Method of manufacturing a surface-mountable device for protection against electrostatic damage to electronic components
DCFirst Claim
1. A method of manufacturing a thin film surface-mount circuit protection device for protection against electrostatic transient voltage damage to electrical components, comprising the steps of:
- a. providing a substrate having a top, a bottom and opposing sides;
b. depositing, upon the top of a substrate, a first conductive layer to simultaneously form a pair of electrodes and a first terminal pad layer, the electrodes being spaced apart by a gap having a gap width, wherein depositing the electrodes creates a gap width of less than half of the width of one of the electrodes, wherein the gap width is intricately configured through photolithography in order to obtain specific electrical characteristics for the circuit device, and wherein the gap width, at least, partially determines a triggering voltage and a clamping voltage rating for the circuit device;
c. depositing a voltage variable polymeric material in the gap and between the electrodes, wherein the voltage variable polymer provides for a non-linear electrical response to an electrostatic overvoltage condition, for protection against electrostatic transient voltage damage to electrical components; and
,d. covering the voltage variable polymeric material with a protective layer by smoothing a protective material over the voltage variable polymeric material to create a substantially flat upper surface of the protective layer.
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Abstract
The thin film, circuit device is a subminiature overvoltage protection device in a surface mountable configuration for use in printed circuit board or thick film hybrid circuit technology. The surface mountable device (SMD) is designed to protect against electrostatic discharge (ESD) damage to electronic components.
The circuit protection device comprises three material subassemblies. The first subassembly generally includes a substrate carrier, electrodes, and terminal pads for connecting the protection device to a PC board. The second subassembly includes a voltage variable polymer material with non-linear characteristics, and the third subassembly includes a cover coat for protecting the circuit protection device.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. A method of manufacturing a thin film surface-mount circuit protection device for protection against electrostatic transient voltage damage to electrical components, comprising the steps of:
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a. providing a substrate having a top, a bottom and opposing sides; b. depositing, upon the top of a substrate, a first conductive layer to simultaneously form a pair of electrodes and a first terminal pad layer, the electrodes being spaced apart by a gap having a gap width, wherein depositing the electrodes creates a gap width of less than half of the width of one of the electrodes, wherein the gap width is intricately configured through photolithography in order to obtain specific electrical characteristics for the circuit device, and wherein the gap width, at least, partially determines a triggering voltage and a clamping voltage rating for the circuit device; c. depositing a voltage variable polymeric material in the gap and between the electrodes, wherein the voltage variable polymer provides for a non-linear electrical response to an electrostatic overvoltage condition, for protection against electrostatic transient voltage damage to electrical components; and
,d. covering the voltage variable polymeric material with a protective layer by smoothing a protective material over the voltage variable polymeric material to create a substantially flat upper surface of the protective layer. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A method of mass producing a plurality of individual surface-mount circuit protection devices comprising the steps of:
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providing a substrate having a plurality of strips, the strips each having a first end and a second end defining a strip length, and each of the strips having a first edge and a second edge defining a strip width having a dimension D corresponding to a device length of the devices; applying a first conductive layer on the strips at substantially the first and second edges from substantially the first end of the strips to substantially the second end of the strips, in order to simultaneously create a set of first and second electrodes and at least partially create sets of first and second terminal pads, respectively; applying a circuit protection material on the substrate between the set of first and second electrodes, from substantially the first end of the strips to substantially the second end of the strips; and
,after the step of applying the circuit protection material, separating the strips into individual devices along the width of the strips. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method of mass producing a plurality of individual surface-mount circuit protection devices comprising the steps of:
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providing a substrate having a plurality of strips, the strips each having a first end and a second end defining a strip length, and each of the strips having a first edge and a second edge defining a strip width having a dimension D corresponding to a device length of the devices; applying a first metalization layer on the strips at substantially the first and second edges from substantially the first end of the strips to substantially the second end of the strips, in order to simultaneously create a set of first and second electrodes and to at least partially create sets of first and second terminal pads, respectively; applying a second metalization layer on the first metalization layer substantially above the first and second edges of the strips from substantially the first end of the strips to substantially the second end of the strips, in order to at least partially create the sets of first and second terminal pads; applying a circuit protection material on the substrate between the set of first and second electrodes, from substantially the first end of the strips to substantially the second end of the strips; applying a protective layer over the circuit protection material, from substantially the first end of the strips to substantially the second end of the strips; and
,separating the strips into individual devices along the width of the strips. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification