Light emitting device

A light emitting device comprising a plurality of semiconductor light emitting elements, and a multilayer chip varistor,

• wherein the multilayer chip varistor comprises:
• a multilayer body in which a plurality of varistor layers comprising ZnO as a principal component and exhibiting nonlinear voltage-current characteristics are laminated;
• a plurality of first external electrodes disposed on a first outer surface of the multilayer body;
• and
• a plurality of second external electrodes disposed on a second outer surface of the multilayer body facing the first outer surface,
• wherein the first outer surface extends in a direction parallel to a laminate direction of the plurality of varistor layers,
• wherein in the multilayer body a plurality of varistor portions, each varistor portion comprising the varistor layer and a plurality of internal electrodes arranged to interpose the varistor layer between the internal electrodes, are arranged along a direction parallel to the first outer surface,
• wherein the plurality of internal electrodes comprise:
• first electrode portions overlapping with each other between adjacent internal electrodes out of the plurality of internal electrodes;
• and
• second electrode portions led from the first electrode portions so as to be exposed in the first and second outer surfaces,
• wherein each of the plurality of first external electrodes and the plurality of second external electrodes is electrically connected through the second electrode portion to the first electrode portion of a corresponding internal electrode out of the plurality of internal electrodes, and
• wherein the plurality of semiconductor light emitting elements are arranged on the multilayer chip varistor, and each of the semiconductor light emitting elements is connected to corresponding second external electrodes out of the plurality of second external electrodes so as to be connected in parallel to a corresponding varistor portion out of the plurality of varistor portions.