The performance of a resonant circuit comes down to its components. Two key factors, Q factor and capacitor equivalent series resistance (ESR), determine how efficiently energy moves through a resonator and how selectively it responds at its designed frequency.
In this blog, we’ll look at two examples: the LC tank circuit inside an LLC resonant converter, where Q and ESR affect switching efficiency, and LC networks in RF impedance matching, where they control bandwidth and signal transfer. Together, these cases highlight how resonance design sits at the intersection of power electronics and RF, and why careful component selection matters.
Resonant Circuits in LLC Converters
An LC tank, also known as a resonant tank circuit, is a simple resonator. Energy moves back and forth between a capacitor and an inductor at a natural frequency. In power electronics, the LC tank is built into an LLC resonant converter that uses resonance to transfer power efficiently.
One of the key advantages of implementing an LLC resonant converter is soft switching, where transistors turn on and off when voltage or current is at or near zero. This reduces switching losses and stress on the components, improving overall efficiency and reliability. By carefully selecting capacitance and inductance, engineers tune the tank to achieve this behavior.
High Q factor ensures the tank responds sharply at the target frequency, while low capacitor equivalent series resistance (ESR) minimizes energy lost as heat. Together, these factors enable efficient energy transfer.
Impedance Matching in RF Circuits
In RF design, impedance matching is critical for maximum power transfer and minimizing noise. Engineers leverage LC networks, rather than a single LC circuit, to provide more flexibility in transforming impedances between a source and a load.
By adjusting capacitance and inductance values, these networks can be tuned to operate at a specific RF frequency, ensuring that the source sees the correct impedance for efficient transfer. LC networks are a cornerstone of RF design because of this frequency selective behavior.
Just like in power electronics, Q factor and ESR drive how the network responds around its design frequency. A higher Q factor improves selectivity, but it also narrows the usable bandwidth in RF applications.
Capacitor ESR and Q Factor
The amount of resistance in a circuit determines its selectivity. We can’t talk about the resistance contribution from a capacitor without talking about ESR, the measurement of all non-ideal electrical resistances in series with a capacitor.
Depending on the application, resonant circuits benefit from different types of capacitors. With wide bandgap semiconductors, known for high switching frequencies, we see a shift from film capacitors to ceramic capacitors. Class 1 ceramics are more advantageous for their stability over temperature, DC bias, and time. Low loss ceramics are designed for the operating frequency range they’re intended for, so ESR, and by extension, Q factor, varies with the frequency the resonator is designed to work at. Knowing how capacitance varies is critical for predicting a resonator’s operating frequency.
Resonant design sits at the edge of power electronics and RF, exactly where capacitor assemblies and high-performance inductors shine. Explore how ceramic capacitor assemblies boost efficiency in power and RF applications, and check out our new RF inductor series to see the connection in action.