ENERGY STORAGE ENHANCEMENT IN HIGH ENERGY DENSITY CAPACITORS

AN APPROACH TO SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE THE ENERGY DENSITY OF CAPACITORS IN REP-RATED APPLICATIONS IS BEING INVESTIGATED. THIS TECHNIQUE IS APPLICABLE ONLY TO REP-RATED APPLICATIONS SINCE IT UTILIZES THE FIXED CHARGE AND DISCHARGE DURATION CHARACTERISTICS NEEDED FOR THESE APPLICATIONS TO TAILOR THE CHARGE DYNAMICS AT THE METAL DIELECTRIC BOUNDARY REGION. THE TECHNIQUE BEING EMPLOYED REPRESENTS PARALLEL DEVELOPMENTPATHS TO THOSE CURRENTLY PURSUED. THIS APPROACH INVOLVED OVERCOMING TWO FUNDAMENTAL CONSTRAINTS TO ENERGY DENSITY: THE INEVITABLE DERATING OF THE DIELECTRIC STRENGTH OF THE MATERIAL DUE TO DISCONTINUITIES IN THE METAL OR DIELECTRIC, AND THE EXTRA MATERIAL WHICH MUST BE ALLOWED AT THE EDGES OF THE CAPACITOR TO HOLD THE VOLTAGE AT THE EDGE. THE TECHNIQUES REQUIRE THAT THE CYCLE OF THE CAPACITOR BE PRESCRIBED. TRANSIENT VOLUME CHARGE DISTRIBUTIONS PREVENT FIELD ENHANCEMENT BOTH AT THE METALIZATION AND DIELECTRIC SURFACE. ELECTROPHORETIC DEPOSITION, POSSIBLY LANGMUIR-BLODGETT FILM TECHNIQUES, ARE BEING USED FOR SURFACE TREATMENT. SUCCESSFUL DEVELOPMENT OF THESE TECHNIQUES WOULD SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE THE ENERGY STORAGE DENSITY OF CAPACITORS FOR TRANSIENT APPLICATIONS. THESE TECHNIQUES COULD BE COMBINED WITH ONGOING WORK IN MATERIALS AND FABRICATION TO IMPROVE POWER CONDITIONING TECHNOLOGY FORSPACE POWER APPLICATIONS.