ZnO varistors for protection against nuclear electromagnetic pulses
The use of ZnO-based metal-oxide-varistor materials in a transient protection device for communications circuits against the effects of nuclear electromagnetic pulses (NEMP) is discussed. The guidelines for such devices call for subnanosecond response time to NEMP and an insertion loss of less than 0.4 dB at 100 MHz. We have measured the response of varistor materials to approx.500-ps rise time pulses of various amplitudes and durations. No varistor ''turn on'' time is evident in these data indicating that the initiation of the highly nonlinear conduction process takes place in less than 5 x 10/sup -10/ s. The insertion loss is calculated from the known high-frequency electrical properties and found to agree quite closely with the experimentally determined value of 0.1 dB at 100 MHz for varistor chips of cross section 0.025 x 0.025 cm and thickness 0.01 cm. A packaging configuration for these chips is also described. We conclude that ZnO varistors have application in an NEMP protective device.
- Research Organization:
- General Electric Corporate Research and Development, Schenectady, New York 12301
- OSTI ID:
- 6532229
- Journal Information:
- J. Appl. Phys.; (United States), Vol. 52:2
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Evaluation of new metal-insulator-semiconductor varistor: Final report
Current localization, non-uniform heating, and failures of ZnO varistors
Related Subjects
SEMICONDUCTOR RESISTORS
SAFETY
COMMUNICATIONS
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
ELECTROMAGNETIC PULSES
LOSSES
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MHZ RANGE
NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS
PULSE RISE TIME
THEORETICAL DATA
TRANSIENTS
ZINC OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
DATA
ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
EQUIPMENT
EXPLOSIONS
FREQUENCY RANGE
INFORMATION
NUMERICAL DATA
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
PULSES
RADIATIONS
RESISTORS
SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
TIMING PROPERTIES
ZINC COMPOUNDS
420800* - Engineering- Electronic Circuits & Devices- (-1989)