Patent ID: 7872841

Claim:
A device comprising: an electronic component having first electrodes for electrical signal and power, and second electrodes for electrical ground; a substrate, onto which the component is assembled, having built-in local protection shortcuts for the first electrodes operable to bypass electrical overcharge events directly to ground, the substrate including: an insulator material having a top surface with a first set and a third set of terminals, and a bottom surface with a second set and a fourth set of terminals; a flat sheet-like sieve member sandwiched in the insulator having a first surface and a second surface, the sieve member made of a non-linear material that switches from insulator to conductor mode at a preset voltage, the member perforated with a first set and a second set of through-holes and otherwise being free of indentations on its surfaces, and; first metal traces over the first surface, each first trace positioned covering a first set through-hole and having a conductive connection to a third set terminal and a conductive connection to a second set terminal; second metal traces on the second surface, each second trace covering a second set through-hole and overlapping a first trace, the overlap areas constituting a conductivity switch, and the second metal traces further having a conductive connection to a fourth set terminal and a conductive connection to a first set terminal; and the first and second electrodes connected to the first and third set terminals so that each first electrode is connected to a switch built into the substrate.