General characteristics of condensators – Ceramic capacitors

Capacitors are passive components used in all fields of electronics: telecommunications, computing, automotive, aerospace, consumer electronics, and more. They allow for the temporary storage of an electric charge between two electrodes separated by an insulating material, known as a dielectric. Their electrical performance depends on the nature of the dielectric and the electrode-insulator-electrode structure. Based on these considerations, excluding emerging technologies, they can be classified into three main families:

• ceramic capacitors;

• electrochemical capacitors;

• film capacitors.

The choice of capacitor type depends on the constraints imposed by the intended application: it is determined not only by the desired capacitance value, but also by the dielectric’s behavior as a function of temperature, frequency, the amplitude of the signal to be processed, the bias voltage, environmental conditions, and so on. Finally, manufacturing and packaging technologies, as well as reliability and cost constraints, must be taken into account.

Technological advances in capacitors are driven by the dual demands of miniaturization and cost reduction. In the fields of telecommunications and consumer electronics, this trend has led to the exclusive use of surface-mount technology for components on printed circuit boards. Consequently, capacitors intended for mass-market electronic circuits—which cannot keep pace with this evolution for economic or technical reasons—have disappeared or are set to disappear, while new technologies (such as “silicon” capacitors) are being developed.

Furthermore, the trend toward greater miniaturization in electronics creates a constant demand for ever-smaller components. These components naturally tend to generate higher heat per unit volume. Current trends in professional power electronics for the aerospace, space, oil exploration, and other industries are driving the need for capacitors capable of operating at high temperatures, which could range from 150 to 200 °C, or even higher. In response to these challenges, we are seeing the emergence of new, specialized, high-performance, and reliable materials, as well as new technological approaches.

The ceramics segment accounted for the largest share in 2024, representing approximately 49% of the market