Transient Voltage Suppressor Research Articles

Simulation study of electromagnetic protection of ignition chip

The purpose of this paper is to study the adaptability and enhancement methods of ignition chips in complex electromagnetic environments. In this paper, combined with simulation and calculation technology, we first establish the electromagnetic–electrical–thermal coupling simulation model of ignition chips and analyze the influence of two electromagnetic environments, continuous electromagnetic wave and nuclear electromagnetic pulse, on the electrical–thermal coupling in the bridge area of the ignition chip. The results show that a continuous electromagnetic wave field strength of 1200 V/m, irradiated for 5 s, a nuclear electromagnetic pulse with a rise time of 5 ns, a half-height width of 24 ns, and a leg wire length of 350 mm will cause the ignition chip to fire accidently. In order to suppress its accidental firing, the electromagnetic protection is enhanced by using parallel Transient Voltage Suppressor (TVS) diodes. It has been shown that parallel TVS diodes provide good protection against both continuous electromagnetic waves and nuclear electromagnetic pulses. In particular, the peak induced current decreases by more than 64.7% during the action of continuous electromagnetic waves, and the maximum temperature in the bridge area decreases by 54.34% during the action of nuclear electromagnetic pulses.

Research on the electro-magnetic protection technique of SCB bridge based on vertical punch through PN junction

Pyrotechnic device is the key initiating component of weapon system, and its function reliability will directly affect the triggering of detonation and actuation mechanism. In order to enhance the survival ability of pyrotechnic device in intricate electromagnetic interference environment, it is necessary to carry out in-depth research on the electromagnetic protection technique of pyrotechnic device. In this paper, a new electromagnetic protection circuit based on vertical punch through PN junction device is proposed, which monolithically integrates the circuit with polysilicon semiconductor bridge on a single chip. The Electro-static Discharge (ESD) test was carried out according to the method specified by standard electrostatic standard 500 pF/500 Ω/25 kV, and the ESD capability of the proposed new chip was not less than 25 kV. Compared with the electromagnetic protection circuit by transient voltage suppressor diode based on lateral punch through junction device structure, the new chip increases the effective junction area of PN junction, reduces the current density, and increases the current conduction ability and electrostatic roughness of the diode. The new chip has a larger diode effective junction capacitance, which not only improves the ESD capability but also improves the RF protection capability at the same time.

Applications of safety transient voltage suppressors in the track circuits of railway signaling systems

This research presented the utilization of Safety Transient Voltage Suppressors (STVS) in the track circuits of railway signaling systems, occurring during circuit switching due to changes in track occupancy conditions, resulting in damage and malfunction of the BR966F2 relay. The study employed Failure Modes and Effect Analysis (FMEA) combined with 1kV actual transient overvoltage testing featuring a waveform slope of 184/380 μs. Results revealed two transient voltage suppression levels encompassing Set A_(a,b), Set B_(a) and Set C_(a,b) as well as Set A//Set B//Set C and All Mode. These configurations achieved a clamping voltage of 41.6 V, categorized as Stage 1. Configurations like Set A_(c), Set B_(b,c) and Set C_(c) displayed increased series circuit behavior leading to a clamping voltage of 48.6 V, categorized as Stage 2. The application of STVS device in the track circuit of the signaling system reduced the transient voltage by diversion of the Transient Current or ISTVS through the STVS device into the ground system or the clamping voltage at the STVS device. This prevented the transient power from flowing into and damaging the relays of the track circuit, leaving only the clamping voltage with a missing peak wave. This contributed to the stability of the track circuit within the railway signaling system while also raising the Safety Integrity Level (SIL) to a higher standard, in accordance with the specifications of IEC 16508-4 and the unique requirements of the State Railway of Thailand. These enhancements increased the advanced safety system within the track circuit, particularly for train control and train operation functions of the State Railway of Thailand

Coordination of Varistors With Transient Voltage Suppression Diodes in Automotive DC Systems

Coordination of Varistors With Transient Voltage Suppression Diodes in Automotive DC Systems

Analysis of Indirect Lightning Effects on Low-Noise Amplifier and Protection Design

