Silicon -Controlled Switch

and
Unijunction Transistor

Silicon-Controlled Switch
Is a unilateral, four layer three junction P-N-P-N silicon
device with four electrodes namely cathode C, cathode
gate Gx, anode gate G2and the anode A
The SCS is a low power device compared with the SCR. It
handles currents in milli amperes rather than amperes.
SCS differs from an SCR in the following aspects. It has
an additional gatethe anode gate. It is physically smaller
than SCR. It has smaller leakage and holding currents
than SCR. It needs small triggering signals. It gives more
uniform triggering characteristics from sample to sample.
The SCS can also be triggered into conduction mode by
applying a negative voltage/outputcurrent pulse to the
same lead.

Operation of a Silicon Controlled

Switch
When a positive pulse of current is applied to the gate
terminal, the NPN transistor turns ON.
This allows current to exit the PNP transistors base,
hence turning the PNP transistor ON.
Now that both transistors are ON, current can flow
from anode to cathodethe SCS is turned on.
The Silicon Controlled Switch (SCS) will remain ON
until we remove the anode-to-cathode current, reverse
the anodeand cathode polarities, or apply a negative
voltage to the anode gate.
The negativeanode gate voltage removes the
transistors self-sustaining biasing current.

Advantages and Disadvantages of

SCS
Advantage
An advantage of SCS over
an SCR is the reduced
turn-off time,
typicallywithin the range of
1 to 10 micro seconds for
the SCS and 5 to 30 micro
seconds for the SCR
Other advantages of the
SCS over SCR are increased
control and triggering
sensitivity and a more
predictable firing situation.

Disadvantage
SCS is limited to low
power, current, and
voltage ratings (typical
maximum anode
currents range from
100 mA to 300 mA
with dissipation rating
of 100 to 500 mW).

Silicon Controlled
SwitchApplications
Silicon Controlled Switch (SCS) is used in
pulse generators, voltage sensors, counters,
timing, logic and triggering circuits.
The deviceis used in lamp drivers, powerswitching circuits, and logic circuits as well
as in essentially any circuit that requiresa
switch that can be turned ON and OFF by
two separate control pulses.

Unijunction Transistor