At 05:34 PM 4/5/00 -0400, you wrote:
>General temperature range of solid tants is minus 55C to plus 80C, and if
>derated they can handle 125C. Leakage current does vary with temperature.
>Tants are not suitable in RC timing circuits, triggering, or phase shift
>networks due to dielectric absorption. Not recommended in applications
>subject to spikes or surges.

Yes.
You really have to be sure that the surge current is limited somehow
when used in bypass applications, otherwise they can fail catastrophically.

See the fine print in any decent tantalum cap data sheet/catalog for the
details. This generally means they should not be used across the power
supply unless you can guarantee that the current is limited to less than
the maximum rating. Derating the operating voltage can allow higher surges.

(They can be used in non-critical timing etc. circuits, just as low-leakage
aluminum e-caps can.)

Best regards,
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