High-reliability low-DCL SMD tantalum capacitors target medical applications

A new range of medical application tantalum capacitors has been introduced by AVX. The surface-mount T4J Medical Series tantalum capacitors are specifically designed for use in implantable, non-life-support and non-implantable life support medical applications. The capacitors exhibit high standard reliability of fewer than 0.1% failures per 1,000 hours at 25C and rated voltage, which is 10 times better than standard commercial reliability, and low standard leakage current (DCL) values of 0.01CV, says the company. Manufactured and screened using AVX’s patented and extremely effective Q-Process to ensure the removal of any components that may experience parametric shifts through customer processing or display instability through life testing, T4J Medical Series capacitors feature two levels of statistical screening: T4J Standard for standard DCL and ESR limits, and T4J Custom for specific DCL and ESR parameter limits, available down to 0.005CV on selected codes. "The new T4J Medical Series tantalum SMD capacitors were explicitly developed for implantable, non-life-support and non-implantable life support medical applications, and feature higher reliability and lower DCL than competing products currently available on the market, both of which are critical parameters in medical electronics applications," said Brian Brunette, high reliability tantalum applications engineer, AVX. RoHS-compliant and lead-free compatible, T4J Medical Series tantalum SMD capacitors are available in six case sizes spanning 1206 to 2924, seven voltages spanning 6.3V to 50V, and two terminations: 100% tin or SnPb. Capacitance values for the series span 1µF to 680µF with a tolerance of ±10%, and operating temperatures span -55C to +125C.