1. Characteristics of Capacitor: Fundamental Aspects

The capacitor is a passive electrical device, used to collect electrical energy by generating a potential difference. It is generally consisting of combination of two conductors placed next to each other separated by dielectric medium. The performance of a capacitor expressed in terms of the capacitance (C) depends on the dimension/geometry of the plate/electrode and the dielectric constant of the material, where the dielectric can be defined by insulating medium having permittivity, with no AC power losses or DC leakage. The capacitor shows different response to AC and DC sources. These are mainly used to supply power in several electronic and electrical systems. Therefore, this chapter provides the fundamental aspects of the capacitors and their basic properties. It emphasizes on the parallel plate model, the basic terminologies associated with the capacitors along with the equivalent circuits of the capacitor and its response to the externally applied AC and DC sources. It also describes about different types of capacitors that are being fabricated using different materials and different construction techniques. These different types of capacitors provide some unique properties.