Ceramic capacitor is a fixed value capacitor in which ceramic material acts as the dielectric. It is constructed of two or more alternating layers of ceramic and a metal layer acting as the electrodes. The composition of the ceramic material defines the electrical behavior and therefore applications. Ceramic capacitors are divided into two application classes.
Class 1 ceramic capacitors are accurate, temperature-compensating capacitors. They offer the most stable voltage, temperature, and to some extent, frequency. They have the lowest losses and therefore are especially suited for resonant circuit applications where stability is essential or where a precisely defined temperature coefficient is required, for example in compensating temperature effects for a circuit. The basic materials of class 1 ceramic capacitors are composed of a mixture of finely ground granules of paraelectric materials such as Titanium dioxide (TiO2), modified by additives of Zinc, Zirconium, Niobium, Magnesium, Tantalum, Cobalt and Strontium, which are necessary to achieve the capacitor’s desired linear characteristics
Ceramic capacitors, especially the multilayer style (MLCC), are the most produced and used capacitors in electronic equipment that incorporate approximately one trillion pieces (1000 billion pieces) per year.