R&D Information

Building the Future with Advanced Technology

At Nichicon, we aim to be a “strong partner” for our customers in the development of new products. It is our motto to respond promptly to our customers’ demands and develop products that function at a consistently high level. For this purpose, we have constructed an integrated research and development framework covering all aspects from material research to final product development in the respective fields of “capacitors for electronics,” “circuit products,” and “capacitors for electric apparatus and power utilities.” The research & development and production sectors collaborate closely to put new technologies to practical use and achieve commercialization as quickly as possible.

Capacitors for Electronics

Circuit Products

Capacitors for Electric Apparatus and Power Utilities

Capacitors for Electronics

Aluminum Electrolytic Capacitors

We are working toward production of dielectric materials with larger capacitance.: The performance of an aluminum electrolytic capacitor is determined by the properties of its electrode foil and electrolyte solutions. Nichicon possesses the leading technological prowess in the industry in the area of “etching”. This is a technique used to enlarge the surface area of electrode foils, “chemical treatment” for generating dielectrics, and “electrolyte development.” We are constantly studying the development of new materials for electrode foils and methods to enlarge the surface area to achieve larger capacitance.

Conductive Polymer Aluminum Solid Electrolytic Capacitors

We are continuing to add to its polymer offering by introducing new series with lower and lower ESR while retaining the small sizes with large capacitances!: We have been targeting low ESR and high reliability product through improved element design by developing conductive polymer materials as well as other component materials for Conductive Polymer Aluminum Solid Electrolytic Capacitors. By using our specific technology cultivated with our extensive history with aluminum electrolytic capacitors, we can meet the future market demands.

Conductive polymer hybrid aluminum electrolytic capacitors

We are working on developing capacitors having higher performance and higher reliability.: Conductive polymer hybrid aluminum electrolytic capacitors combining the features of conductive polymers and electrolytic solutions are in a very high demand today especially in the automotive market. For developing products having higher performance and higher reliability, we are working on the development of component materials such as electrode foils, conductive polymers, and electrolytic solutions.

Electric Double Layer Capacitors

We promote the commercialization and application development of high-capacity products.: We engage in various research and development activities to further optimize the characteristics of these high-capacity and high-output products. At the same time, we are working on application development and making active efforts toward expanding the range of applications for which these products are used, all the time ensuring that the user maintains complete freedom at mounting.

Plastic Film Capacitors

We are committed to size reduction as well as improving safety and reliability.: In order to support higher-density electronic circuits, we are working toward the development of thinner dielectric films that substantiate size reduction. We have been developing film capacitors with long life, high reliability and high safety used in inverter units for driving the motors for EV and HEV.

Positive Thermistors

We engage in ongoing materials research to achieve higher device performance.: We conduct research on changes in the electrical properties of thermistors caused by material composition, and based on these results we pursue ongoing development, size reduction, and improvement of the yield ratio of high-performance devices. In the future, we will push forward our examination of synthetization and the sintering reactions of materials to achieve even higher levels of performance.

Circuit Products

Switching Power Supplies

Our development goals are higher efficiency, higher power factors, and more power savings.: We always make certain to take efficient noise countermeasures that may be considered the lifeline of switching power supplies, as well as promote product development aimed at higher efficiencies and higher power factors. Moreover, we focus our efforts on developing products with lower power consumption, thus helping to preserve the environment.

Function Modules

We have been concentrating our constituent technologies in the development of key environmental devices for automotive applications.: We focus on applying the know-how obtained through our constituent technologies related to materials, micro-fabrication, implementation, connection, and other areas to the development of novel products that address the current needs for high-density mounting. We are now working toward the development of automotive applications like battery chargers, DC-DC converters and inverter units used for driving the motor.

Capacitors for Electric Apparatus and Power Utilities

Capacitors for Power Unilities

We work on improving reliability and safety, as well as reducing environmental impact.: The themes on which we place importance include improving product reliability and safety, as well as minimizing environmental impact. With this in mind, we are doing our best to reduce the use of sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) gas, one of the controlled substances for which emissions must be reduced to prevent global warming. Moreover, we intend to install protective devices and eliminate the use of lead in our products.

Capacitors for Electric Apparatus

We develop highly reliable products capable of higher frequencies and greater capacity.: We are actively engaged in the research and development of higher frequency and greater capacity products in order to address the increasing widespread introduction of inverters in diverse applications. We are also promoting ways to improve product reliability by converting to “dry” products (using less insulating oil) and installing protective devices to improve the safety as well as reducing the environmental impact caused by our products.