Novel Processing of Dielectric Films

Modern pulsed power systems and power electronics demand high energy density, high reliability, and fast discharge speed capacitors that cannot be fabricated with commercially available dielectric materials. Current electrostatic capacitors usually have an energy density below 2 J/cc due to the limitation of dielectric material performance and reliability constraints. The bulky size of existing capacitor components severely impedes the miniaturization of many electronic devices, and capacitor components can occupy more than 50% of the device volume. In Phase I, SPS and PSU have developed novel high-K capacitor films with dielectric breakdown strength above 700 MV/m and discharged energy density around 27 J/cc. During the Phase II program, SPS with work with PSU and Electronic Concepts Inc to produce high quality capacitor films with an energy density above 40 J/cc utilizing optimized dielectric composition and advanced film processing technology. Prototype capacitors will be fabricated with an energy density above 10 J/cc on the packaged capacitor level through combining enhanced film self-healing capability, tailored surface coating/treating, state-of-the-art metallization techniques, robust capacitor design, and high-density capacitor packaging.