In order to analyze the interference mechanisms of indirect lightning effects on a low-noise amplifier (LNA), a circuit model of the LNA was constructed based on the advanced design system 2020 (ADS 2020) software. Lightning pulse injection simulations were conducted to explore the influence of lightning pulses on the performance of the LNA. A pin injection test was performed to investigate the interference and damage threshold of the LNA. A protective circuit incorporating the transient voltage suppressor (TVS) and Darlington structure was designed through simulation, employing the ADS 2020 for the LNA. The research findings reveal that the interference threshold for the LNA is 60 V, while the damage threshold is determined to be 100 V. The protective circuit demonstrates a measured insertion loss of 0.1 dB, a response time of 1.5 ns, and a peak output voltage of 20 V. The research results indicate that the protective circuit can effectively reduce the impact of lightning’s indirect effects on the LNA. In the future, we will continue the design work of the protective circuit and proceed with physical fabrication and experimental validation.

Improved Transient Performance of a DFIG-Based Wind-Power System Using the Combined Control of Active Crowbars

A significant electromotive force is induced in the rotor circuit of a doubly fed induction generator (DFIG) due to its high vulnerability to grid faults. Therefore, the system performance must be increased with appropriate control actions that can successfully offset such abnormalities in order to provide consistent and stable operations during grid disturbances. In this regard, this paper presents a solution based on a combination of an energy storage-based crowbar and a rotor-side crowbar that makes the effective transient current and voltage suppression for wind-driven DFIG possible. The core of the solution is its ability to restrict the transient rotor and stator overcurrents and DC-link overvoltages within their prescribed limits, thereby protecting the DFIG and power converters and improving the system’s ability to ride through faults. Further, the capacity of an energy storage device for transient suppression is estimated. The results confirmed that the proposed approach not only kept the transient rotor and stator currents within ±50% of their respective rated values in severe system faults but also limited the DC-link voltage variations under ±15% of its rated value, achieving transient control objectives precisely and maintaining a stable grid connection during the faults.

A Novel Insulated Gate Trigger Thyristor Integrated With Gate Transient Voltage Suppressor for Ultrahigh di/dt Pulse Switching

A Novel Insulated Gate Trigger Thyristor Integrated With Gate Transient Voltage Suppressor for Ultrahigh di/dt Pulse Switching

Improved SEED Modeling of an ESD Discharge to a USB Cable

Integrated circuits (ICs) connected to a universal serial bus (USB) interface require robust electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection strategies due to the nature of the high-speed interface and the regular access by users. System-efficient ESD design (SEED) simulations can help predict the level of ESD stress seen by the IC when protected by a transient voltage suppressor (TVS). In the following paper, previously developed models were improved to predict the voltage and current seen by a TVS and an on-chip protection diode when an ESD gun was discharged to one USB cable pin. Models were improved, in part, by accurately modeling the conductivity modulation within the behavioral TVS model and by using a measured equivalent source to represent the complex interaction between the ESD gun, USB cable, and enclosure. The response of the TVS and on-chip diode was studied in simulation and measurement for several cable configurations and when adding passive components between the TVS and on-chip diode. Simulations predicted peak and quasi-static voltages and currents at the TVS and on-chip diode within 30% of those seen in measurements. The proposed modeling process can help engineers to evaluate and optimize the effectiveness of their ESD protection strategies under complicated test conditions.

Fibriform Organic Electrochemical Diodes with Rectifying, Complementary Logic and Transient Voltage Suppression Functions for Wearable E-Textile Embedded Circuits.

In this study, a fibriform electrochemical diode capable of performing rectifying, complementary logic and device protection functions for future e-textile circuit systems is fabricated. The diode was fabricated using a simple twisted assembly of metal/polymer semiconductor/ion gel coaxial microfibers and conducting microfiber electrodes. The fibriform diode exhibited a prominent asymmetrical current flow with a rectification ratio of over 102, and its performance was retained after repeated bending deformations and washings. Fundamental studies on the electrochemical interactions of polymer semiconductors with ions reveal that the Faradaic current generated in polymer semiconductors by electrochemical reactions results in an abrupt current increase under a forward bias, in which the threshold voltages of the device are determined by the oxidation or reduction potential of the polymer semiconductor. Textile-embedded full-wave rectifiers and logic gate circuits were implemented by simply integrating the fibriform diodes, exhibiting AC-to-DC signal conversion and logic operation functions, respectively. It was also confirmed that the proposed fibriform diode can suppress transient voltages and thus protect a low-voltage operational wearable e-textile circuit.

