Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) is an electrical transient that poses a serious threat to electronic circuits. The most common cause is friction between two dissimilar materials, causing a buildup of electric charges on their surfaces. Typically, one of the surfaces is the human body, and it is not uncommon for this static charge to reach a potential as high as 15,000 volts. At 6,000 static volts, an ESD event will be painful to a person. Lower voltage discharges may go unnoticed, but can still cause catastrophic damage to electronic components and circuit.

PulseGuard® ESD Suppressors

Littelfuse PulseGuard® ESD Suppressors offer extremely low capacitance which makes them ideal for use in high-speed data circuits (IEEE 1394, USB 2.0, HDMI, DVI, etc.). Available in single-line and multi-line packages, they provide ESD protection while ensuring that signal integrity is maintained.

When to Choose PulseGuard® ESD Suppressors versus other ESD suppression technologies:

• The application tolerates very little added capacitance (high speed data lines or RF circuits)
• ESD is the only transient threat
• Protection is required on data, signal, and control lines (not power supply lines)

Additional information about ESD and suppression technologies.