Kyocera AVX Key parameters for Designing Ceramic Capacitors in SMPS Circuits
Abstract
Capacitors are ubiquitous and indispensable components of electronic circuits used for a
plethora of uses. For engineers looking to design multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs)
in switch-mode power supplies (SMPS) such as Buck and Boost converters, some essential
parameters to be considered include the ripple current capability, ripple voltage, and
power dissipation. Using the KYOCERA AVX SpiCalci10 model simulation tool for SMPS
capacitors, this whitepaper will outline various MLCC characteristics, AC current capability,
and other considerations for circuit design.
Kyocera AVX SpiCALCI 10 simulation software
KYOCERA AVX offers the SpiCALCI 10 (the latest version of its SpiCALCI software), which is an
engineering tool that simulates performance characteristics and parameters for its advanced
switch-mode power supply (SMPS) multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs). KYOCERA AVX created
this tool to help electrical design engineers select a part that will best satisfy their application criteria.
KYOCERA AVX’s SpiCalci10 software allows electrical design engineers to predict critical parameters,
such as self-resonant frequency, ESR, ESL, and phase angle, for a given ambient temperature,
temperature rise, and operational frequency. Moreover, designers can adjust the variables
numerically, via a button slide, to model important capacitor characteristics, such as ripple current,
ripple voltage, and internal temperature.
The software also helps to generate interactive graphs for further analysis of ESR and impedance
vs. frequency, temperature rise vs. current, maximum current vs. frequency, maximum
ripple voltage vs. frequency, phase angle vs. frequency, and capacitance changes with DC bias.
The numerical data can be imported to SPICE simulation software, and the graphs can be saved
and printed for presentation or sharing.
Key parameters for designing circuits with MLCCs:
» Allowable ripple current and ripple voltage
» ESR compared to other passive components
» Temperature rise
» Thermal resistance
Pitcures excamples of Advanced MLCC for SMPS
TechnicalPaper Tools:SpiCALCI10.0+SpiMLCC Catalogue AdvancedCeramicCapacitors Contact our Specialist