Wide Frequency Response of Varistors and Coordination With Transient Voltage Suppression Diodes

The voltage-current characteristic of metal-oxide varistors is experimentally investigated for a wide frequency range. Concave exponential and rectangular impulse currents that resemble lightning current field records are employed to investigate their energy coordination with transient voltage suppression diodes, commonly integrated into printed circuit boards to protect sensitive electronic components. Thus, the effective coordination is experimentally evaluated against high- and low-frequency surge events for components used in power, telecom, and automotive applications. Experimental results supported by ATP-EMTP simulations show that reliable coordination of conventional varistors with bidirectional diodes can be challenging; this finding reveals a risk for the uninterrupted operation and safety of equipment with built-in diodes. The satisfactory agreement of ATP-EMTP results with experimental data shows that electromagnetic transient simulations can be an effective tool for designing coordination circuits and evaluating the risk of failure in case of surge events and electromagnetic pulses.

Investigation of Frequency Models to Predict Dynamic Behavior of ESD Protection Networks

With the shrinking dimension of technologies and safety requirements, electrostatic discharge (ESD) protections play a more and more important role. Consequently, the prediction of the transient behavior's protection network is becoming difficult for system level designers in order to guarantee systems safety. A model reproducing the turn- <sc xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">on</small> behavior is needed to obtain a precise simulation's protection strategy network, especially during the protection triggering. In this article, we propose a complete measurement and computation setup to access an equivalent frequency model of devices under strong pulse injections for a rapid model construction. Details of the measurement and data computation to obtain a frequency model using a transmission line pulse generator combined with time-domain reflectometry measurement will be provided. To validate our proposed frequency model, a comparison between the measurements and simulations is first performed on passive and linear components, and then on two protection devices (transient voltage suppressor). A simulation on a protection network, at the board level, will show that the combination of the frequency models could be done to predict its response to ESD pulse with an acceptable precision, without the tedious step of component modeling.

Study on the performance of open-circuit failure gas discharge tube under the context of DC short-circuit

Protective devices are used at every single port of electrical equipment, such as gas discharge tube(GDT), metal oxide varistors(MOV), and transient voltage suppressors diodes(TVS). These devices are capable to absorb lightning, surge, static electricity and other burst waves by directly spanning across both ends of the circuit or grounding mode. When the protective devices overabsorb these burst waves, short-circuit failure will result. The short-circuit failure of protective devices is one of the potential hazards that would cause combustion. In order to avoid the fault combustion of GDT caused by short-circuit, an open-circuit failure gas discharge tube (OGDT) with the capacity of open-circuit failure is proposed by improving the existing GDT with a high and low temperature sealing solder. This paper focuses on exploring the structure and working mechanism of OGDT, with the open-circuit failure response arc extinguishing time of the OGDT measured by coupling the DC power supply with an 8/20 μs impact current generator. The impact of short-circuit current and DC voltage on OGDT response arc extinguishing time is analyzed by conducting experiments and the effect of OGDT is verified by adjusting the area of low temperature weld. The results show that with the rise of short-circuits current, the open-circuit response arc extinguishing time of OGDT first decreases and then increases. A larger area of the low-temperature welding solder leads to a shorter the response arc extinguishing time. Besides, the higher the applied DC voltage, the shorter the response arc extinguishing time. When the short-circuit current reaches 10 A, the optimal response arc extinguishing time is 300 ms. When the short-circuit current falls below 25 A, the response arc extinguishing time of OGDT can reach a lower level than 1000 ms. The OGDT open-circuit failure action screen is captured by a high-speed camera to verify its outcome. The high-speed camera captures the OGDT open-circuit failure and excision failure at 300 ms, which is consistent with the experimental waveform results. The research results provide practical guidance on the selection of OGDT.

