Semiconductor diode package with protection fuse

Claim 1

A circuit element for suppressing electrical transients, said circuit element having a semiconductor diode and a fusible device within a single housing, said circuit element comprising, a semiconductor diode wafer having two major faces of opposite type conductivity having a PN junction therebetween, two housing members made of an electrically conductive material, each of said housing members being generally of a cup-shaped configuration and having a circumferential radially directed flange portion, said housing members in register and joined together at their flange portions to form a housing defining a cavity, a thermal expansion compensating element of an electrically conductive material having two major faces, one of said faces having a face of said diode affixed thereon in electrical contact therewith, the other face of the thermal expansion compensating element electrically connected within said cavity to one of said housing members, an electrically conductive lead extending through said other housing member and insulated therefrom, and a fusible device electrically connecting said lead and the other face of said diode, said fusible device including a fuse element of a thin strip of metal having a selected portion that will melt when a current of a predetermined value flows through it, and an insulating polyimide jacket closely surrounding said selected portion of said fuse element.