Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090059477 | Laser-Welded Solid Electrolytic Capacitor - A solid electrolytic capacitor that is capable of withstanding laser welding without a significant deterioration in its electrical performance is provided. The capacitor contains an anode body, dielectric layer overlying the anode body, and a solid organic electrolyte layer overlying the dielectric layer. Furthermore, the capacitor of the present invention also employs a light reflective layer that overlies the solid organic electrolyte layer. The present inventors have discovered that such a light reflective layer may help reflect any light that inadvertently travels toward the capacitor element during laser welding. This results in reduced contact of the solid organic electrolyte with the laser and thus minimizes defects in the electrolyte that would have otherwise been formed by carbonization. The resultant laser-welded capacitor is therefore characterized by such performance characteristics as relatively low ESR and low leakage currents. | 03-05-2009 |
20100229361 | Laser-Welded Solid Electrolytic Capacitor - A solid electrolytic capacitor that is capable of withstanding laser welding without a significant deterioration in its electrical performance is provided. The capacitor contains an anode body, dielectric layer overlying the anode body, and a solid organic electrolyte layer overlying the dielectric layer. Furthermore, the capacitor of the present invention also employs a light reflective layer that overlies the solid organic electrolyte layer. The present inventors have discovered that such a light reflective layer may help reflect any light that inadvertently travels toward the capacitor element during laser welding. This results in reduced contact of the solid organic electrolyte with the laser and thus minimizes defects in the electrolyte that would have otherwise been formed by carbonization. The resultant laser-welded capacitor is therefore characterized by such performance characteristics as relatively low ESR and low leakage currents. | 09-16-2010 |
20110096466 | External Coating for a Solid Electrolytic Capacitor - A solid electrolytic capacitor that includes an anode body, a dielectric overlying the anode body, a solid electrolyte that contains one or more conductive polymers and overlies the dielectric, and an external coating that overlies the solid electrolyte, is provided. The external coating includes at least one carbonaceous layer (e.g., graphite) and at least one metal layer (e.g., silver). In addition to the aforementioned layers, the external coating also includes at least one conductive polymer layer that is disposed between the carbonaceous and metal layers. Among other things, such a conductive polymer layer can reduce the likelihood that the carbonaceous layer will delaminate from the solid electrolyte during use. This can increase the mechanical robustness of the part and improve its electrical performance. | 04-28-2011 |
20120033349 | Mechanically Robust Solid Electrolytic Capacitor Assembly - An integrated capacitor assembly that contains at least two solid electrolytic capacitor elements electrically connected to common anode and cathode terminations is provided. The capacitor elements contain an anode, a dielectric coating overlying the anode that is formed by anodic oxidation, and a conductive polymer solid electrolyte overlying the dielectric layer. The capacitor elements are spaced apart from each other a certain distance such that a resinous material can fill the space between the elements. In this manner, the present inventors believe that the resinous material can limit the expansion of the conductive polymer layer to such an extent that it does not substantially delaminate from the capacitor element. In addition to possessing mechanical stability, the capacitor assembly also possesses a combination of good electrical properties, such as low ESR, high capacitance, and a high dielectric breakdown voltage. | 02-09-2012 |
20120069490 | Conductive Polymer Coating for Wet Electrolytic Capacitor - A wet electrolytic capacitor that includes a porous anode body containing a dielectric layer, a cathode containing a metal substrate on which is disposed a conductive polymer coating, and an electrolyte is provided. The conductive polymer coating is in the form of a dispersion of particles having a relatively small size, such as an average diameter of from about 1 to about 500 nanometers, in some embodiments from about 5 to about 400 nanometers, and in some embodiments, from about 10 to about 300 nanometers. The relatively small size of the particles used in the coating increases the surface area that is available for adhering to the metal substrate, which in turn improves mechanical robustness and electrical performance (e.g., reduced equivalent series resistance and leakage current). Another benefit of employing such a dispersion for the conductive polymer coating is that it may be able to better cover crevices of the metal substrate and improve electrical contact. | 03-22-2012 |
