Electrical overstress pulse protection

An electrical overstress pulse arrester for pin connectors in the form of an overlay, comprising an electrically insulating substrate, an electrically conductive lamina on said substrate comprising a ground plane and a separate pad, and an electrically insulative cover over said lamina, said ground plane and said pad having spaced adjacent edges, said pad having an aperture for receiving therethrough the pin of a connector, said pad having means for electrically engaging said pin when received therethrough, said substrate and said cover each having an aperture located in correspondence with the aperture in said pad for receiving said pin therethrough, one of said substrate and cover having a second aperture coincident with said spaced edges, said ground plane having ground connecting means, and an electrical overstress pulse responsive composite material located in said second aperture interconnecting said spaced edges, said composite material having the characteristics of a high electrical resistance in the presence of a low voltage applied across said material and a low electrical resistance in the presence of a high voltage applied across said material.

In combination, a connector having a plurality of pins and a laminate overlayed on said pins, said laminate overlay comprising an electrically insulating substrate, an electrically conductive lamina on said substrate comprising a ground plane and a plurality of separate pads, and an electrically insulating cover over said lamina, said pads each having an edge adjacent an edge of said ground plane and spaced therefrom, each pad having an aperture and the substrate and cover each having a set of apertures in correspondence with the pad apertures receiving said pins, one of said substrate and said cover having a second set of apertures coincident with said spaced edges for each pad, and an electrical overstress pulse responsive composite material located in said second set of apertures interconnecting said spaced edges, said composite material having the characteristics of a high electrical resistance in the presence of a low voltage applied across said material and a low electrical resistance in the presence of a high voltage applied across said material.

A laminate for forming an electrical overstress pulse arrester by overlay on a circuit element, comprising an electrically insulating substrate, an electrically conductive ground plane and a separate electrically conductive pad on said substrate, said ground plane and said pad having spaced adjacent edges, said pad and said substrate having superposed apertures therein for receiving a portion of said circuit element, and electrical overstress pulse responsive composite material located between and connecting said spaced adjacent edges, said composite material having the characteristics of a high electrical resistance in the presence of a low voltage applied across said material and a low electrical resistance in the presence of a high voltage applied across said material.

A laminate for forming an electrical overstress pulse arrester by overlay on a circuit element, comprising an electrical insulating carrier, an electrically conductive ground plane laminated to said carrier, an electrically conductive pad laminated to said carrier in spaced adjacent relation to said ground plane, and an electrical overstress pulse responsive composite material located between said ground plane and pad and connecting an edge of one to the other, said pad and carrier having aligned apertures for receiving a portion of said circuit element therein, said pad having means for making electrical contact with said portion of said circuit element, said ground plane having means for making a ground connection.