4.

Thyristors
EE307 – Power Electronics
Spring 2019
Introduction to Thyristors
• A family of power semiconductor devices, used extensively in power electronics
• Three terminal device
• Gate: the control terminal
• Anode and cathode: conduct the major current through the thyristor
• Bi-stable switch. Has two states of operation
• Have the capability of delivering large currents and to withstand large externally
applied voltage
• Controllable in switching states:
o Forward-blocking state (OFF state)
Positive potential at anode w.r.t. cathode with low current
o Forward-conduction state (ON state)
Large forward current with small anode-cathode potential drop
Design and Construction
• Four layers of alternating p-type and n-type
material
• 3 p-n junctions
• Two outer layers p and n are strongly doped
• Two inner layers p and n are lightly doped
• Anode from p
• Cathode from n
• Gate from p
Two Transistor Model
Thyristor Operation
• Thyristor has three basic states of operation
• Forward-Blocking State
• Reverse Blocking State
• Forward-Conduction State
• Depends on the voltages applied to the terminals
 Forward-Blocking State:
• Anode → +ve voltages
• Cathode → -ve voltages
• Gate → Open
+ -

• 𝐽1 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐽3 are forward biased

• 𝐽2 is reversed biased
• Acts like an open switch even at +VAK
• Due to depletion region, majority carrier will not cross
the junction barrier
• Interruption in flow of current through thyristor
• Only small leakage current flow from anode to
cathode (off-state current 𝐼𝐷 )
 Forward-Conduction State:
• Same as forward blocking state
-
• 𝑉𝐴𝐾 is increased to large value +
• 𝐽2 reversed biased breaks
• 𝐽1 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐽3 are already forward biased

• Avalanche breakdown → Forward Breakdown Voltage 𝑉𝐵𝑂

• Free movement of carriers across all three junctions
• Large anode current → conduction state / “ON” state
• Resistive voltage drop → 1V
 Forward-Conduction State:
• Thyristor can be turned on if 𝑉𝐴𝐾 > 𝑉𝐵𝑂
• Could be destructive, should be avoided
• To turn on thyristor, apply gate signal.
• Apply positive voltage between its gate
and cathode.
• Gate pulse triggers the thyristor into ON
state
• Gate only to switch on the device
• Once device is on, it cannot be switched
off by another positive or negative gate
pulse
Latching Current, 𝑰𝑳
• Minimum anode current required to maintain thyristor in on-state
immediately after it has been turned on and gate signal is removed.
• Anode current must be greater than latching current
• To maintain amount of carrier flow across the junction
• Device reverts to blocking state as 𝑉𝐴𝐾 reduces
• ID > IL for the thyristor to be in forward conduction mode
• Thyristor will stay in ON mode
Holding Current, 𝑰𝑯
• Once thyristor starts conduction, it acts like a normal diode, no depletion
region at 𝐽2
• Forward anode current falls below 𝐼𝐻 depletion region develops at 𝐽2 . Low
number of carriers
• The minimum value of anode current necessary to keep the device in forward
conduction state.
• Device becomes unlatched, remains in blocking state
• Less than latching current
Reverse Blocking State:
• Anode → -ve voltages
• Cathode → +ve voltages
• Gate → Open

• 𝐽2 is forward biased
• 𝐽1 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐽3 are reversed biased
• Act like two series diodes with –ve
voltages
• Leakage current → Reverse current 𝐼𝑅
Characteristic Curve
Types of Thyristor
• Phase controlled thyristor (SCR)

• Light activated silicon controlled rectifier (LASCR)

• Bidirectional diode thyristor (DIAC)

• Bidirectional triode thyristor (TRIAC)

• Gate turn off thyristors (GTO)