20120120556 | Solid Electrolytic Capacitor Element - A solid electrolytic capacitor element that is capable of withstanding laser welding without a significant deterioration in its electrical performance is provided. The capacitor element contains an anode body, dielectric, and solid electrolyte. To help shield the solid electrolyte from damage that might otherwise occur during manufacture of the capacitor, a multi-layered protective coating is employed in the present invention that overlies at least a portion of the solid electrolyte. More particularly, the protective coating includes a light reflective layer overlying the solid electrolyte and a stress dissipation layer overlying the light reflective layer. The light reflective layer can help reflect any light that inadvertently travels toward the capacitor during, for example, laser welding. This results in reduced contact of the solid electrolyte with the laser and thus minimizes defects in the electrolyte that would have otherwise been formed by carbonization. The stress dissipation layer can likewise help to dissipate stresses experienced by the capacitor (e.g., during encapsulation, reflow, etc.) so that they are not as likely to cause damage to the solid electrolyte. The stress dissipation layer can also be relatively porous in nature so that humidity trapped in the capacitor can escape and diminish the pressure that might otherwise be transferred to the solid electrolyte. | 05-17-2012 |
20120134073 | Multi-Layered Conductive Polymer Coatings for Use in High Voltage solid Electrolytic Capacitors - A solid electrolytic capacitor that is capable of exhibiting stable electrical properties (e.g., leakage current and ESR) in a wide variety of operational conditions is provided. The capacitor contains an oxidized anode body and a conductive polymer coating overlying the anode body. The conductive polymer coating contains multiple layers formed from a dispersion of pre-polymerized conductive polymer particles. Unlike conventional attempts, the present inventors have surprisingly discovered that capacitors formed from such conductive polymer dispersions can operate at high voltages, and also achieve good electrical performance at relatively high humidity and/or temperature levels. More particularly, the present inventors have discovered that the problem of layer delamination may be overcome by carefully controlling the configuration of the conductive polymer coating and the manner in which it is formed. Namely, the coating contains a first layer that only partially covers the anode body. Because the anode body is not completely coated, the gaseous bubbles generated within the first layer are able to more easily escape via the uncoated portion without tearing away portions of the polymer layer. This minimizes the subsequent formation of surface inhomogeneities that could otherwise lead to delamination. The coating may likewise contain a second layer that overlies the first layer, and covers substantially the entire surface of the anode body. | 05-31-2012 |
20120257328 | Housing Configuration for a Solid Electrolytic Capacitor - A capacitor assembly that is stable under extreme conditions is provided. More particularly, the assembly includes a capacitor element that is positioned within an interior cavity of a housing. The housing includes a base to which the capacitor element is connected. The housing also includes a lid that contains an outer wall from which extends a sidewall. An end of the sidewall is defined by a lip extending at an angle relative to the longitudinal direction and having a peripheral edge located beyond a periphery of the sidewall. The lip is hermetically sealed to the base. In some cases, the peripheral edge of the lip is also coplanar with an edge of the base. The use of such a lip can enable a more stable connection between the components and improve the seal and mechanical stability of the capacitor assembly, thereby allowing it to better function under extreme conditions. | 10-11-2012 |
20120257329 | Manganese Oxide Capacitor for Use in Extreme Environments - A capacitor assembly for use in high voltage and high temperature environments is provided. More particularly, the capacitor assembly includes a capacitor element containing an anodically oxidized porous, sintered body that is coated with a manganese oxide solid electrolyte. To help facilitate the use of the capacitor assembly in high voltage (e.g., above about 35 volts) and high temperature (e.g., above about 175° C.) applications, the capacitor element is enclosed and hermetically sealed within a housing in the presence of a gaseous atmosphere that contains an inert gas. | 10-11-2012 |
20120327561 | Mechanically Robust Solid Electrolytic Capacitor Assembly - An integrated capacitor assembly that contains at least two solid electrolytic capacitor elements electrically connected to common anode and cathode terminations is provided. The capacitor elements contain an anode, a dielectric coating overlying the anode that is formed by anodic oxidation, and a conductive polymer solid electrolyte overlying the dielectric layer. The capacitor elements are spaced apart from each other a certain distance such that a resinous material can fill the space between the elements. In this manner, the present inventors believe that the resinous material can limit the expansion of the conductive polymer layer to such an extent that it does not substantially delaminate from the capacitor element. In addition to possessing mechanical stability, the capacitor assembly also possesses a combination of good electrical properties, such as low ESR, high capacitance, and a high dielectric breakdown voltage. | 12-27-2012 |
