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[October 2009]
AVX Expands Ceramic Varistor Range
AVX Corporation (Myrtle Beach, SC, USA) has expanded its Zinc Oxide (ZnO) based varistor range to include an 18V-rated version that exhibits a low leakage current of 1µA maximum, which extends battery life in portable devices. The UltraGuard Series multilayer ceramic varistors feature non-linear, bi-directional voltage-current characteristics similar to back-to-back zener diodes with an EMC (electromagnetic compatibility) capacitor in parallel.
The UltraGuard Series offers many electrical advantages over zener diodes, including better repetitive strike capability, higher inrush current capability, faster turn-on-time and inherent EMI/RFI attenuation, all in a significantly smaller footprint, saving important board space. The robust UltraGuard Series also features multistrike capabilities and will survive 1000 strikes at 15kV contact ESD.
“Designed for applications where low power consumption is a primary concern, the UltraGuard Series offers the lowest leakage current, highest rated voltage, and the fastest ESD response time than any other product on the market,” said Sonja Brown, Global Circuit Protection Product Manager at AVX.
The UltraGuard Series multilayer ceramic varistor is ideal for transient protection applications where extended battery life is required, including ‘banked’ or stacked LED drivers in backlit displays, fingerprint ID scanners, micro secure digital interfaces, camera modules, high clock-speed ICs, battery-operated devices, medical and instrumentation, low voltage power conversion circuits and power supervisory chip sets. Further applications are also being found in optics such as laser diodes, laser diode drivers and serialiser/deserialiser devices.
ENDS