Present-day solid-state power switches

New static components and devices, many of which are characterized by decreasing cost with time, are being developed at a rapid rate. A review of their properties and applications, at this time, is in order Although the SCR is only seven years old,¹ many of the original types are either obsolescent or already obsolete in view of the apparent ability of present-day power semiconductor technology to develop “ultimate” devices (see Fig. 1).