High Temperature Capacitors: World Markets, Technologies & Opportunities: FY 2012-2017

Forecasted changes in temperature requirements in defense and downhole pump electronics have challenged the capacitor industry to produce new products that can operate in exceedingly higher temperatures for longer time periods of time. For years the operating temperature and available capacitance values of competing high temperature dielectrics was limited to about 200 degrees C and picofarad levels of capacitance. There was also the added problem of limited volumetric efficiency of the capacitors being consumed. Therefore, the trend has been to increase the operating temperature of the capacitors competing in the space, to increase the available capacitance values of the capacitors competing in the space, and to expand the product offering with respect to capacitor case size, configuration and performance for extended periods of time at such high temperatures. Multiple dielectrics are now employed to operate at elevated temperatures and include ceramic, tantalum, plastic film, mica, solid aluminum, glass, silicon, diamond-like and aluminum oxynitride. Ceramic, tantalum, plastic film, glass and diamond-like capacitors have established reliability in the high temperature arena, while solid aluminum, silicon and aluminum oxynitride are emerging technologies. Because of the end-markets into which these high temperature capacitors are sold include both defense and oil & gas related electronic sub-assemblies, these high temperature capacitors are usually subjected to additional rigors of extreme environments in addition to extreme temperatures, including enhanced vibration frequencies, high voltage environments, and radiation exposure. Subsequently failure modes for these "application specific" capacitors include delamination, tomb-stoning, thermal stress cracking, wild fluctuations in capacitance with temperature; and questionable insulation resistance. This study addresses the growing market for capacitors in the 175 degree C to 450 degree C operating temperature range, and forecasts the rate of global consumption over the next five years.