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The purpose of this study is to model the dependences of the output voltage, temperature, current and electrical power dissipation of a voltage limiter based on a two-layer varistor–posistor structure on time and analysis the influence of operating modes and design parameters of such a limiter on these characteristics.

The behavior of the limiting voltage, temperature and other parameters of the voltage limiter when an input constant overvoltage is applied is studied by the simulation method. The voltage limiter was a two-layer construction. One layer was a zinc oxide ceramic varistor. The second layer was a posistor polymer composite with a nanocarbon filler of PolySwitch technology.

The output voltage across the varistor layer decreases and reaches some fixed value related to its breakdown voltage after applying a constant overvoltage to the structure over time. The temperature of the structure increases to some steady state value, while the current decreases significantly. The amplitude of the transient current pulse increases, its duration and energy of the transient process decrease with increasing overvoltage. An increase in the internal resistance of the overvoltage source can cause a decrease in the amplitude and an increase in the duration of transient currents.

The ranges of values for the activation energy of conduction of the varistor layer in weak electric fields, the intensity of heat exchange between the structure under study and the environment are determined to ensure the stable operation of this structure as a voltage limiter. The results obtained make it possible to select the necessary parameters of the indicated structures to ensure the required operating modes of the voltage limiter for various applications.

The purpose of this paper is modeling the effect of negative capacitance in the capacitance-voltage characteristic of the intergranular potential barrier of varistor structure.

The modeling of the capacitance-voltage characteristic of the intergranular barrier in metal oxide varistor ceramics is based on the development of the algorithm. It includes all the known mechanisms of electrotransfer in a wide range of voltages and currents, and also takes into account the voltage drop on the intergranular interlayer of intergranular potential barrier.

The models and algorithms for calculating the capacitance-voltage characteristics of a single intergranular potential barrier with the use of the most established understanding used at the interpretation of the nonlinear conductivity intergranular barrier are developed. The results of the capacitance-voltage characteristics modeling correspond to the existing understanding of the electrical properties on the ac current varistor ceramics are based on zinc oxide. The model allows to predict the behavior of varistors on the alternating current (voltage).

It is established that the recharge of the surface localized states occurs when a voltage is applied to the varistor structure, it can lead to a relaxation decrease in the width of the potential barrier overcome by tunneling electrons in the field emission from the conduction band of the one crystallite in the conduction band of the other crystallite and thus to the current backlog of applied voltage on the phase (i.e. the expression of the negative capacitance effect).