Modular Measurement System for System-Efficient ESD Design on System and Component Level

For the electrostatic discharge (ESD) characterization of components or systems, complex measurements of voltages and currents are required. The measurements are then used to characterize, model, and verify simulations. Both physical damage and upset are expected; however, performing these experiments on evaluation boards is often not suitable since the required current and voltage ports are not integrated. Furthermore, repeatedly reworking the integrated circuit (IC) will quickly destroy the evaluation board. A new modular experimental platform was therefore developed to flexibly perform such complex measurements. The modularity greatly simplifies measurements and allows for replacement of damaged components. The system consists of injection modules, such as universal serial bus (USB) and sub miniature version A (SMA) connections, excitation modules, such as a transmission line pulse and an ESD generator, modules for voltage and current measurements for characterization of transient voltage suppressor diodes and ICs, modules carrying passive channels, and active modules for the ICs being characterized. As active parts, which serve as device under tests, a set of USB 3.1 repeaters, controller area network (CAN) bus, and radio frequency (RF) front-end ICs are added to individual modules. The modules themselves, their characterization, and usage are explained in this article.

Development of High-Power Bidirectional DC Solid-State Power Controller for Aircraft Applications

The high-power solid-state power controller (SSPC) will be a critical component for the future electrified aircraft propulsion system. This article presents the development of a 1 kV 500 A bidirectional dc SSPC using SiC power modules and transient voltage suppression (TVS) diodes. The design procedure and implementation of the SSPC are presented in detail and the system level influence is discussed. Due to the limited power of a single switch, parallel and/or series connections of switches are necessary for high-power SSPCs, and the corresponding challenges are investigated with possible solutions. In addition, the high peak-to-average clamping voltage ratio caused by Ldi/dt of the turn-off current commutation and foldback characteristics of high-power TVS diodes is addressed. Finally, the testing setups for the high-power SSPC are presented, and all key functions are tested for the SSPC. The power rating and the specific power of the developed SSPC are superior to state-of-the-art counterparts to show the advantage of the developed one.

Off-the-Shelf Diodes as High-Voltage Opening Switches

A semiconductor opening switch (SOS) (also known as SOS diode) is a solid-state nanosecond switch of gigawatt power level. Due to its high pulse repetition rate, long lifetime, and maintenance-free capability, the SOS diodes are becoming increasingly attractive for use in solid-state pulsed power generators. However, the lack of SOS diode manufacturers prevents the widespread use of this technology. This work demonstrates the ability of off-the-shelf diodes to operate in the SOS mode. A wide range of off-the-shelf diodes including rectifier, fast recovery, avalanche, and transient-voltage-suppression (TVS) diodes have been tested as high-voltage opening switches. An experimental arrangement based on a saturating pulse transformer (PT) was developed to test off-the-shelf diodes in the SOS mode. The results obtained were compared with the existent top of the range SOS diodes, used as reference. Two versions of the experimental setup with the initially stored energy of 25 mJ and 10 J were used. The following pulse parameters were obtained using off-the-shelf diodes: 1) peak voltage impulse of 3 kV and rise time of 10 ns with a <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$110 \Omega $ </tex-math></inline-formula> load (for the 25 mJ setup) and 2) peak voltage impulse of 80 kV and rise time of 20 ns with a 1 <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\text{k}\Omega $ </tex-math></inline-formula> load (for the 10 J setup). Based on the parameters obtained, the door is opened for a future use of off-the-shelf diodes as opening switches in a wide range of solid-state-based pulsed power systems.

