The dielectric constant of the capacitor

In addition to the overall size of the conductive plates and the distance or separation between each other, another factor that affects the overall capacitance of the device is the type of dielectric material used, and the "dielectric constant" (ε) of the dielectric.

The conductive plate of the capacitor is usually made of metal foil or metal film to allow electrons and charges to flow, but the dielectric material used is always an insulator.

The dielectric material can be made of a variety of insulating materials or a combination of these materials, the most commonly used types are: air, paper, polyester, polypropylene, polyester film, ceramic, glass, oil or a variety of other materials.

Modern capacitor can be classified according to the characteristics and properties of their insulating dielectric:

Low loss, high stability, such as mica, low-K ceramic, polystyrene.

Medium loss, medium stability, such as paper, plastic film, high-K ceramics.

Polarized capacitor, such as electrolytic capacitor, tantalum capacitor.