Steady-state and transient C-V response of a high-voltage nonlinear barium titanate ceramic-disc power-snubber capacitor

Observations are reported on the steady-state and transient capacitance-voltage (C-V) response of barium titanate (BaTiO/sub 3/) nonlinear ceramic-disk capacitors with breakdown voltages above 1500 V, fabricated for use in power electronic dissipative resistance-capacitance-diode (RCD) snubbers to reduce the stored-energy requirement. This includes the in situ C-V snubber performance in a 1000 V bipolar junction transistor switch test circuit. The considerable difference between the room-temperature C-V response in a conventional AC test bridge and that in a novel 1500 V quasi-DC charge/discharge hysteresis test circuit is explained in terms of an equivalent circuit model derived for such nonlinear ceramic-disk capacitors.<>