PolySwitch Resettable Devices – Fundamentals

PolySwitch Resettable Devices

Fundamentals

Overview

PolySwitch PPTC (Polymeric Positive Temperature Coefficient) Figure 1

H
How a PolySwitch Device works
devices help protect against harmful overcurrent surges and
overtemperature faults. Like traditional fuses, these devices limit Figure 1.a Figure 1.b
Normal Condition Trip Condition
the flow of dangerously high current during fault conditions. The
PolySwitch device, however, resets after the fault is cleared and Temperature rises during
power to the circuit is removed, thereby helping to reduce short circuit condition

warranty, service and repair costs.

P
PolySwitch circuit protection devices are made from a composite Temperature drops
after troubleshooting
of semi-crystalline polymer and conductive particles. At normal
temperature, the conductive particles form low-resistance
Polymer has a Polymer expands due
networks in the polymer (Figure 1). However, if the temperature crystalline structure. to I2R heating.
rises above the device’s switching temperature (TSw) either from Conductive path is made of Conductive path breaks down
conductive materials. due to polymer expansion.
high current through the part or from an increase in the ambient
temperature, the crystallites in the polymer melt and become amorphous. The increase in volume during melting of the crystalline
phase separates the conductive particles resulting in a large non-linear increase in the resistance of the device.

Overcurrent Protection using a Polymeric PTC Device T

The PolySwitch device is a series element in a circuit. The PPTC Figure 2

device protects the circuit by going from a low-resistance to a Typical PTC Application
high-resistance state in response to an overcurrent condition, as RRs
II
shown in Figure 2. This is referred to as “tripping” the device.

In normal operation the device has a resistance that is much lower

than the remainder of the circuit. In response to an overcurrent
condition, the device increases in resistance (trips), reducing the
V
current in the circuit to a value that can be safely carried by any RL
of the circuit elements. This change is the result of a rapid
increase in the temperature of the device, caused by I2R heating.

Principles of operation

PolySwitch device operation is based on an overall energy Figure 3

balance. Under normal operating conditions, the heat generated Example of Operating Curve for
by the device and the heat lost by the device to the environment
are in balance at a relatively low temperature, as shown in Point 1
Polymeric PTC Device
14
of Figure 3. Point 4
Resistance Value

If the current through the device is increased while the ambient

temperature is kept constant, the temperature of the device
increases. Further increases in either current, ambient temperature,
Point 2
or both will cause the device to reach a temperature where the Point 1

resistance rapidly increases, as shown in Point 3 of Figure 3.

Point 3

Any further increase in current or ambient temperature will cause Temperature (˚C)
the device to generate heat at a rate greater than the rate at which
heat can be dissipated, thus causing the device to heat up rapidly. At this stage, a very large increase in resistance occurs for a
very small change in temperature, between points 3 and 4 of Figure 3. This is the normal operating region for a device in the
tripped state. This large change in resistance causes a corresponding decrease in the current flowing in the circuit. This relation
holds until the device resistance reaches the upper knee of the curve (Point 4 of Figure 3). As long as the applied voltage remains
at this level, the device will remain in the tripped state (that is, the device will remain latched in its protective state). Once the
voltage is decreased and the power is removed the device will reset.
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 Example of Hold and Trip Current as a Function of Temperature

Figure 4 illustrates the hold- and trip-current behavior of Figure 4 E I

PolySwitch devices as a function of temperature. One such curve Example of Hold and Trip Current as a
can be defined for each available device. Region A describes the Function of Temperature
combinations of current and temperature at which the PolySwitch 300
Region A
device will trip (go into the high-resistance state) and protect the Device will trip

Rated hold current (%)R

and protect circuit
ITRIP
circuit. Region B describes the combinations of current and
200
temperature at which the PolySwitch device will allow for normal - Region C

operation of the circuit. In Region C, it is possible for the device IHOLD

to either trip or remain in the low-resistance state (depending on 100
Region B
individual device resistance). Device will remain in
low-resistance state

0
-40 -20 0 20 40 60 80

Temperature (˚C)

E
Operating Characteristics of Polymeric PTC

Figure 5 shows a typical pair of operating curves for a PolySwitch Figure 5

device in still air at 0°C and 75°C. The curves are different because
Example of Polymeric PTC
the heat required to trip the device comes both from electrical Operating Characteristics
I2R heating and from the device environment. At 75°C the heat
input from the environment is substantially greater than it is at
0°C, so the additional I2R needed to trip the device is
7

Log Time to Trip

correspondingly less, resulting in a lower trip current at a given 0˚C

trip time (or a faster trip at given trip current).

75˚C
L

Current

Typical Resistance Recovery after a Trip Event

Figure 6 shows typical behavior of a PolySwitch device that is Figure 6

tripped and then allowed to cool. This figure illustrates how, even
after a number of hours, the device resistance is still greater than Typical Resistance Recovery after a Trip Event
the initial resistance. Over an extended period of time, device Cut off power supply
resistance will continue to fall and will eventually approach initial
resistance.
Resistance (Ω)

During trip

However, since this time can be days, months, or years, it is not C

14 practical to expect that the device resistance will reach the

Initial
original value for operation purposes. Therefore, when PolySwitch resistance
before trip
devices are chosen R1MAX should be taken into consideration when
determining hold current. R1MAX is the resistance of the device one 0.01 0.1 1 10 100 1,000 10,000

hour after the thermal event. Before trip

Resetting time for resistance (minute)
I

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