Hybrid device structures including negative temperature coefficient/positive temperature coefficient device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10446355-B2
Application number	US-201715499317-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 27, 2017
Priority date	Apr 27, 2017
Publication date	Oct 15, 2019
Grant date	Oct 15, 2019

Abstract

A hybrid device, comprising: a first electrode, disposed on a first side of the hybrid device, a second electrode, disposed on a second side of the hybrid device, opposite the first side. The hybrid device may further include at least one layer, disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode, the at least one layer comprising a negative temperature coefficient material and a plurality of conductive particles, wherein the hybrid device exhibits a positive temperature coefficient characteristic and a negative temperature coefficient characteristic.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A hybrid device, comprising:
a first electrode disposed on a first side of the hybrid device;
a second electrode disposed on a second side of the hybrid device, opposite the first side; and
a first layer disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode, the first layer comprising a first plurality of conductive particles and a plurality of negative temperature coefficient particles dispersed among one another in a first polymer matrix comprising a first polymer material;
a second layer disposed between the first layer and the second electrode, the second layer comprising a second plurality of conductive particles dispersed in a second polymer matrix comprising a second polymer material, wherein the second layer does not contain any negative temperature coefficient particles;
wherein the first electrode is in direct contact with the first layer and the second electrode is in direct contact with the second layer; and
wherein the first and second pluralities of conductive particles exhibit a positive temperature coefficient characteristic and the negative temperature coefficient particles exhibit a negative temperature coefficient characteristic.

2. The hybrid device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of negative temperature coefficient particles comprises a plurality of semiconductor particles.

3. The hybrid device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of conductive particles are dispersed within a polymer matrix.

4. The hybrid device of claim 3 , wherein the plurality of negative temperature coefficient particles comprises a plurality of semiconductor particles, the plurality of semiconductor particles being dispersed within the polymer matrix.

5. The hybrid device of claim 3 , wherein the plurality of conductive particles comprises tungsten carbide, titanium carbide, carbon, or nickel, TiB 2 , TiN, ZrC, ZrB 2 , ZrN, NbC.

6. The hybrid device of claim 3 , wherein the plurality of conductive particles comprises a particle size between 0.1 μm and 100 μm.

7. The hybrid device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of negative temperature coefficient particles comprises a plurality of ceramic particles.

8. The hybrid device of claim 7 , wherein the plurality of ceramic particles comprises an oxide having a spinel crystal structure.

9. The hybrid device of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of ceramic particles comprises a Ni—Mn—O material, a Ni—Mn—Cu—O material, a Ti—Fe—O material, an Al-modified spinel structure, or a Si-modified spinel structure.

10. The hybrid device of claim 7 , wherein the plurality of ceramic particles comprises a diameter of 0.01 μm to 100 μm.

11. The hybrid device of claim 4 , wherein the polymer matrix comprises polyvinylindene difluoride, polyethylene, polyethylene tetrafluoroethylene, ethylene-vinyl acetate, or ethylene butyl acrylate, PFA, ETFE, and ECTFE.

12. The hybrid device of claim 1 , wherein the first layer comprises a sum of a volume fraction of the NTC particles and a volume fraction of the conductive particles is between 10% and 70%.

Assignees

• Littelfuse Inc

Inventors

• Tsang Chun-Kwan
• Chen Jianhua

Classifications

• H01C7/043

  Oxides or oxidic compounds · CPC title

• H01C7/041

  formed with two or more layers · CPC title

• H01C7/021 Primary

  formed with two or more layers · CPC title

• H01C7/027

  consisting of conducting or semi-conducting material dispersed in a non-conductive organic material · CPC title

• H01H85/143

  Electrical contacts; Fastening fusible members to such contacts · CPC title