20130155580 | Wet Electrolytic Capacitor Containing an Improved Anode - A wet electrolytic capacitor that includes a sintered porous anode body containing a dielectric layer, a fluid electrolyte, and a cathode is provided. At least one longitudinally extending channel is recessed into the anode body. The channel may have a relatively high aspect ratio (length divided by width), such as about 2 or more, in some embodiments about 5 or more, in some embodiments from about 10 to about 200, in some embodiments from about 15 to about 150, in some embodiments from about 20 to about 100, and in some embodiments, from about 30 to about 60. | 06-20-2013 |
20130229751 | Ultrahigh Voltage Solid Electrolytic Capacitor - A capacitor for use in ultrahigh voltage environments is provided. During formation of the capacitor, the forming voltage employed during anodization is generally about 300 volts or more and at temperatures ranging from about 10° C. to about 70° C. Such conditions can substantially improve the quality and thickness of the dielectric without adversely impacting the uniformity and consistency of its surface coverage. In addition, the solid electrolyte is also formed from a dispersion of preformed conductive polymer particles. In this manner, the electrolyte may remain generally free of high energy radicals (e.g., Fe | 09-05-2013 |
20130242464 | Wet Capacitor Cathode Containing a Conductive Copolymer - A wet electrolytic capacitor that contains an anodically oxidized porous anode body, a cathode containing a metal substrate coated with a conductive coating, and a working electrolyte that wets the dielectric on the anode. The conductive coating contains a conductive copolymer having at least one thiophene repeating unit, as well as a pyrrole repeating unit and/or aniline repeating unit. | 09-19-2013 |
20130242465 | Wet Capacitor Cathode Containing a Conductive Coating Formed Anodic Electrochemical Polymerization of a Colloidal Suspension - A wet electrolytic capacitor that contains an anodically oxidized porous anode body, a cathode containing a metal substrate coated with a conductive coating, and a working electrolyte that wets the dielectric on the anode. The conductive coating is formed through anodic electrochemical polymerization (“electro-polymerization”) of a precursor colloidal suspension on the surface of the substrate. The colloidal suspension includes a precursor monomer, ionic surfactant, and sulfonic acid, which when employed in combination can synergistically improve the degree of surface coverage and overall conductivity of the coating. | 09-19-2013 |
20140022702 | Solid Electrolytic Capacitor with Enhanced Wet-to-Dry Capacitance - A capacitor for use in relatively high voltage environments is provided. During formation, anodization may be carried out in a manner so that the dielectric layer possesses a relatively thick portion that overlies an external surface of the anode and a relatively thin portion that overlies an interior surface of the anode. In addition to employing a dielectric layer with a differential thickness, the solid electrolyte is also formed from the combination of pre-polymerized conductive polymer particles and a hydroxy-functional nonionic polymer. | 01-23-2014 |
20140022703 | Temperature Stable Solid Electrolytic Capacitor - A capacitor whose electrical properties can be stable under a variety of different conditions is provided. The solid electrolyte of the capacitor is formed from a combination of an in situ polymerized conductive polymer and a hydroxy-functional nonionic polymer. One benefit of such an in situ polymerized conductive polymer is that it does not require the use of polymeric counterions (e.g., polystyrenesulfonic anion) to compensate for charge, as with conventional particle dispersions, which tend to result in ionic polarization and instable electrical properties, particularly at the low temperatures noted above. Further, it is believed that hydroxy-functional nonionic polymers can improve the degree of contact between the polymer and the surface of the internal dielectric, which unexpectedly increases the capacitance performance and reduces ESR. | 01-23-2014 |
20140022704 | Solid Electrolytic Capacitor with Improved Performance at High Voltages - A solid electrolytic capacitor that comprises a sintered porous anode, a dielectric layer that overlies the anode body, and a solid electrolyte overlying the dielectric layer is provided. The anode is formed from a finely divided powder (e.g., nodular or angular) having a relatively high specific charge. Despite the use of such high specific charge powders, high voltages can be achieved through a combination of features relating to the formation of the anode and solid electrolyte. For example, relatively high press densities and sintering temperatures may be employed to achieve “sinter necks” between adjacent agglomerated particles that are relatively large in size, which render the dielectric layer in the vicinity of the neck less susceptible to failure at high forming voltages. | 01-23-2014 |
