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Introduction
Electric field
Capacitance
Dielectric strength
Leakage current
Various types of capacitors
Capacitors in series and parallel
Energy stored by a capacitor
Stray capacitances
Transient analysis (Next class)
Introduction
Basic Construction
The capacitor is constructed with the dielectric sandwiched between the two
conducting plates.
Each plate is capable of being charged with electrical current and has the ability
to hold the charge. The difference in the charge levels of the conductive plates
allows an electric field to exist in the dielectric which acts an insulator or
separator.
Dielectrics are materials that do not conduct electricity.
Example of dielectric materials: air, paper, plastic, ceramic etc.
Capacitance (ability to hold electrical charges) usually measured in farads or
microfarads.
Dielectric Strength
Dielectric Strength is a measure of the electrical strength of a material to act as
an insulator.
It is defined as the maximum voltage required to produce a dielectric breakdown
through the material and is expressed as Volts per unit thickness (Volts/meter).
The higher the dielectric strength of a material the better its quality as an
insulator.
The corresponding voltage is known as breakdown voltage.
Leakage current
In reality dielectrics are not perfect insulators
When a voltage is applied across a capacitor, a
leakage current is established between the plates
Becomes important when capacitors remain in a
charged state for long periods of time and
establishes a discharge current through the resistor
Electrolytic capacitors have high leakage currents
Image courtesy: Wikipedia
Stray Capacitances
Stray capacitance is the capacitance that occurs due to electric
stray fields.
Arises when two conducting surfaces are relatively close to one another
May lead to serious errors in system design if they are not considered
carefully.
It is undesired as it slows down voltage changes, hence speed.
Undesirable capacitance between circuit wires, between wires and the
chassis, or between components and the chassis of electronic equipment.
(McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms)
Transient Analysis
Charging Phase
Time constant
Discharge Phase
Charging Phase
Transient voltage/current
The factor tau, called the time constant of the network (unit time)
Discharging Phase