A CURRENT SELF-LIMITED PROTECTIVE DEVICE STUDIED BY LF-NOISE MEASUREMENTS

Electrical properties of composite carbon-epoxy material may lead to m any applications in electronics systems, in particular as protective d evices. Conduction mechanisms in such components are investigated on t he basis of first order characteristics (I-V curves) and of excess low frequency noise measurements. The great influence of thermal effects on the electrical characteristics are highlighted by complementary stu dies using IR thermography. A first attempt is made to test the reliab ility of these devices and to determine the failure modes by the compa rison of the excess noise before and after high stress cycles. Copyrig ht (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd