Diodes and thyristor — Past, presence and future

Diodes and thyristors are an essential component in electronics and especially in power electronics applications. At the beginning, germanium and silicon were mainly used as semiconducting base materials. Silicon is nowadays the most frequently used base material for the production of diodes and thyristors. The first diodes were able to block a few volts and conducted only a few amperes. Today single wafer diodes are able to block more than 9000 V over a wide temperature range; also thyristors are able to block more than 8000 V. Theses devices are able to conduct more than 4000 A. The following major milestones were achieved in the last decades: 1994 Electrically-triggered thyristor for 8000 V and 1500 A. 1997 First direct light-triggered thyristors for 8000 V with integrated protection functions 1999 PowerBLOCK module for 4400 V and 1000 A 2000 Diode with 9000 V and 2600 A 2006 New Diode for IGCT Applications 2008 Electrically-triggered thyristors for 8000 V and 4000 A in 6-inch wafer technology. An overview of state of the art production technologies of high-power pressure contact semiconductors is presented in this paper; typical applications with their specific requirements to the semiconductors are also discussed.