This standard applies to a two terminal avalanche junction surge suppressor for surge protective application on systems
with dc to 420 Hz frequency and voltages equal to or less than 1000 V rms or 1200 V dc. The avalanche junction surge
suppressor is a semiconductor diode which can operate in either the forward or reverse direction of its V-I
characteristic. The device is a single package which may be assembled from any combination of series and/or parallel
diode chips. This standard contains definitions, service conditions, and a series of test criteria for determining the
electrical characteristics of these semiconductor avalanche junction surge suppressors. If the characteristics differ with
the direction of conduction, then each direction of conduction shall be separately specified.1 Arresters are covered in
ANSI/IEEE C62.1-1984 [1] 2,3 and ANSI/IEEE C62.33-1982 [2].