An electrically conductive glass seal for providing a hermetic bond between an electrically conductive component and an insulator of a corona igniter is provided. The glass seal is formed by mixing glass frits, binder, expansion agent, and electrically conductive metal particles. The glass frits can include silica (SiO.sub.2), boron oxide (B.sub.2O.sub.3), aluminum oxide (Al.sub.2O.sub.3), bismuth oxide (Bi.sub.2O.sub.3), and zinc oxide (ZnO); the binder can include sodium bentonite or magnesium aluminum silicate, polyethylene glycol (PEG), and dextrin; the expansion agent can include lithium carbonate; and the electrically conductive particles can include copper. The finished glass seal includes the glass in a total amount of 50.0 to 90.0 weight (wt. %), and electrically conductive metal particles in an amount of 10.0 to 50.0 wt. %, based on the total weight of the glass seal.

An ESD protection device is manufactured such that its ESD characteristics are easily adjusted and stabilized. The ESD protection device includes an insulating substrate, a cavity provided in the insulating substrate, at least one pair of discharge electrodes each including a portion exposed in the cavity, the exposed portions being arranged to face each other, and external electrodes provided on a surface of the insulating substrate and connected to the at least one pair of discharge electrodes. A particulate supporting electrode material having conductivity is dispersed between the exposed portions of the at least one pair of discharge electrodes in the cavity.

An ESD protection device is manufactured such that its ESD characteristics are easily adjusted and stabilized. The ESD protection device includes an insulating substrate, a cavity provided in the insulating substrate, at least one pair of discharge electrodes each including a portion exposed in the cavity, the exposed portions being arranged to face each other, and external electrodes provided on a surface of the insulating substrate and connected to the at least one pair of discharge electrodes. A particulate supporting electrode material having conductivity is dispersed between the exposed portions of the at least one pair of discharge electrodes in the cavity.

An ESD protective device includes an element assembly with a hollow portion that includes inner surfaces including a first inner surface, a second inner surface, and a third inner surface inclined to a Z direction in a cross section including the Z direction. Accordingly, a surface area of the inner surfaces of the hollow portion is increased, the heat load on an auxiliary discharge electrode is reduced, and the deterioration of the auxiliary discharge electrode is significantly reduced or prevented.

An ESD protective device includes an element assembly with a hollow portion that includes inner surfaces including a first inner surface, a second inner surface, and a third inner surface inclined to a Z direction in a cross section including the Z direction. Accordingly, a surface area of the inner surfaces of the hollow portion is increased, the heat load on an auxiliary discharge electrode is reduced, and the deterioration of the auxiliary discharge electrode is significantly reduced or prevented.

A spark plug, including a central electrode, a first ground electrode, which is situated in a curved shape having a horizontal area and an essentially vertical area, and at least one second ground electrode, which is situated adjacent to the central electrode in such a way that a distance between the first ground electrode and the central electrode is less than a distance between the second ground electrode and the central electrode.

A welding system for welding small precious metal firing tips to spark plug electrodes, such as ground and/or center electrodes. According to one embodiment, the welding system includes a firing tip storage assembly and a firing tip welding assembly, where the firing tip storage assembly uses pressurized gas introduced at the bottom of a part container to float or lift the firing tips so that the firing tip welding assembly can more easily acquire them with a vacuum-driven nozzle that also doubles as a welding electrode. The firing tip welding assembly is mounted to a robotic apparatus that can index or move the firing tip welding assembly between the firing tip storage assembly, a welding station and/or any other suitable positions.

An ESD protection device includes an insulative substrate, first and second discharge electrodes contacting the insulative substrate, the first and second discharge electrodes being spaced apart from and opposed to each other, first and second outer electrodes provided on an outside surface of the insulative substrate and electrically connected to the first and second discharge electrodes, respectively; and a discharge auxiliary electrode extending from the first discharge electrode to the second discharge electrode in a region where the first and second discharge electrodes oppose each other. The discharge auxiliary electrode includes semiconductor particles and metal particles having an average particle diameter of about 0.3 m to about 1.5 m, and a density of the metal particles at a random cross-section of the discharge auxiliary electrode is greater than or equal to about 20 particles/50 m.sup.2.

A gas appliance includes a burning device, an igniting assembly, at least one additional device, and a modular control device. A manufacturing method of the modular control device includes steps below. First, provide a main circuit module which controls the igniting assembly. Second, provide a plurality of additional circuit modules, wherein at least one of the additional circuit modules corresponds to the at least one additional device. Each of the additional circuit modules is detachably connected to the main circuit module. Finally, select at least one of the additional circuit modules which corresponds to the at least one additional device, and connect the additional circuit modules to the main circuit module. Thus, the main circuit module and the selected at least one additional circuit module constitute the modular control device to satisfy a specific kind of gas appliance. Whereby, the manufacturing method lowers the inventory pressure of the control devices.

The present invention is a spark gap capable of integrating into multiple layer semiconductor substrate packaging. The initial gap in the spark gap is solid and it can be converted into air, meaning gaseous, and the air gap is achieved by having the gap initially be filled with a solid and then running a voltage through the spark gap so that the gap explodes and the solid is replaced by an air cavity. The spark gap may be formed by initially electroplating electrodes through a dry film-based process, and then, to further close the gap between electrodes, beyond the practical limits of dry film, pigtail plating may be used. This pigtail plating may expand the electrodes and thus reduce the gap distance.