JP2542876B

Various solid-state overvoltage protection devices, preferably formed of deposited thin film materials including Ovonic threshold switching materials, are disclosed. The devices each typically have at least one elongated current conductive path through an elongated cross-sectional area of the threshold switching material between two spaced apart electrodes. The cross-sectional are has a length far exceeding its effective width in order to distribute the transient current produced by overvoltage conditions over a relatively large area, and thereby avoid any concentration of localized heating effects. A number of device configurations having such elongated current paths are disclosed, including some configurations have slot-like openings in insulating layers and others having adjacent elongated electrodes horizontally and vertically displaced from one another so as to provide a substantially diagonal current path.