Bidirectional triode thyristor applied voltage rate effect following conduction

This paper describes the bidirectional thyristor commutation effect which involves the rate at which off-state voltage can be applied following current flow. This effect is contrasted to the circuit commutated turn-off time effect associated with semiconductor controlled rectifiers. To help describe the commutation effect in bidirectional devices, two common circuit applications are discussed. A test method is introduced for characterizing the commutation behavior as a function of all operating conditions. A great deal of quantitative information about the commutation effect is presented for a typical medium current bidirectional triode thyristor.