Capacitors are used in analog and digital circuits for a broad array of applications including blocking, coupling, bypassing, filtering, and energy storage. General purpose capacitors can be used in a wide range of applications, while some electronic systems demand specialized components.
Pulse capacitors, as these components are commonly known, are a special class of capacitive components that are optimized to withstand rapid and intermittent voltage changes.
In an environment with high dV/dt, the peak current of a waveform can exceed the current rating of a component. When a capacitor is subjected to such an environment, its internal connections can be overloaded, resulting in failure.
In the case of metallized film capacitors, subjecting a component to peak currents that exceed its current rating can cause excessive heat generation in the boundaries between the film metallization and sprayed metal. Such failures can be prevented by limiting the current that a component is exposed to.
