Uncertainty analysis for four terminal-pair capacitance and dissipation factor characterization at 1 MHz and 10 MHz

The Electricity Division at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST, formerly NBS) has implemented a system to characterize capacitance and dissipation factor for four terminal-pair (4TP) air dielectric capacitors at frequencies from 1 kHz to 10 MHz. This paper describes an extensive uncertainty analysis of the measurement system. The analysis has been divided into three areas: 1 kHz capacitance measurements; network analyzer impedance measurements (covering frequencies from 40 MHz to 200 MHz); and a mathematical extrapolation algorithm that regresses the high-frequency characterization down to frequencies of 10 MHz and below. This algorithm is referred to as the capacitor frequency characteristic prediction (CFCP) method.