New medical-grade tantalums for implantable and life-support applications

Latest from AVX is the new TBC Series HRC6000 medical implantable grade tantalum capacitors. Delivering lower DC leakage (DCL) values than any competitive offering - down to 0.0025CV or 25% of typical industry limits - and requiring significantly less voltage de-rating than the standard 50% recommendation for solid tantalum capacitors - as low as 20% for filtering and 0% for pacing, hold-up, and charging - the series is ideal for medical implantable and life support applications, says the company. Brian Brunette, high-reliability tantalum applications engineer, AVX, said: "TBC Series HRC6000 capacitors are manufactured using AVX's patented Q-Process, which was developed to replace the Weibull Reliability Assessment as the industry standard for tantalum capacitors due to its tendency to burn-in potentially unstable units. In use since 2013, the Q-Process, which has enhanced screening imbedding in it, effectively removes components that may experience parametric shifts through customer processing or display instability through life testing, ensures stable and normalized DCL distribution, and provides reliability level verification through life testing to a minimum of 0.1% per 1,000 hours with a 90% confidence level. "The TBC HRC6000 medical grade series is the next generation of our internally qualified medical grade tantalum capacitors. Manufactured and screened using our patented Q-Process, which utilizes a product level designation system based on a simulated production routine performed on a sample population and a calculation that is both based on the performance of the sample and takes the application conditions of end customers into account, this system allows for remarkably relaxed de-rating recommendations." ” Currently available in three case sizes (0603, 0805, and 1411), three rated voltages (4V, 6V, and 10V), three capacitance tolerances (±5%, ±10%, and ±20%), and with capacitance values spanning 2.2µF to 68µF, the series is rated for use in operating temperatures ranging from -55C to +125C. At present, 0603 size components are available rated for 2.2µF to 4.7µF and all three voltages, 0805 components are available rated for 6.8µF to 22µF and all three voltages, and 1411 components are available rated for 33µF to 68µF and two voltages: 6V and 10V. TBC Series HRC6000 medical implantable grade capacitors are also available with one of three termination finishes: solder fused, gold-plated, and 100% matte tin, the latter two of which are lead-free compatible and RoHS compliant. Lead time for the series is 12 weeks, and components can be shipped in bulk, on 7-inch tape and reel, or in waffle packaging, says the company.