Transient Voltage Suppressors (TVS) are a class of devices used to protect circuits from sudden or momentary overvoltage conditions also known as transients. There are many reasons for the occurrence of high voltage spikes, such as lightning or motor arcing. Hence, TVS devices are required in the circuit to protect from any kind of damage and hazards. The transients usually measure a few thousand volts lasting for a few microseconds or less.One type of TVS device is the transient voltage suppression diode, a zener diode that is used in circuits for protection against overvoltage. The other class of TVS devices are metal oxide varistors (MOV) that are used to protect electrical equipment.The most important characteristic of a TVS is that it should respond to overvoltage faster than any other overvoltage protection device such as varistors or gas discharge tubes (GDT). TVS devices are unidirectional or bidirectional in operation. TVS diodes have a surge protection rating from 1A to 15kA with a response time of 1 picosecond. MOVs have a surge protection rating of up to 70kA with a response time of one nanosecond.TVS devices are used in a number of applications like power supplies, power inverters, automotive operations and industrial devices. Read more Read less