• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.552-560
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• 1988

ZnO low voltage varistor was obtained by varying a) the amount of seed grains, b) the size of seed grains, and c) sintering temperature. Also, the optimum condition for fabricating the ZnO seed grains was studied. Large ZnO seed grains were obtained by washing a ZnO sintered body containing 1m/of BaCO3 in boiling water. When the seed grains were added, abnormal grain growth occurred, and the varistor voltage sharply decreased. However, when more than 5w/o of seed grain content was added, the varistor voltage gradually increased. When 10w/o seed grains of 75~106${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$ were added and sintered for 2 hours at 1200 to 125$0^{\circ}C$, low voltage varistor properties with V1mA/mm of 19V/mm and nonlinear exponent ($\alpha$) of 12 occurred.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.190-197
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• 2002

In this thesis, ZnO varistors with various formulation, such as A∼E, were fabricated according to ceramic fabrication method. The microstructure, electrical properties, and surge characteristics of ZnO varistors were investigated according to ZnO varistors with various formulation. In the microstructure, A∼E\`s ZnO varistor ceramics sintered at 1130$\^{C}$ was consisted of ZnO grain(ZnO), spinel phase (Zn$\_$2.33/Sb$\_$0.67/O$\_$4/), Bi-rich phase(Bi$_2$O$_3$) and intergranuler phase, wholly. Lightning impulse residual voltage of A, B, C and E\`s ZnO varistors suited standard characteristics, below 12kV at current of 5kA. On the contrary, D\`s ZnO varistor exhibited high residual voltage as high reference voltage. In the accelerated aging test, leakage current and watt loss of B, C and D\`s ZnO varistors increases abruptly with stress time under the first a.c. stress(115$\^{C}$/3.213kV/300h). Consequently, C varistor exhibited a thermal run away. On the contrary, leakage current and watt loss of A and C\`s ZnO varistors which show low initial leakage current exhibited constant characteristics. After high current impulse test, A\`s ZnO varistor has broken the side of varistor but impulse current flowed. On the contrary, E\`s ZnO Varistor exhibited good discharge characteristics which the appearance of varistor was not wrong such as puncture, flashover, creaking and other significant damage. After long duration impulse current test, E\`s ZnO varistor exhibited good discharge characteristics which the appearance of varistor was not wrong such as puncture, flashover, creaking and other significant damage. After high current impulse test and long duration impulse current test, E\`s ZnO varistor exhibited very good characteristics which variation rate of residual voltage is 1.4% before and after test.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.11 no.11
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• pp.969-974
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• 1998

The effects of $La_2O_3$on the microstructure and electrical characteristics of Pr-based ZnO varistors were investigated. The average grain size increased in the range of 21.9~56.3$\mu$ m with increasing $La_2O_3$additive content(0.0~2.0 mol%). La was, of course grain boundary, largely segregated at the nodal point. As $La_2O_3$additive content increases, threshold voltage and nonlinear coefficient decreased and leakage current increased. In particular, 2.0 mol% $La_2O_3$-added varistor exhibited low threshold voltage 17.0V/mm and nonlinear coefficient of about 6. Based on these results, this varistor can be said to be used as low-voltage varistor, if nonlinear coefficient is somewhat improved forward.

• Electrical & Electronic Materials
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• v.9 no.10
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• pp.1019-1026
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• 1996

In this study, we may be presented the carrier oscillation properties for the low-voltage varistor fabricated by a new method of three composition seed grain, in order to analyze the behavior of carriers at the its equivalent circuit model. The oscillation phenomena of carriers appeared from current-voltage characteristics under knee voltage is shown by the transient flow of nontrapped carriers group in the trap level of intergranular layer, surface state and/or depletion layer. In particularly, current oscillation phenomena is hardly shown in the high electric field. It is that the injected carriers from both electrodes are directly from the conduction band of forward biased ZnO grain through the intergranular layer into the reverse biased ZnO grain, because the trap level in the electric field above the knee voltage is mostly filled.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.473-480
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• 1990

