| abstract |
A pair of varistor disks, each having one face thereof coated substantially entirely with electrode material and another face thereof coated with spaced-apart electrode material, such as in two semicircular patches, are joined together so that said faces coated with a single electrode are coincident. This configuration reduces by a factor of two the over-all area required for equal current density as compared with certain prior varistor configurations. The varistor of the present invention also exhibits a lower diameter-to-thickness ratio and hence provides a significantly stronger mechanical structure. Additionally, the varistors of the present configuration may be readily provided with grooves between electrode surfaces so as to increase the interelectrode spacing, without significantly reducing the mechanical strength of the device. The invention of the present structure also permits flexible lead configurations. |