Rf surge protection device

An apparatus for isolating dc power and a surge from an rf path to improve the bandwidth of an rf signal that travels along the rf path, the apparatus comprising:

• a conductive plate;
• an inductor positioned adjacent to the conductive plate for routing the dc power and the surge away from the rf path;
• means, coupled to the inductor, for diverting the surge to the conductive plate;
• and
• a dc path coupled to the inductor for routing the dc power to the rf path.

An apparatus for reducing parasitic matched impedance of an rf path and isolating dc power and surge energy from the rf path to improve the bandwidth of an rf signal that travels along the rf path, the apparatus comprising:

• a housing having a cavity;
• a conductive plate positioned in the cavity;
• a gas tube mounted on the conductive plate for diverting a portion of the surge energy to the conductive plate;
• an inductor positioned proximate to the conductive plate and coupled to the gas tube for isolating the rf signal and passing the surge energy to the gas tube;
• and
• a dc path coupled to the inductor for routing the dc power to the rf path.

A method for increasing the bandwidth of a surge protection device that is configured to receive an rf signal, dc power, and a surge, the surge protection device includes a dc blocking device, an inductor, and a gas tube, the method comprising:

• providing a housing having substantially parallel side walls, a curved end wall, and a bottom surface that define a cavity, wherein the curved end wall has a center point;
• positioning the dc blocking device within the cavity and above the bottom surface of the cavity for blocking the surge and passing the rf signal;
• coupling the inductor to the dc blocking device for isolating the rf signal and providing a path for the dc power and the surge;
• and
• coupling the gas tube to the inductor and the bottom surface of the cavity for routing a portion of the surge to a ground.