Tantalum capacitors are solid-state capacitors that use a tantalum block as the anode and a conductive material as the cathode. They are used for high-capacitance and low-ESR applications. Their advantages include very stable and reliable performance and a wide range of temperatures and voltages. Tantalum capacitors can also be used to smooth out AC power supply noise, as well as provide filtering. They are well suited for high-density components and are used extensively in military and aerospace applications as well as consumer electronics. Compared to other capacitor types, they have a relatively higher cost, but they also have improved performance.