Energy and power densities of capacitors and dielectrics

Capacitor miniaturization is directly related to improved energy density and power density, which are determined at the component and material levels for multilayer ceramic, electrolytic and polymer film classifications. The volumetric efficiency of a capacitor depends on capacitance value, operating voltage and equivalent series resistance. Permittivity and loss are the primary material metrics governing energy and power densities of dielectric materials. High temperature capacitor reliability must be improved to close this gap in terms of scientific understanding and engineering design of these components. Power density values range enormously from 10⁸ W/cm³ at the material level through to the application level at 50 W/cm³ at the inverter level.