SCHURTER thermal fuse features low tripping temperature
Article By : SCHURTER
SCHURTER's RTS thermal fuse is getting a new variant with a tripping temperature of >175°C.
SCHURTER’s RTS thermal fuse is getting a new variant with a tripping temperature of >175°C. The RTS is a particularly compact overtemperature protection device for power semiconductors in SMD technology for highest demands.
RTS (Reflowable Thermal Switch) was developed to protect highly integrated power semiconductors from overheating. Prior to mechanical activation, the new thermal fuse can be soldered on conventional reflow soldering machines with profiles of up to 260°C.
Thermal runaway refers to the overheating of a power semiconductor due to a self-reinforcing and heat-producing process, especially when the trend now is towards increasing power density and miniaturization of electronic circuits. The RTS protects these power semiconductors against thermal runaway, acting as a fail-safe device and reliably interrupts the circuit from as early as 175°C and thus addresses the operating temperatures of common power semiconductors even better.
The new overtemperature protection device comes in the same minimal dimensions and maximum breaking capacity despite its additional shunt functionality. On its small 6.6 x 8.8 mm footprint, the RTS can handle operating currents of up to 130A and rated voltages of up to 60VDC.
The shunt version has an integrated resistance with particularly low temperature dependence. This resistance enables precise current measurement and enables an additional non-thermal circuit protection, e.g. via a controller.