Hermetically-sealed tantalum polymer chip capacitors offer 10,000 hour lifespan

Aimed at aerospace and other high-reliability applications, AVX has announced that its TCH Series hermetically-sealed tantalum polymer chip capacitors are now rated for extended lifespans of up to 10,000 hours. Developed with the European Space Agency (ESA) to suit aerospace applications, TCH Series capacitors are hermetically sealed in ceramic cases filled with inert gasses to eliminate material and performance degradation resulting from exposure to high temperature, high humidity and ambient atmosphere. They also feature low ESR conductive polymer electrodes and exhibit low derating capabilities, low leakage current (0.1CV), high ripple current, high capacitance (22µF to 680µF), and the highest voltages (10-100V) of any space-grade SMD tantalum polymer capacitor currently available on the market, says the company. "Although initially developed for a mission-critical ESA application that required both extremely high capacitance and very low ESR, which tantalum technology is especially well suited for, TCH Series capacitors are ideal for a wide range of high-reliability power applications, especially now that selected codes are rated for endurance of up to 10,000 hours," said Allen Mayar, product marketing manager at AVX. Manufactured and screened using AVX's patented Q-Process, which ensures the removal of any components that may experience parametric shifts through customer processing or display instability through life testing, TCH Series capacitors exhibit an impressive FIT rate of 1% per 1,000 hours at 85ºC and rated voltage with 0.1O/V series impedance, making them ideal for use in a variety of high-reliability applications, including: aerospace, defence, pulse power and power supplies. Rated for use in temperatures spanning -55C to +125C, and housed in large CTC-21D cases that weigh just 2.4g, the device enable a significant payload reduction when employed in aerospace power supplies – The TCH Series is currently available with seven capacitance values (22, 47, 100, 150, 220, 330, and 680µF), five voltages (10, 16, 25, 35, and 100V), and two terminations: J-lead and under-tab. Dimensions for TCH Series capacitors with J-leads are: 11.5mm x 12.5mm x 6.15mm. Dimensions for TCH Series capacitors with undertab terminations are: 11mm x 12.5mm x 5.95mm. In addition, 33µF/75V and 680µF/16V TCH Series capacitors are currently available as engineering samples, and 16 more are actively under development. Components are supplied in either waffle or bulk packaging, says the company.