Shelf-Life Evaluation of Aluminum Electrolytic Capacitors

Because of a lack of information on the electrical characteristics of aluminum electrolytic capacitors when operated in a noncontinuous manner in low-voltage circuit applications, an accelerated shelf-life aging test was conducted for 3000 h at 85°C on three types of capacitors from four vendors. The effects of accelerated conditioning on capacitance value, effective series resistance (ESR), and leakage current at 1 V, 2 V, and rated voltage are reported. General observations show a decrease in capacitance and an increase in ESR and leakage current. The results also show that leakage current and ESR cannot be optimized simultaneously. Guidelines for the use Of aluminum electrolytic capacitors in lowvoltage circuits are also presented.