAP). Figure 7

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 Pre-Short Short Heating Defect Isolation

Electrode Element Micro Defect Short Circuit Current Isolated Conductive Polymer
Dielectric Oxidation Film
Figure 8
Conductive Polymer Layer

Polymer capacitors have been in production since 1990. But they

continue to evolve, both in terms of their electrical characteristics
Robust Capacitors For
and their sizing. Consider our aluminum polymer capacitor line, Industrial Use
for example. Upcoming models will drive ESR even lower and
capacitance even higher—to 2mΩ and 680µF, respectively. The increased use of electronics in industrial applications
Or looking at the tantalum polymer line, new models will offer has created a need for more robust capacitor solutions.
reductions in ESR in smaller surface mount packages. For These demanding applications often have unforgiving
example, the 3.5x2.8-mm B-Size capacitors will likely see a drop operating environments that are not friendly to
in ESR from 9 to 6mΩ. conventional capacitor technology such as aluminum
electrolytics.
Our hybrid capacitor line is evolving too. We are expanding the
Capacitors utilizing polymer technology, such as our
voltage coverage with new 16 and 100V capacitors. Life cycle
OS-CON and Hybrid models, are ideally suited for these
and ripple current specifications are also slated for improvement
applications because they offer a combination of:
in upcoming product releases.
• Long Life
These continuous technical improvements will make polymer • Low ESR
and hybrid capacitors an increasingly attractive alternative to • High Ripple Current
conventional tantalum-MnO2 and multi-layer ceramic capacitor • High Temperature
(MLCC) technologies. • High Voltage
• High Capacitance

Industrial applications that can benefit from advanced

polymer and hybrid capacitors include motor drives, power
inverters and specialty lighting.

Controller applications can take advantage of polymer-

based capacitors too. Our POSCAP polymer tantalum
and SP-Cap models have all the electrical characteristics
we just mentioned but also have compact form factors
that make it easy to integrate them in industrial control
systems.

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 Hybrid Capacitor Performance Advantages
Driven by miniaturization of electrical components and higher Hybrids maximize reliability. Capacitors cannot just
switching frequencies of many electrical devices, hybrid be small, they also need to hold up under challenging
capacitors have started to get more traction. electrical and environmental conditions. By nearly every
measure, hybrid capacitors outperform equivalent aluminum
Hybrids are known for their stable electrical characteristics
electrolytic and polymer capacitors hands down. To take
at high frequencies. These robust capacitors also have other
a few examples, hybrid capacitors have significantly
compelling advantages that make a difference in applications
better endurance and humidity resistance than either their
such as computer servers, backup devices and networking
electrolytic or polymer counterparts. Hybrids also have
gear as well as industrial motors, automotive engine control
significantly higher tolerance for large ripple currents, inrush
units, security cameras and LED lighting. Among the
currents and elevated temperature (See Figure 9).
advantages:
Taken together, the size and reliability produce a strong cost
Hybrids are compact. Given the ongoing push to miniaturize
benefit for using hybrid capacitors—in spite of their higher
electrical equipment, the size of capacitors has taken on
upfront prices. The higher ripple current specification alone
a growing importance. Surface mount hybrid capacitors
can result in a 20% reduction in cost by increasing the life
measuring just 6.3 x 5.8 mm can handle 35V and offer a
cycle of the capacitor. In the 48V power supply application
capacitance of 47µF. The small size can save a significant
we just mentioned, the hybrid capacitors had a total cost
amount of board space. In a recent 48V power supply
50% lower than the equivalent aluminum electrolytic
application, hybrid capacitors occupied just 13% of the
capacitors, with the savings coming from reductions in
board space required by aluminum electrolytic capacitors.
board cost, warranty cost and ability to withstand high ripple
current.

Capacitance Change ESR (Ω)

40 0.140
Upper Limit Upper Limit
30 0.120
20
0.100
10
0mA

0.080
∆cap. (%)

ESR (Ω)

0
0.060
-10
0.040
-20
0.020
-30
Lower Limit
-40 0.000
0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000 6,000 0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000 6,000
Time (h) Time (h)

40 0.140
Upper Limit Upper Limit
30 0.120
20
(standard ripple)

0.100
1300mA

10
∆cap. (%)

0.080
ESR (Ω)

0
0.060
-10
Figure 9 0.040
-20
Hybrid capacitors exhibit high -30 0.020

reliability when subjected to high

Lower Limit
-40 0.000

ripple currents. In recent testing, 0 1,000 2,000 3,000

Time (h)
4,000 5,000 6,000 0 1,000 2,000 3,000
Time (h)
4,000 5,000 6,000

the capacitors had the electrical 40 0.140

characteristics at no load and 30
Upper Limit
0.120
Upper Limit

rated ripple current (1300 mA) 20

0.100
3600mA

conditions. At three times

(overripple)

10
0.080
∆cap. (%)

ESR (Ω)

the rated ripple current (3600 0

0.060
mA), the capacitor’s electrical -10
0.040
characteristics did change, but -20
0.020
no shortage took place. -30
Lower Limit
-40 0.000
0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000 6,000 0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000 6,000
Time (h) Time (h)

Panasonic Two Riverfront Plaza, 7th Floor, Newark, NJ 07102-5490 www.panasonic.com/industrial