Low-voltage ZnO-based varistors were made by seed grain method at various sintering conditions. Their microstructure and electrical properties were investigated and comlpared with those of the ZnO varistors made by a conventional method at the same sintering condition. During the sintering process, the added seed ZnO grain rapidly grew to be a gaint grain(above 500$\mu\textrm{m}$) provinding easy current path. Therefore the breakdown voltage was lowered as much as the order of 1/10-1/5 in comparison to that of the varistor made by a conventional method. But the grain size of the giant ZnO was little influenced by sintering condition, so the breakdown voltate was also little influenced. The weight loss was decreased by the addition of the seed grain, because the giant grain decreased the evaporation area. Therefore the nonobmic property of the specimen made by seed grain method was little influencedby sintering condition. In this research the low-voltage varistor made by seed grain method showed the least leakage current when sintered at 1150$^{\circ}C$ for zero hour.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2001.07a
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• pp.489-494
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• 2001

In this thesis, the microstructure and electrical properties of ZnO varistors were investigated according to ZnO varistors with various formulation. A∼E's ZnO varistor ceramics were exhibited good density, 95% of theory density and low porosity, 5%, wholly. The average grain size of A-E's ZnO varistor ceramics exhibited 11.89$\mu\textrm{m}$, 13.57$\mu\textrm{m}$, 15.44$\mu\textrm{m}$, 11.92$\mu\textrm{m}$, 12.47$\mu\textrm{m}$, respectively. Grain size of C's ZnO varistor is larger and grain size of A and D's are smaller than other varistors. In the microstructure, A∼E's ZnO varistor ceramics sintered at l130$^{\circ}C$ was consisted of ZnO grain(ZnO), spinel phase(Zn$\sub$2.33/Sb$\sub$0.67/O$_4$), Bi-rich Phase(Bi$_2$O$_3$) and inergranular phase, wholly. Reference voltage of A∼E's ZnO varistor sintered at 1130$^{\circ}C$ decreased in order D, E > A > B > C's ZnO varistors. Nonlinear exponent of varistors exhibited high characteristics, above 30, wholly. Consequently, C's ZnO varistor exhibited good nonlinear exponent, 68. Lightning impulse residual voltage of A, B, C and E's ZnO varistors suited standard characteristics, below 12kV at current of 5kA.

• The Transactions of The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers
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• v.56 no.12
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• pp.2166-2172
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• 2007

In this study a low-signal equivalent circuit based on the Double Schottky Barrier model is proposed for ZnO-based varistor. Since pin-lead inductance and stray capacitance are considered in pin-lead type ZnO varistor these inductance and capacitance could be removed from the experimental dielectric data of the varistor. According to the equivalent circuit simulation results the higher the varistor-voltage of varistor sample the capacitance of dielectric layer is larger, and the capacitances of semiconducting layer and depletion layer are smaller, while the parallel resistances of semiconducting layer and depletion layer are more larger values. Spectra of the dielectric loss factor $tan{\delta}$ show 2 peaks in low frequency and high frequency regions respectively. The low-frequency peak is due to the relaxation by deep donors and the high-frequency peak is due to the relaxation by shallow donors. Above results are well consistent with the theoretical mechanism of ZnO varistor.

• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
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• 2005.07c
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• pp.2166-2168
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• 2005

This paper presents the frequency - dependent characteristics of leakage currents flowing through ZnO varistor. The leakage current - voltage (V-I) characteristic curves of the commercial ZnO varistor were measured. The resistive leakage current was increased with increasing the magnitude and frequency of the applied voltage in the low conduction region. The power losses of ZnO varistor increase as the frequency of applied voltage increases, because of the dielectric loss related to the frequency of the test voltage.

• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers C
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.109-116
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• 1999

ZnO Varistor is an electronic ceramic device to absorb the surge voltage from low voltage to high. To investigate the puncture mechanism occurring in NnO varistor, the Voronoi simulation for formulating the relation between the applied voltage and the increase of the temperature inside grain is applied. The Voronoi network can realize the structure of the practical varistor better than the established simple network. Using the current through each grain and the voltage applied to the grain, Joule heating energy is calculated and the phenomenon that the puncture occurs can be analyzed quantitatively by simulating the electric and thermal characteristics according to the externally applied pulsed voltage.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 1989.06a
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• pp.87-92
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• 1989

We fabricated primary and secondary seed grains. Primary seed grains having larger grain size were obtained under the conditions that were 2.0m/o BaCO$_3$ and 10 hours sintering. The amount of primary seed grain to yield the largest secondary seed grains were choosed as 3 w/o and we fabricated the low voltage varistors which were joined the low voltage-oriented ZnO varistor system made by conventional method with the secondary seed grains. As a result, ZnO varistor showed appoximately 10V/mm of nonlinear resistance and 15-22 of nonlinear exponent.