• Electrical & Electronic Materials
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• v.10 no.7
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• pp.659-667
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• 1997

The influence of SiO$_2$on the microstructure and electrical properties of zinc oxide varistor was investigated. Zn$_2$SiO$_4$third phase in the sintered body was found at grain boundaries, multiple grain junctions, and occasionally within ZnO grains. This phase acted as a grain growth inhibitor, which retard the grain growth of the ZnO matrix by impeding migration on the grain boundaries. As SiO$_2$ addition increases, average grain size decreased from 40.6${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$ to 26.9${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$ due to the pinning effect by Zn$_2$SiO$_4$ and drag effect by Si segregation at grain boundaries, the breakdown voltage consequently increased. When SiO$_2$ addition is increased, interface state density decreased, however, the barrier height increased by decrease of donor concentration, as a result, the nonlinear exponent increased and leakage current decreased. While, as SiO$_2$ addition increase, it was found that the apparent dielectric loss factor shows a tendency of decrease. Wholly, electrical properties of zinc oxide varistor can be said to be improved by SiO$_2$addition.

• Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Materials
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.284-289
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• 2014

The effects of additives (Nb, Bi and Cr) on the microstructure, varistor properties, and aging behavior of V/Mn/Co/ La/Dy co-doped zinc oxide ceramics were systematically investigated. An analysis of the microstructure showed that all of the ceramics that were modified with various additives were composed of zinc oxide grain as the main phase, and secondary phases such as $Zn_3(VO_4)_2$, $ZnV_2O_4$, and $DyVO_4$. The $Bi_2O_3$-modified samples exhibited the lowest density, the $Nb_2O_5$-modified sample exhibited the largest average grain size, and the $Cr_2O_3$-modified samples exhibited the highest breakdown field. All additives improved the non-ohmic coefficient (${\alpha}$) by either a small or a large margin, and in particular an $Nb_2O_5$ additive noticeably increased the non-ohmic coefficient to be as large as 36. The $Bi_2O_3$-modified samples exhibited the highest stability with variation rates for the breakdown field and for the non-ohmic coefficient (${\alpha}$) of -1.2% and -26.3%, respectively, after application of a DC accelerated aging stress of 0.85 EB/$85^{\circ}C$/24 h.

• Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Materials
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.308-311
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• 2015

V₂O₅/Mn₃O₄/Nb₂O₅ codoped zinc oxide varistor ceramics were sintered at a temperature range as low as 875~950℃. The voltage clamping characteristics of V₂O₅/Mn₃O₄/Nb₂O₅ codoped zinc oxide varistor ceramics were investigated at a pulse current range of 1~50 A. The sintering temperature had a significant effect on clamp voltage ratio, which exhibits surge protection capabilities. The varistor ceramics sintered at 875℃ exhibited the best clamping characteristics, in which the clamp voltage ratio was 2.69 at a pulse current of 50 A. The varistor ceramics sintered at 900℃ exhibited the highest electrical stability, where = 3,824 V/cm (initial 3,909 V/cm), and E_{1 mA/cm²} = 27 (initial 39) after application of a pulse current of 100 A.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.11 no.10
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• pp.842-848
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• 1998

The stability of paraseodymium-based zinc oxide varistor consisting of Zn-Pr-Co-Cr-Y oxide was investigated according to yttria additives under different stress conditons, such as 0.8V\ulcorner\ulcorner/373K/12h and 0.85V\ulcorner\ulcorner/393K/12h. Wholly, all varistor after the stress showed nearly symmetric and stable I-V characteristics. Particularly, in the case of 2.0mol% and 4.0mol% yttria-added varistor showing a good I-V characteristics, the varation rate of varistor voltage were less 1% and that of nonlinear coefficient were about degree of 5%, and what is remarkable, leakage current with increasing stress time during the applied stress was almost constant. It the light of these facts, it is estimated that varistor constituents having 2.0mol% and 4.0mol% yittria, respectively, will be utilized to various application fields.

