Recently, inverter control systems have attracted immense attention to increase the energy efficiency. However, such systems use repeated on/off high currents for linear operation control, instead of the prevalent step variable current control method. Hence, there arise concerns of personal and property damage, especially due to the durability, explosive characteristics, and operating speed of the fuse, which is responsible for safety and is one of the internal components using current control. Therefore, in this paper, we propose an IEC60127-4 SMD sub-miniature fuse, consisting of Ag-Cu alloys and ceramic powder for arc soothing. The IEC60127-4 SMD sub-miniature fuse has high durability and cut-off capacity, and operates safely in dangerous circumstances caused by the inverter control system.

Oxide (SnO₂)/metal alloy (Cu(Ni))/oxide (SnO₂) multilayer films were fabricated using the magnetron sputtering technique. The oxide and metal alloy were SnO2 and Ni-doped Cu, respectively. The structural, optical, and electrical properties of the multilayer films were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectrophotometry, and 4-point probe measurements, respectively. The properties of the SnO₂/Cu(Ni)/SnO₂ multilayer films were dependent on the thickness and Ni doping of the mid-layer film. Since Ni atoms inhibit the diffusion and aggregation of Cu atoms, the grain growth of Cu is delayed upon Ni addition. For 250℃, the Haccke’s figure of merit (FOM) of the SnO₂ (30 nm)/Cu(Ni) (8 nm)/SnO₂ (30 nm) multilayer film was evaluated to be 0.17×10^-3 Ω^-1.

Mo-Cu alloys have been widely used for heat sink materials, vacuum technology, automobile, and many other applications due to their excellent physical and electric properties. Especially, Mo-Cu composites with 5 ~ 20 wt.% copper are widely used for the heavy duty service contacts due to their excellent properties like low coefficient of thermal expansion, wear resistance, high temperature strength, and prominent electrical and thermal conductivity. In most of the applications, highly-dense Mo-Cu materials with homogeneous microstructure are required for better performance. In this study, Mo-Cu alloys were prepared by PBM (planetary ball milling) and SPS (spark plasma sintering). The effect of Cu with contents of 5~20 wt.% on the microstructure and thermal properties of Mo-Cu alloys was investigated.