Patent ID: 8508325

Claim:
A chip varistor comprising: a varistor section comprised of a sintered body containing ZnO as a major component and configured to exhibit the nonlinear voltage-current characteristics; a plurality of electroconductive sections arranged on both sides of the varistor section and each having a first principal surface connected to the varistor section and a second principal surface opposed to the first principal surface; and a plurality of terminal electrodes connected to the respective second principal surfaces of the plurality of electroconductive sections, wherein the varistor section includes a first region in which at least one element selected from the group consisting of alkali metals Ag, and Cu exists and a second region extending between the first principal surfaces of the electroconductive sections and containing no element selected from the group consisting of alkali metals, Ag, and Cu, and each of the electroconductive sections includes a first region in which at least one element selected from the group consisting of alkali metals, Ag, and Cu exists, and a second region extending between the first principal surface and the second principal surface and containing no element selected from the group consisting of alkali metals, Ag, and Cu.