Preparation of vanadate-glass threshold switches

Methods are described for making reproducible and robust vanadate-glass threshold switches both by a bulk and a thick-film technique; the latter method lendsitself to the large-scale production of the devices. The electrical characteristics obtained using dc, sine-wave and square-wave inputs are described and the various electrical parameters such as: threshold voltage, holding current, delay time, etc. are given. The results of a statistical analysis involving 30 alumina substrates with 12 switches on each are described, the population being analysed in terms of the standard deviation and mean deviation of the dc threshold voltage and the resistance of the off-state. An attempt is made to correlate the variation in parameters from device to device with variables involved in the furnace-firing schedule as well as the printing.