Dielectric ceramic materials are engineered to support electrical fields and act as reliable insulators in demanding technical environments. They are used wherever electric fields must be controlled precisely, electrical losses minimized, and component performance maintained over time - including in high-voltage and high-frequency applications.
At CeramTec, dielectric ceramics are developed and manufactured in-house, from raw material preparation through to finished product. This vertical integration allows us to tailor material properties to specific application requirements and to achieve consistent quality across our entire portfolio.
What makes Dielectric Ceramics distinctive?
Dielectric ceramics go beyond standard electrical insulation. Their tailored material characteristics enable defined dielectric behavior across a wide range of operating conditions - from stable low-loss performance in RF power applications to high volumetric efficiency in high-voltage environments.
CeramTec produces dielectric ceramic materials with dielectric constants ranging from 6 to 5,000, enabling the design and manufacture of components for a broad spectrum of technical requirements.
Key properties and advantages:
- Defined and tailored dielectric constants (ε = 6 to 5,000)
- Reliable electrical insulation and high breakdown field strength
- Low dissipation factor for RF and high-frequency applications
- High volumetric efficiency for high-voltage applications
- Excellent thermal and chemical stability
- High Q factor and very low temperature coefficient of frequency for resonator and filter applications
- Long-term performance in demanding electrical environments
- In-house material development and manufacturing
Material Classes and Application Profiles
Class 1 - RF Power Materials | Class 2 - High Voltage Materials | High-Frequency / Resonator Materials
Class 1 - RF Power Materials
Materials with low dissipation factor, stable properties, and excellent breakdown field strength. Suited for applications requiring precise and stable electrical performance, such as broadcast transmission equipment and high-frequency systems.
Units | RF Power Capacitors | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Material Type | MgTi | ZrTiSn | BaSmTi | TiO2 | CaTi | |
| Trade Names | L103 | K36 | K77 | K90 | K200 | |
| Material Description & Typical Applications | Very low dielectric loss materials; applications include: high power RF transmitters, plasma generators used in semiconductor industry. | High permittivity low-medium loss materials used in: RF induction heating, dielectric heating. | ||||
| Electrical | ||||||
| Dielectric Constant, Er | 15 | 37 | 77 | 90 | 200 | |
| RF Power Handling Capability | High | High | Medium | Medium | Medium | |
| tan δ @ 1kHz | x10⁻⁴ | — | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| tan δ @ 1MHz | x10⁻⁴ | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Thermal | ||||||
| Temperature Coefficient | ppm/°C | 100 | 0 | 0 | -750 | -1300 |
| Accuracy | ppm/°C | ±60 | ±30 | ±30 | ±80 | ±120 |
| Physical | ||||||
| Density | g/cm³ | 3.5 | 5.1 | 5.6 | 4.15 | 4.35 |
Class 2 — High Voltage Materials
Materials with high dielectric constants and excellent volumetric efficiency. Used in applications such as live line indication in electricity distribution networks and X-ray imaging power supplies.
HV Capacitors | Units | AC DC High Voltage Capacitors | General High Voltage Capacitors | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Materials Type | BaCaZrTi | BaSrTi | BaTi | |||||||||
| Trade Names | K450 | K800 | K1150 | K1500L | K1700 | K2500 | K2100 | K3300 | K3500 | K3800 | K3500H | |
| Material Description & typical applications | low capacitance live-line indication on 24/36kV system voltage lines. | Negligible piezo / electrostrictive coefficient; pulse discharge, power line coupling. | General purpose resin encapsulated DC voltage range. | |||||||||
| Electrical | ||||||||||||
| Dielectric Constant, Er | 450 | 800 | 1150 | 1500 | 1650 | 2500 | 2100 | 3300 | 3750 | 3800 | 4500 | |
| RF Power Handling Capacity | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Low | Low | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| tan δ @ 1kHz | x10⁻⁴ | 20 | 20 | 25 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 170 | 200 | 100 | 150 | 150 |
| Thermal | ||||||||||||
| Temperature Coefficient | ppm/°C | -4000 | -6600 | -8000 | — | -4700 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Accuracy | ppm/°C | ±1000 | ±1000 | ±1000 | — | ±1000 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| EIA | — | — | — | Z5U | Z5T | Z5U | X7R | Y5T | Y5U | X7R | Y5U | |
| Physical | ||||||||||||
| Density | g/cm³ | 5.18 | 5.25 | 5.3 | 5.55 | 5.45 | 5.55 | 5.65 | 5.65 | 5.4 | 5.85 | 5.5 |
High-Frequency / Resonator Materials
CeramTec also produces dielectric ceramics for niche resonator and filter applications at frequencies from 50 MHz to 15 GHz, delivering high Q and very low temperature coefficient of frequency. The D36 material features very low magnetic susceptibility, making it particularly suitable for medical imaging and therapy applications where non-magnetic components are required.
Units | Microwave Dielectrics | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Materials Type | BaSmTi | ZrTiSn | MgSi | |
| Trade Names | D77 | D36 | D6 | |
| Material Description & Typical Applications | High Er material | Medium Er material with good Q and low temperature coefficients | Low Er generally used as insulating support for resonators | |
| Electrical | ||||
| Dielectric Constant, Er | 76.5 | 37 | 6.5 | |
| Qo | 1750 | 21000 | — | |
| @ Test Frequency | GHz | 6 | 2 | — |
| Thermal | ||||
| Temperature Coefficient | ppm/°C | 0 | 0 | — |
| Accuracy | ppm/°C | ±2 | ±1 | — |
| Non-Linearity Coefficient | ppm/°C² | 0.02 | -0.01 | — |
| Temperature Range | °C | -30 to +85 | -30 to +85 | — |
| Physical | ||||
| Density | g/cm³ | 5.6 | 5.1 | 3 |
From Dielectric Material to Capacitor Solution
The dielectric properties of a ceramic material directly determine how reliably a capacitor can perform in its intended environment. CeramTec prepares its own dielectric materials at its Ruabon manufacturing site, enabling the design and production of capacitors ranging from 5 to 10,000 pF in voltage ranges from 5 kV to 50 kV.
This close link between material expertise and product manufacturing is what enables CeramTec to deliver capacitor solutions with consistent quality and application-specific performance.