• Korean Journal of Crystallography
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.149-153
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• 1997

ZnO varistor based on ZnO-Bi2O3-Co3O4-MnCO3-Cr2-O3-Sb2O3 system with Sb2O3 contents were studied for grain size variation and microstructure properties. The composition of pure ZnO varistor was observed composition was inhibited owing to formation of Zn7Sb2O12 spinel phase and did not observed abnrmal grain growth. With Sb2O3 contents, the grain sizes of ZnO varistor were remarkably decreased and the microstructure had the distribution of dense and homogeneous grains.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.31 no.11
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• pp.1396-1400
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• 1994

Electrical properties in the ZnO-Bi2O3-CoO-Zn7Sb2O12 system were investigated with Zn7Sb2O12 content (0.1~2 mol%). The increase of the Zn7Sb2O12 content inhibited the grain growth of ZnO, which showed a narrow grain size distribution of ZnO. The breakdown voltage (Vb) increased markedly with 1 mol% Zn7Sb2O12 addition due to the grain growth control behaviour of the Zn7Sb2O12 . The nonlinear I-V characteristic was significantly influenced by the Zn7Sb2O12 content (or Bi2O3/Zn7Sb2O12 ratio). Addition of 0.5 mol% Zn7Sb2O12 showed the highest nonlinear coefficient ($\alpha$) of 43. The leakage current in prebreakdown region was decreased with increasing Zn7Sb2O12 content.

• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers C
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.257-262
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• 2006

To evaluate the change in protective levels of zinc oxide (ZnO) varistors after the surge absorption, this paper investigated the effects of the number of injection and amplitude of lightning surges on the life of ZnO varistors for low voltages. Leakage currents flowing through ZnO varistors subjected to the $8/20{\mu}s$ impulse currents under 60 Hz AC voltages were measured. The surge simulator system ECAT that can generate $8/20{\mu}s$ impulse currents with a peak short-circuit of 5 $[kA_p]$ was used. The ZnO varistor leakage current increases with exposure to impulse current, and the number of injection of $8/20{\mu}s$ impulse currents to breakdown was inversely proportional to the amplitude of the test current. Behaviors of ZnO varistor leakage currents were strongly dependent on the number of injection and amplitude of $8/20{\mu}s$ impulse currents. ZnO varistors degrade gradually when subjected to impulse current, and the resistive leakage current flowing through ZnO varistors subjected to the $8/20{\mu}s$ impulse currents under 60 Hz AC voltages was significantly increased after a certain number of injection that is dependent on the amplitude of the test impulse current. As a result, the life of ZnO varistors mainly depends on the amplitude and occurrence frequency of lightning surges.

• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
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• 1998.07d
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• pp.1519-1521
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• 1998

A Gapless HST(high speed train) arrester design is not possible without the highly non-linear ZnO(ZincOxide) varistors. Zno varistors combine excellent protective characteristics with steady state performance to maximize protection, the ZnO varistors are selected for each unit based on leakage current and residual voltage, to verify that the residual voltage is the residual voltage published for HST arrester.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2004.07a
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• pp.110-113
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• 2004

ZnO varistor ceramics which were fabricated with variation of added of $0.5{\sim}1.0mol%\;Co_3O_4$ sintered at $1150^{\circ}C$. In the specimen added $0.7mol%\;Co_3O_4$, sintered density was $6.03g/cm^3$ and electrical peoperties were superior to any other components. The nonlinear coefficient a was 83, and clamping voltage ratio was 1.35. But, endurence surge current in the specimen added $0.5mol%\;Co_3O_4$ was $7000A/cm^2$, and deviation of varistor voltage was ${\Delta}-3.23%$. As P.C.T and T.C.T environment test were succeed in all specimens, and deviation of varistor voltage in the specimen added $0.6mol%\;Co_3O_4$ was ${\Delta}-0.81%$. All specimens showed a good leakage current property in the High Temperature Continuous Load Test for 1000hr, at $85^{\circ}C$, and variation rate of the varistor voltage was ${\Delta}-2%$.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Illuminating and Electrical Installation Engineers
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.118-124
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• 2007

This paper presents the effects of the injected number and amplitude of impulse current on the service life of ZnO varistors for low voltages. To analyze the effects of lightning impulse currents on the performance of ZnO varistors, the measurements of resistive leakage current and power dissipation at the power frequency ac voltage before and after the injections of the $8/20[{\mu}s]$ impulse currents were made. As a consequence, the duration and amplitude of resistive leakage current flowing through ZnO varistor were increased with increasing the number of injections of the $8/20[{\mu}s]$ impulse currents. It is desirable that the service life of ZnO varistors should be evaluated as a function of the number and amplitude of lightning impulse current.