Low-Valued Varistor Provides ESD Protection

The AntennaGuard SPV series of low capacitance multilayer varistors (MLVs) from AVX Corp. has been expanded to include a sub 0.5-pF version ideal for protecting high-frequency circuits from electrostatic-discharge (ESD) events. The 0402 AntennaGuard SPV series MLV is a low-profile chip that provides better than 1-ns response time to ESD strikes and can withstand 100 successive strikes at 8 kV (according to IEC 610004-2). As Sonja Brown, the firm's Global Product Manager for Circuit Protection Products, explains, "The AntennaGuard SPV series' unique design results in a greater active volume that allows the part to handle higher transient energy, making it the only sub 0.5-pF 0402 MLV on the market that can withstand 100 strikes at 8-kV ESD. It offers customers the fastest ESD response of any multilayer varistor."