Energy density and power density are essential, yet unique, metrics. Understanding the differences between them is crucial for designing efficient energy storage solutions. This blog explores those differences and their impact on capacitor performance.

Pulsed energy drives a wide range of high-energy applications, from particle acceleration to fusion research and electromagnetic pulse (EMP) simulation. Marx generators play a critical role in generating those high-voltage pulses by amplifying lower voltage DC inputs. Here, we’ll cover how Marx generators operate, recent advancements enhancing their efficiency and reliability and the critical role of capacitors in shaping their performance. 

Capacitors are essential passive components for designing any electrical circuit. But there are so many options to choose from with a wide range of specifications that it can be overwhelming to determine what capacitor may be the best fit for your application. One early decision that circuit designers must make is to determine if a single-layer capacitor (SLC) or multi-layer ceramic capacitor (MLCC) is the right fit for their application needs. 

To protect electrical grids from overloads and faults, utility companies can incorporate reclosers. When a fault occurs, this high-voltage circuit breaker automatically closes to isolate the faulty sections of the grid, allowing other areas of the grid to continue to operate safely. The recloser can then automatically test the electrical lines to determine if the issue has been resolved and reset itself, restoring power more quickly once a fault is cleared. Reclosers are also designed to perform remote switching, enabling utilities to manage their networks more efficiently.

With more and more mission-critical systems relying on electrical power, consistent and reliable backup power is essential to ensure uninterrupted operation. Facilities like data centers and hospitals leverage backup power to manage the short, but potentially catastrophic, delay between grid power failure and the start of long-term back up (e.g., local generation via diesel generators).  

Standards are a form of technical infrastructure, and their influence is felt throughout the electronics industry. For example, formed in 1924, the Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA) was an American standards organization that established an alliance of trade associations in the United States electronics manufacturing industry. Their collaboration ensured that electronic equipment produced by different manufacturers was compatible and interchangeable. The EIA formally dissolved in February 2011, dividing by sector.

As a manufacturer of custom ceramics for thin-film circuit development for more than four decades, we are highly familiar with all the complexities involved in working with these materials to build a variety of circuits. Over the years, we’ve received quite a few questions about this technology, so we put together this Q&A to help answer some of the common questions you may have about thin film circuits. 

Product designers working on critical applications requiring electrical power must carefully select components that not only supply the appropriate amount of voltage at the right time, but also help mitigate issues such as voltage ripple, ensure system longevity, and improve component reliability. 

In a short period of time, artificial intelligence (AI) large language models (LLMs) like ChatGTP and Claude have made leaps and bounds in terms of their size and sophistication. Size, as measured by the number of parameters, has increased by a factor of one thousand in merely five years, and it’s not projected to stop (Figure 1). This rapid growth raises numerous questions about the future of AI, while also presenting immediate challenges, with power consumption being a significant concern.  

Companies across the world are engaged in fusion research; some are large national and international labs while others are start-ups looking for lower-cost alternatives to traditional fusion techniques. Their work is built on the premise that fused light nuclei have a net positive energy yield because their combined mass is less than the sum of their individual masses before fusion. Think Albert Einstein’s E = mc².