NASA Logo

NTRS

NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server

Back to Results
Test Methods and Analysis of Anomalous Charging Currents in Polymer Tantalum CapacitorsDue to dry environments, anomalous charging currents (ACC) in polymer tantalum capacitors (PTC) could cause malfunctions or failures in space systems. Currently, there is no standard metric to assess this effect, and factors affecting ACC are not well understood. This paper discusses the benefits and drawbacks of different methods used to reveal ACC including constant voltage ramp and constant current stress and suggest a power surge testing (PST) as a procedure for screening and qualification of PTCs for space applications. The suggested test is similar to the surge current testing that is currently used for MnO2 tantalum capacitors but assures dissipation of high power in the part throughout testing. Using various types of capacitors, the reproducibility of test results for different manufacturing
lots of PTCs and from sample to sample within a lot were estimated. The impact of moisture content, test temperature, stress voltages, and preconditioning were assessed. Thermal effects associated with ACC and the possibility of catastrophic failures were studied experimentally using an IR camera and calculated at adiabatic heating conditions. Possible mechanisms of the phenomenon are discussed and recommendations for testing to avoid failures related to ACC are suggested.
Document ID
20220010090
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Technical Publication (TP)
Authors
Alexander A.Teverovsky
(Jacobs (United States) Dallas, Texas, United States)
Date Acquired
June 30, 2022
Publication Date
October 1, 2022
Publication Information
Subject Category
Physics (General)
Electronics And Electrical Engineering
Funding Number(s)
WBS: 817091.40.31.51.02
CONTRACT_GRANT: 80GSFC18C0120
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Public Use Permitted.
Technical Review
NASA Peer Committee
No Preview Available