This saves engineers from deliberately over-sizing protection components. Data is also provided to help assess the effects of pc-board metallization on temperature. Conventional Transient Voltage Suppression diodes do not provide such information.
Moreover, the STRVS clamping voltage is constant for any load, which enhances safety of the protected power components compared with RC (Resistor-Capacitor) snubber protection.
The STRVS series from STMicroelectronics provides effective MOSFET protection against multiple surges at frequencies from 50Hz to 200kHz, and is available now priced from $0.11 for orders over 1,000 units in SMB surface-mount packages.