Over-Voltage Protection Comparison
SIDACtor
Data Book
5 - 8
Teccor Electronics
(972) 580-7777
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There are principally four different technologies used for over-voltage protection:
Gas Discharge Tubes (GDTs), Metal Oxide Varistors (MOVs), TVS diodes, and
SIDACtors. All four technologies are connected in parallel with the circuit being
protected and all exhibit a high off-state impedance when biased with a voltage less
than their respective blocking voltages.
Gas Discharge Tubes
Overview
Gas tubes are either glass or ceramic packages filled with an inert gas and capped on
each end with an electrode. When a transient voltage exceeds the DC break-down
rating of the device, the voltage differential causes the electrodes of the gas tube to
fire, resulting in an arc, which in turn ionizes the gas within the tube and provides a low
impedance path for the transient to follow. Once the transient drops below the DC
holdover voltage and current, the gas tube returns to its off-state.
Advantages
Gas tubes have high surge current and low capacitance ratings. Current ratings can be
as high as 500A for 200 impulses and capacitance ratings can be as low as 1pF with a
zero volt bias.
Restrictions
Gas tubes have a limited shelf life, their performance degrades with usage, and out of
the four devices discussed, gas tubes exhibit the slowest response time and highest
peak voltage measurement (Figure 5-3).
Applications
Because gas tubes are large and require a substantial amount of time to reach full
conduction, they are rarely used as board level components. Consequently, gas tubes
are not usually used in telecommunications applications other than station protection
modules.
Metal Oxide Varistors
Overview
Metal Oxide Varistors (MOV
’
s) are two leaded through hole components typically
shaped in the form of discs. Manufactured from sintered oxides and schematically
equivalent to two back-to-back PN junctions, MOV
’
s shunt transients by decreasing
their resistance as voltage is applied.
Advantages
Since MOV
’
s surge capabilities are determined by their physical dimensions, high
surge current ratings are available. And because MOV
’
s are clamping devices, they
can be used as transient protectors in secondary AC power line applications.
Restrictions
Like gas tubes, MOV
’
s have slow response times resulting in peak clamping voltages
which can be greater than twice the devices voltage rating (Figure 5-3). MOV
’
s also
have long term reliability and performance issues due to their tendency to fatigue, high
capacitance and limited packaging options.