The demand for transient voltage suppressor (TVS) diodes or chip varistors that protect highintegrated ICs in mobile or consumer devices has increased in Korea's circuit-protection device market. These products ensure reliable IC operation by protecting them from heat, electrostaticdischarge (ESD) and over-voltage. Being more reliable than varistors based on low-priced ceramics, TVS diodes are increasingly being used for advanced high-end portable products. TVS TRENDS The mobile phone market consumes most TVS diodes in Korea.Consequently, a trend has developed. Today, most TVS diode products are equipped with silicon panels or filters for removing electromagnetic interference (EMI). Further, TVS diode capacitance is becoming more important because the number of devices transferring high capacity data at high rates, such as USB, has increased. The size of TVS diode devices varies depending on surge strength. (Peak current ranges from 5 to 24A; with peak current of less than 1.5A required for capacitance.) The industry is also witnessing the release of multi-channel (e.g. 24- and 36-channel) I/O bus products. According to Joon-Sik Kim, a principal engineer at KEC Corp. (www.kec.co.kr), "This year, the main issue of the TVS diode market is reducing product size for small, mobile devices. Leading TVS manufacturers in the world, including Korea, are releasing solutions that have has been reduced by more than 30 percent." KEC, which supplies TVS diodes to mobile phone manufacturers such as Motorola, Samsung, and LG, is making every effort to develop technologies in order to account for 15 percent of the market share by 2010. The company is also working on developing ICbased TVS solutions. Applications of TVS are expected to expand further due to technical evolution. Fierce competition among TVS and varistor manufacturers is expected in the circuit-protection device market. VARISTOR VS. TVS "Varistors have an advantage in terms of price, but TVS is better at preventing ESD. This trade-off relationship will be the main factor in determining the competition among TVS and varistor manufacturers," said Kim. The number of chip varistors installed into one unit of mobile phone had increased from 14 to 16 in 2002, to between 20 and 25 in 2006. Korean chip varistor manufacturers such as CeraTech Corp., Amotech Co. Ltd and Innochips Co. Ltd have already increased their production output. The local circuit-protection device market is slightly at a disadvantage due to the technical barriers of leading Japanese and US companies, and lower-priced products from China. For the industry to grow, technical advancements need to be made soon. Furthermore, the chip varistor industry cannot make profit unless it obtains large-scale supply networks. Faced with these challenges, the main chip varistor manufacturers in Korea have expanded the applications of their products to include home appliances and vehicles, as well as enhancing value-added features. |
