Polymer ESD Suppressors Information Center

Polymer ESD Suppressor Overview

Polymer ESD Suppressors

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 kV. At 6 kV static volts, an ESD event will be painful to a person. Lower voltage discharges may go unnoticed, but they can still cause catastrophic damage to electronic components and circuits.

Littelfuse plants for PolySwitch devices are ISO/TS 16949:2009 and ISO 9001:2008 certified.

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 multiline packages, they provide ESD protection while ensuring that signal integrity is maintained.

When to choose PulseGuard ESD suppressors instead of other ESD protection 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.

XTREME-GUARD® ESD Suppressors

XTREME-GUARD ESD suppressors protect sensitive electronic equipment against extreme ESD conditions, in very small 0402 and 0603 footprints. This series product is specifically designed to suppress fast-rising ESD transients up to 30 kV while adding virtually no capacitance to the circuit, which helps preserve signal integrity and minimize data loss. It is designed as RoHS compliant, halogen-free, and lead-free.

Why to choose XTREME-GUARD ESD suppressors instead of other ESD suppression technologies

  • The XGD Series XTREME-GUARD ESD Suppressor protects sensitive electronics against electrostatic discharges as high as 30kV and is suitable for high voltage applications up to 32 V dc
  • When correctly integrated into a circuit design, the XGD Series can safely absorb repetitive ESD strikes nearly four times the maximum level specified in the IEC61000-4-2 international standard without performance degradation
  • Even after multiple ESD strikes, it exhibits ultra-low current leakage (<1 nA), ensuring minimal power losses, so it’s well-suited for protecting battery-powered electronics like wearables