Transient Response of ESD Protection Devices for a High-Speed I/O Interface

System-efficient electrostatic discharge (ESD) design (SEED) models of a diode and transient voltage suppressor (TVS) were developed to study their transient response in a high-speed input/output interface. Previously reported SEED models were improved to strengthen their convergence stability and facilitate accurate predictions over a wide range of conditions. These improvements were required to accurately capture the race conditions between the TVS and <sc xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">on</small> -chip diode, where the diode's turn <sc xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">on</small> may prevent turn <sc xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">on</small> of the TVS. Simulations and measurements were performed to demonstrate the impact of the ESD pulse's rise time on race conditions. During a race, results showed the worst-case quasi-static diode current could be twice as high for long rise-time pulses than for short rise-times where the TVS does not turn <sc xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">on</small> , and <sc xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">on</small> -chip diode current may be larger at low test voltages than at high test voltages where the TVS does turn <sc xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">on</small> . Adding a small passive impedance between the external TVS and the <sc xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">on</small> -chip diode helps the TVS turn <sc xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">on</small> and reduce the current through the <sc xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">on</small> -chip diode by more than 50%. Similarly, lengthening the trace between the TVS and diode could reduce <sc xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">on</small> -chip diode current by up to a factor of two.

A Novel AlGaN/GaN Transient Voltage Suppression Diode with Bidirectional Clamp Capability.

This work proposes a novel AlGaN/GaN transient voltage suppression (TVS) diode (B-TVS-D) with bidirectional clamp capability, which consists of a small-size AlGaN/GaN monolithic bidirectional switch, two 2DEG-based current-limiting resistors (R1A/R1C, in parallel connection between the gate electrodes and the neighboring ohmic-contact electrodes (anode/cathode)), and a 2DEG-based proportional amplification resistor (R2, in parallel connection between two gate electrodes). It is demonstrated that the proposed B-TVS-D possesses a symmetrical triggering voltage (Vtrig) and a high secondary breakdown current (Is, over 8 A, corresponding to 12 kV human body model failure voltage) in different directional electrostatic discharge (ESD) events. The proposed diode can effectively enhance the electrostatic discharge robustness for the GaN-based power system. It is also verified that R1A/R1C and R2 have an important impact on Vtrig of the proposed B-TVS-D. Both the decrease in R2 and increase in R1A/R1C can lead to the decrease of Vtrig. In addition, the proposed B-TVS-D can be fabricated on the conventional p-GaN HEMT platform, making the ESD design of the GaN-based power system more convenient.

Automatic Control System of Vacuum Nano Coating Based on AVR Single Chip Microcomputer

Aiming at the problems of long response time and poor anti-interference ability of traditional vacuum nano-coating automatic control system, a design of vacuum nano-coating automatic control system based on AVR single-chip microcomputer is proposed. The use of ATmega128L microcontroller and Harvard architecture improves the parallel processing efficiency of the microcontroller. Select the transient voltage suppression diode to protect the power supply of the single-chip microcomputer, optimize the communication circuit, connect an external encryptor to realize the data encryption function, increase the filtering program and optimize the binary code processing function. Using PID (Packet Identifier) control algorithm, the design of nano-coating vacuum automatic control system based on AVR single-chip microcomputer is realized. Compared with the traditional system, when the simulation model and system parameters of the control system constructed in the environment change, the proposed system can be stabilized within 15 seconds, and can be stabilized for 13 seconds after the interference signal is added. The response time of the system is longer. Shorter, stronger anti-interference ability, more suitable for automatic control of vacuum nano-coating.

Effect of Switching Devices on Power Quality and Transient Voltage Suppression Using Capacitor Bank Model

Effect of Switching Devices on Power Quality and Transient Voltage Suppression Using Capacitor Bank Model

Protection Effects Using Transient Voltage Suppressor Diodes Based Circuits Under High-Power Microwave Pulses

This article demonstrates the protection effects using transient voltage suppressor (TVS) diodes based circuits under high-power microwave (HPM) pulses. Two types of TVS diodes were studied, and their dynamic resistances versus the input power were obtained. Five types of topologies using these two TVS diodes based circuits were designed and compared with their voltage–ampere characteristics. The dynamic resistances of each branch of two typical circuits were simulated and compared. These TVS diodes based protection circuits were measured under HPM pulses with their protection effects recorded. The highest protection ratio of these circuits is approximately 17–20 dB when the input power of HPM pulses ranges from 50 to 62.5 dBm. The simulated and measured results show some correlations. This analysis is useful for further electromagnetic protections under HPM pulses.