Breakdown and Self-healing in Tantalum Capacitors

In this work, different types of polymer and MnO 2 cathode capacitors are tested for scintillation breakdown using a constant current stress (CCS) technique modified to allow detection of amplitudes and duration of current spikes. Monitoring of leakage currents with time under bias is used to assess the effect of scintillations. The appearance and composition of damaged sites are examined after deprocessing and cross-sectioning. Thermal processes during scintillations are analyzed, a mechanism of breakdown based on growth of conductive filaments in the dielectric is suggested, and self-healing processes in polymer and MnO 2 cathode capacitors is discussed.