A ceramic capacitor is a fixed-value capacitor where the ceramic material acts as the dielectric. It is constructed of two or more alternating layers of ceramic and a metal layer acting as the electrodes. The composition of the ceramic material defines the electrical behavior and therefore applications. Ceramic capacitors are divided into two application classes:
- Class 1 ceramic capacitors offer high stability and low losses for resonant circuit applications.
- Class 2 ceramic capacitors offer high volumetric efficiency for buffer, by-pass, and coupling applications.
Ceramic capacitors, especially multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs), are the most produced and used capacitors in electronic equipment that incorporate approximately one trillion (1012) pieces per year.[1]
Ceramic capacitors of special shapes and styles are used as capacitors for RFI/EMI suppression, as feed-through capacitors and in larger dimensions as power capacitors for transmitters.
- ^ Ho, J.; Jow, T. R.; Boggs, S. (2010). "Historical introduction to capacitor technology". IEEE Electrical Insulation Magazine. 26: 20–25. doi:10.1109/MEI.2010.5383924. S2CID 23077215.Download Archived 2016-12-05 at the Wayback Machine