Low ESR SMT Al Caps Vie With Lower Voltage Ta Types

Based on a new conductive polymer serving as the solid electrolyte, the Al-Chip PX Series of aluminum capacitors is designed for use as surface-mount alternatives to OS-Con or tantalum capacitors in dc-to-dc converters, voltage regulators, and decoupling circuitry used in computer motherboards and servers requiring low ESR at high frequencies.
The new aluminum capacitors have an operating temperature range of -55°C to 105°C and a 1,000-hr. guaranteed lifetime, the same as SMD tantalum capacitors. And the Al caps span a 4 to 25 Vdc voltage range-- versus about 4 to 50 Vdc for the Ta SMT types-- and span a 6.8 to 680 µF capacitance range compared to 0.047 to 220 µF for the tantalums.
The Al-Chip PX caps come in four case sizes: three vertical styles ranging from 6.3 mm in diameter x 5.7 mm high to 10 mm in diameter x 7.7 mm high; and a horizontal model measuring 8.3 mm long x 4.6 mm wide x 4.5 mm high. Price ranges from $0.55 to $1.50 each.