Design and Analysis of Electrical Properties of a Multilayer Ceramic Capacitor Module for DC-Link of Hybrid Electric Vehicles

Multilayer capacitors with high ripple current and high capacitance were manufactured. The electrical properties of these capacitors were characterized for potential application for DC-link capacitors in hybrid electric vehicle inverters. Internal electrode structures were designed to achieve high capacitance and reliability. A single multilayer capacitor showed $0.46{\mu}F/cm^3$ of capacitance, 0.65% of dielectric loss, and 1450 V to 1650 V of dielectric breakdown voltage depending on the design of the internal electrode. The capacitor module designed with several multilayer capacitors gave a total capacitance of $450{\mu}F$, which is enough for hybrid electric vehicles. In particular, an equivalent series resistance of $4.5m{\Omega}$ or less will result in 60 $A_{rms}$, thereby reaching the allowed ripple current for hybrid electric vehicles.