New varistors designed for use in harsh-environments

AVX Corporation has released a new series of high-temperature, glass-encapsulated MLVs that are qualified to AEC-Q200, rated for operating temperatures up to 150C, and created for application in a wide variety of high-energy, harsh-environment, automotive underhood, industrial, and oil and gas applications.

Comprised of zinc oxide-based ceramic semiconductor devices with nonlinear, bidirectional voltage-current characteristics comparable to those of back-to-back Zener diodes, but with higher current and energy handling abilities and the addition of EMI/RFI attenuation, the new TransGuard Automotive VGAH Series High-Temperature, the MLVs combine bi-directional overvoltage circuit protection and EMI/RFI filtering functions in a high-reliability, single SMT device. The series also offers high current and energy-handling capabilities, very fast, sub-nanosecond response times to ESD strikes, multiple-strike capabilities, low leakage, high energy absorption/load dump, and superior solderability. Further benefits comprise glass encapsulation for impermeable protection against harsh environments and processes, including salt, acids, and chlorine flux, and no derating needs for energy and current over the entire range of operating temperatures extending from -55C to +150C.

The devices are available in five chip sizes (1206, 1210, 1812, 2220, and 3220) with 16-31VDC working voltages, 40-57V clamping voltages, 0.6-13J energy ratings, 1.5-50J load dump energy, 200-1,800A peak current ratings, and 700-15,000pF capacitance.

“AVX’s new TransGuard Automotive VGAH Series High-Temperature, Glass-Encapsulated Multilayer Varistors further extends its portfolio of high-reliability solutions for high-temperature, high-energy, and harsh-environment applications in the automotive, industrial, and oil and gas industries,” said Jiri Machanicek, product marketing manager for circuit protection at AVX.

“The new VGAH Series MLVs provide TVS protection in their on-state and broadband EMI/RFI filtering in their off-state, don’t require any current or energy derating over the entire range of rated operating temperatures, which spans -55C to 150C, and have a compact form factor that ruggedly withstands harsh-environment conditions and processes and satisfies increasingly common demands for lightweight, space-saving, multifunctional components.”