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Applications Dictate Capacitance Measurements

Capacitors have various characteristics that affect their performance depending on the application. The appropriate test and model depends on whether parallel resistance (Rp) or series resistance (Rs) is more important. There are two main models: the admittance model, which uses a two-wire test for applications where Rp matters like timing circuits; and the impedance model, which uses a four-wire test for applications where Rs matters, like switching power supplies. The test frequency should match the frequency the capacitor will experience in its intended application.

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73 views4 pages

Applications Dictate Capacitance Measurements

Capacitors have various characteristics that affect their performance depending on the application. The appropriate test and model depends on whether parallel resistance (Rp) or series resistance (Rs) is more important. There are two main models: the admittance model, which uses a two-wire test for applications where Rp matters like timing circuits; and the impedance model, which uses a four-wire test for applications where Rs matters, like switching power supplies. The test frequency should match the frequency the capacitor will experience in its intended application.

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tinears02
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Applications Dictate Capacitance Measurements

Emeric Bennett - September 01, 2000

Capacitors come in many styles and sizes, and manufacturers list many specifications in their data
sheets. A part’s package may indicate a capacitance value and an operating voltage limit, but other
parameters—such as parallel leakage resistance, series resistance, and lead inductance—also can
affect how a part will perform as a function of frequency. The test you perform on a capacitor used for
a timing circuit that works near DC will be different from the test you perform on a capacitor used in a
switching power supply filter circuit that filters AC signals.

Figure 1. A fairly complete capacitor model shows


lead
inductance, parallel resistance, series resistance, and
dielectric absorption.
Figure 2. a) An admittance model of a capacitor
highlights parallel resistance while b) an impedance
model highlights series resistance.

Figure 1 shows a fairly complete capacitor model. I say “fairly complete” because not only do the
effects of each component vary with frequency, but the values of the components themselves also
may vary with frequency. In a perfect model, the values of the components don’t change with
frequency.

Fortunately, you often don’t need to account for all of a capacitor’s characteristics when designing one
into a circuit because not all characteristics will significantly change how the device performs in your
application. In a timing circuit or a sample-and-hold circuit, for example, a capacitor’s series
inductance (Ls) and series resistance (Rs) are usually insignificant because the frequency of the voltage
applied across the capacitor is relatively low (DC–10 kHz). But parallel leakage resistance (Rp) and
perhaps the effects of Cd and Rd (the dielectric absorption network) can significantly change a circuit’s
timing. These components will cause some low-frequency current to leak through the device.

In a capacitor used as a switching power supply’s filter, Rp and the dielectric absorption network have
negligible effects on circuit performance. But Ls and Rs can change a capacitor’s characteristics. As
frequency increases, the impedance of Ls increases until it overwhelms the impedance of the ideal
capacitance (C). At frequencies above the point where C and Ls resonate, the capacitor acts like an
inductor.

Choose Your Model

You can divide capacitor applications into two models—admittance and impedance. In the timing
circuit example, the admittance model (Fig. 2a) describes the capacitor’s performance. A parallel
resistance across capacitor Cp will force some current to bypass the capacitor, causing a timing error in
the circuit. The admittance model reduces the full model to two components, Cp and Rp. Cp is an
equivalent value of ideal capacitance that combines all the capacitive components of the full model.
The ideal capacitance is the predominant element in the full model that affects Cp.

In a switching power supply filter, though, a series resistance can alter an ideal capacitor’s
characteristics. In an impedance model (Fig. 2b), you can reduce the capacitor to components Cs and
Rs. Cs represents the equivalent capacitance of the device, which includes the effects that Ls has on the
device. Resistance, Rs, often called equivalent series resistance (ESR), places a limit on the capacitor’s
minimum impedance no matter how high the input frequency gets.

Remember that admittance and impedance are inversely proportional. A low admittance implies a
high impedance, and vice versa. In choosing a model, use the admittance model when you want a low
admittance (high impedance) load on the low-frequency test signal. Use the impedance model when
you want a low impedance (high admittance) load on the high-frequency test signal.

Capacitance meters and LCR meters use both models to measure and calculate a capacitor’s
characteristics. Because the admittance and impedance models are not full models, the values of the
components are frequency dependent and are valid at one frequency only—the frequency of the
excitation signal you use in your measurement. The values you read for Cp and Rp or Cs and Rs on a
capacitance meter will vary with frequency.

A capacitance meter or LCR meter applies an AC voltage across the DUT, then measures the amplitude
and phase of both the voltage across and the current through the DUT. The meter then calculates the
phase difference. Knowing the current, the voltage, and the difference in phase, a meter can calculate
impedance (and therefore admittance), and then use that value to calculate the values of Cp and Rp
(admittance model) or Cs and Rs (impedance model).

Table 1 summarizes the two models, their


applications in circuits, and what type of test
setup—two-wire guarded or four-wire—you
should use. To test a capacitor, you must first
decide which model to use. In other words,
decide if Rp or Rs is the more important
parameter in the capacitor’s application.

When using the admittance model, use the


guarded two-wire measurement shown in
Figure 3. This setup is highly accurate for
admittance tests at lower frequencies, typically
below 100 kHz depending on the value of the
DUT. Above 100 kHz, the accuracy deteriorates.
The guarded two-wire setup works well for
measuring capacitors less than 1000 pF. The
shielded cables eliminate stray capacitance in
Figure 3. Use the guarded two-wire method to
the test leads that can add to Cp, which would measure capacitors modeled by the admittance
produce a measurement that’s too high. model.

For the impedance model, use a four-wire


measurement setup similar to the one in Figure
4. The additional two leads let the meter sense
the DUT’s impedance right at the device, which
eliminates the losses caused by lead resistance
and lead inductance. Otherwise, the losses in
the wires will add to the measurement result.
Use shielded wires here, too, to eliminate the
effects of stray capacitance in the wires. Use the
four-wire setup for capacitors above 1000 pF.
Although you can use the four-wire method to
measure capacitors below 1000 pF, it offers no
advantage over the guarded two-wire setup.

In the admittance model, a low test frequency Figure 4. Use the four-wire method to measure
(typically 1 kHz or 10 kHz) makes Cp look like capacitors modeled by the impedance model.
an open circuit, which accentuates the influence
of Rp, and the meter can calculate the value of
Cp. For the impedance model, a high test frequency (typically 100 kHz or 1 MHz) makes Cs appear like
a short, letting the meter measure Rs. If your meter lets you adjust excitation frequency, you should
perform your tests at the frequency that the DUT will most likely encounter in its application. If your
meter only lets you test at fixed frequencies, use the nearest one. T&MW

Emeric Bennettis a senior staff engineer at Keithley Instruments, where he has designed products for
15 years. He has a B.S. in applied mathematics from the University of Akron and holds
several patents in electronics. E-mail: [email protected].

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