Low-profile aluminium electrolytic capacitor breaks energy density barriers

Cornell Dubilier Electronics has announced a significant new development in aluminium electrolytic technology. Its 85C THA Series Thinpack capacitors are only 8.2mm thick, and 9mm for the 105C THAS Series. This is comparable in height to V-chip electrolytics, tantalums and board-mounted axials, yet offer much higher bulk-storage energy density. A single THA/THAS capacitor can replace an array of SMT, axial or radial aluminium electrolytic or solid tantalum capacitance arrays. That substitution can allow engineers to design smaller products with simplified assembly and higher reliability. The design has been re-engineered to be thinner and more cost effective, making it a good fit for many of today’s high-performance electronics. Unlike traditional cylindrical electrolytics, a THA/THAS capacitor has a sealed, laser welded aluminium case that eliminates the need for space wasting end seal gaskets. The design includes a valve to vent hydrogen gas, reducing swelling by relieving internal pressure. Potential applications include any circuits that require high capacitance bulk storage and filtering in a low-height profile. This includes tablets, laptops, instrumentation, commercial-grade LED driver modules, compact power supplies, drones and RPVs, set-top boxes, 1U rack-mounted devices and other thin, high-performance devices.