Microsemi Intros Thyristor Surge Protectors, TCP080E, TCP120E
Microsemi Corp. (Santa Ana, CA) has introduced the first family in their new series of thyristor surge protection products, also known as crowbar devices. This new TCP080E and TCP120E Series of thyristor surge protectors is designed to protect sensitive telecommunications equipment from the hazards of lightning, power cross and power induction. Microsemi claims that these devices have high surge capability to protect against transient faults, while featuring ultra-low capacitance and high off-state impedance, rendering them transparent during normal system operation.
Microsemi's tripolar surge protectors are bi-directional silicon devices designed to fold back in the presence of transient over-voltage faults. When the breakover voltage of the device is exceeded, the device switches from high to low impedance to protect downstream equipment from voltage surges. The device remains latched in a low-impedance state until the current decreases below the holding current, at which point the device returns to its high-impedance state. The new series offers a peak pulse current of 30A, dynamic breakdown voltages of 150V and 200V, a maximum capacitance as low as 20pF and a capacitance disbalance of under 10pF.
Lane Jorgensen, general manager of the thyristors surge protection business unit, stated, “This product is the first of an extensive series of application-specific standard products that focus on solving the problems designers face with handling protection requirements of high-speed communications systems without adding unnecessary external components."
