bypass_capacitors

bypass_capacitors_part1Page 1 of 6 Yet More On Decoupling, Part 1: The Regulator’s Interaction with capacitors Kendall Castor-Perry In “Know the sometimes-surprising interactions in modelling a capacitor-bypass network” (http://www.planetanalog.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=202402836, abbreviated to “Know the...” when referred to here), Tamara Schmitz of Intersil and I provided some simulation background behind the interaction between multiple decoupling capacitors used in parallel. The series inductances inherent in the capacitors cause several resonant peaks and dips in the impedance response, sometimes at frequencies that might be critical for circuit operation. We advised that, if you intend to use decoupling capacitors of different values in parallel (there’s almost always more than one capacitor attached