Title :
Field controlled thyristors-a new family of power semiconductors with advanced circuitry
Author :
Gruening, Horst ; Voboril, Jan
Author_Institution :
ASEA Brown Boveri Corp. Res., Baden, Switzerland
Abstract :
Field-controlled thyristors (FCTs) exhibiting true normally-off characteristics without deterioration of the on-state are reported. Snubberless switching capability has been extended to 1200 V and 16 A (200 A/cm/sup 2/, dynamic avalanche). A novel latching mechanism, called current punchthrough, that limits the turn-off current is presented. Typical devise characteristics are reported for both a normally-on FCT with lifetime control (dV/dt=10 kV/ mu s) and a normally-off FCT without lifetime control (dV/dt=600 V/ mu s). The influence of the drive circuit (MOSFET-FCT and thyristor-FCT cascades) is discussed.<>
Keywords :
semiconductor device testing; thyristors; 1200 V; 16 A; FCTs; MOSFET; SDT; avalanche; current punchthrough; drive circuit; field-controlled thyristors; latching mechanism; lifetime control; power semiconductors; power transistors; snubberless switching; turn-off current; Anodes; Cathodes; Circuits; Dry etching; Electric variables; Fingers; Insulated gate bipolar transistors; Semiconductor diodes; Thyristors; Wet etching;
Conference_Titel :
Power Electronics Specialists Conference, 1988. PESC '88 Record., 19th Annual IEEE
Conference_Location :
Kyoto, Japan
DOI :
10.1109/PESC.1988.18276