20140268501 | Solid Electrolytic Capacitor for Use in Extreme Conditions - A capacitor assembly that is capable of performing under extreme conditions, such as at high temperatures and/or high voltages, is provided. The ability to perform at high temperature is achieved in part by enclosing and hermetically sealing the capacitor element within a housing in the presence of a gaseous atmosphere that contains an inert gas, thereby limiting the amount of oxygen and moisture supplied to the solid electrolyte of the capacitor element. Furthermore, the present inventors have also discovered that the ability to perform at high voltages can be achieved through a unique and controlled combination of features relating to the formation of the anode, dielectric, and solid electrolyte. For example, the solid electrolyte is formed from a combination of a conductive polymer and a hydroxy-functional nonionic polymer. | 09-18-2014 |
20140268502 | Solid Electrolytic Capacitor - A capacitor for use in relatively high voltage environments is provided. The solid electrolyte is formed from a plurality of pre-polymerized particles in the form of a dispersion. In addition, the anode is formed such that it contains at least one longitudinally extending channel is recessed therein. The channel may have a relatively high aspect ratio (length divided by width), such as about 2 or more, in some embodiments about 5 or more, in some embodiments from about 10 to about 200, in some embodiments from about 15 to about 150, in some embodiments from about 20 to about 100, and in some embodiments, from about 30 to about 60. | 09-18-2014 |
20140334069 | Solid Electrolytic Capacitor Containing Conductive Polymer Particles - A solid electrolytic capacitor that contains an anode body, dielectric overlying the anode body, adhesion coating overlying the dielectric, and solid electrolyte overlying the adhesion coating. The solid electrolyte contains an inner conductive polymer layer and outer conductive polymer layer, at least one of which is formed from a plurality of pre-polymerized conductive polymer particles. Furthermore, the adhesion coating contains a discontinuous precoat layer containing a plurality of discrete nanoprojections of a manganese oxide (e.g., manganese dioxide). | 11-13-2014 |
20150055277 | Thin Wire/Thick Wire Lead Assembly for Electrolytic Capacitor - A capacitor containing a solid electrolytic capacitor element including a sintered porous anode body, a first anode lead, and a second anode lead is provided. The first anode lead has a thickness that is larger than a thickness of the second anode lead. A portion of the first anode lead is embedded in the porous anode body, and a second portion of the first anode lead extends from a surface thereof in a longitudinal direction. Meanwhile, the second anode lead is electrically connected to the anode body for connection to an anode termination. In one embodiment, the second anode lead can be directly connected to a surface of the anode body. In another embodiment, the second anode lead can be indirectly connected to the anode body such as via attachment at an end of the second portion of the first anode lead. | 02-26-2015 |
20150077900 | Wet Electrolytic Capacitor Containing a Hydrogen Protection Layer - A wet electrolytic capacitor that contains a casing within which is positioned an anode formed from an anodically oxidized sintered porous body and a fluidic working electrolyte is provided. The casing contains a metal substrate over which is disposed a hydrogen protection layer that contains a plurality of sintered agglomerates formed from a valve metal composition. The present inventors have discovered that through careful selection of the relative particle size and distribution of the agglomerates, the resulting protection layer can effectively absorb and dissipate hydrogen radicals generated during use and/or production of the capacitor, which could otherwise lead to embrittlement and cracking of the metal substrate. | 03-19-2015 |
20150077901 | Wet Electrolytic Capacitor Containing a Composite Coating - A wet electrolytic capacitor that contains a casing within which is positioned an anode formed from an anodically oxidized sintered porous body and a fluidic working electrolyte is provided. The casing contains a composite coating disposed on a surface of a metal substrate. The composite coating includes a noble metal layer that overlies the metal substrate and a conductive polymer layer that overlies the noble metal layer. | 03-19-2015 |
20150077902 | Electro-Polymerized Coating for a Wet Electrolytic Capacitor - A wet electrolytic capacitor that contains a casing within which is positioned an anode formed from an anodically oxidized sintered porous body and a fluidic working electrolyte is provided. The casing contains a conductive coating disposed on a surface of a metal substrate. The casing contains a metal substrate coated with a conductive coating. The conductive coating contains a conductive polymer layer formed through anodic electrochemical polymerization (“electro-polymerization”) of a colloidal suspension on the surface of the metal substrate. The conductive coating also contains a precoat layer that is discontinuous in nature and contains a plurality of discrete projections of a conductive material that are deposited over the surface of the metal substrate in a spaced-apart fashion so that they form “island-like” structures. | 03-19-2015 |