 Dynamic Characteristics
• Switching characteristics or transient characteristic.
• Information about the dynamic behavior of the device
• Two parts:
• Turn-on Characteristics
• Turn-off Characteristics
• During turn-on and turn-off, the change in current and voltages across the
thyristor provides the dynamic characteristics
• Depends on the gate circuit and load parameters.
Turn-On Methods
Thermal turn-on: High voltage:
• Increasing the thyristors • Increasing the forward voltage
temperature increases the greater than VBO
current following through the • Avoided, can be destructive
device.
• Normally avoided, can cause
Gate Current:
thermal runaway • Signal applied at gate
Light: • Recommended method
• Used in LASCRs
Turn-On Process
• Anode is positive with respect to cathode
• Gate current flows into the inner P-type
layer so thyristor conducts
• Gate triggered switching method is safe
• Forward-breaking mode and reverse-
breaking mode should be avoided
• Firing circuit used at gate
Dynamic Characteristics during Turn-On Process
• Time delay between the application of gate signal and
conduction of thyristor
• 𝑡𝑜𝑛 𝑖𝑠 the time interval between 10% of steady-state gate
current 0.1𝐼𝐺 and 90% of steady state thyristor on-state
current (0.9𝐼𝑇 )
• Total internal operation during turn-on can be divided into two
time intervals:
• Delay time (𝑡𝑑 )
• Rise time (𝑡𝑟 )
𝑇𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 (𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑛−𝑜𝑛) = 𝑡𝑑 + 𝑡𝑟
• 𝑡𝑑 : Time interval between 10% of gate current (0.1𝐼𝐺 ) and 10%
of thyristor on-state current (0.1𝐼𝑇 )
• 𝑡𝑟 : Time required for the anode current to rise from 10% of on-
state current (0.1𝐼𝑇 ) to 90% of on-state current (0.9𝐼𝑇 )
 Designing Gate Control Circuit:
• Gate signal should be removed after the thyristor is turned on. A continuous
gating signal will increase the power loss in the gate junction
• Although the thyristor is reversed biased, there should be no gate signal else
the thyristor may fail due to an increased leakage current
• The width of gate pulse 𝑡𝐺 must be longer than the time required for the
anode current to rise to the latching current
• Pulse width 𝑡𝐺 should be more than turn on time 𝑡𝑜𝑛 of thyristor.
 Turn-Off Process (Commutation)
• Turning off means bringing thyristor from conducting state to blocking state
• To turn off an SCR two things are done:
• Reduce the anode current below its holding current
• Application of reverse voltage
• When anode current is zero and we apply forward voltage, the device will not
be able to block this voltage
• Excess carriers still at the junction, so device will start conducting when if
gate signal is not applied
• Need to remove all excess charge carriers from all four layers
 Dynamic Characteristics during Turn-Off Process

• Starts when forward current falls below holding current.

Reversed voltage applied.
• Subdivided into two intervals:
• Reverse recovery time (𝑡𝑟𝑟 )
• Gate recovery time (𝑡𝑔𝑟 )
• Turn off time (𝑡𝑞 ): sum of reverse recovery time and gate recovery time
• 𝑡𝑞 is the minimum time between the point when the on-state current has
decreased to zero and the point when the thyristor can withstand forward
voltages.
• Reverse recovery time: time taken to remove excess carriers from top and
bottom layers of thyristor
• All excessive carriers from 𝐽1 and 𝐽2 are removed
• Gate recovery time: removal of trapped excessive carrier from 𝐽2
• After this all carriers are removed and the device moves to the forward
blocking state
 Commutation
• The process of turning OFF a thyristor
• Two types:
• Natural Commutation
• Forced Commutation

Natural Commutation
• In AC circuits, the current passes though zero for
every half cycle
• Current falls below holding current
• Reverse voltage is applied
• Thyristor turns off naturally
• No external circuitry is required
• Also known as Line commutation
 Forced Commutation
• To turn off a thyristor, the forward anode current should be brought to zero for sufficient
time to allow the removal of charge carrier
• In DC circuit natural commutation cannot exist
• The forward current should be forced to zero by means of some external circuitry
• Self
• Impulse
• Resonance (L and C connected in parallel to get resonant oscillatory wave)
• Complementary (use complex solid state devices)
• Load Side (load is removed from the circuit. Load current made zero)
• Source Side (source is removed from circuit. Source current is made zero)
• External Pulse (External pulse used to turn off)
Self Commutation
• Capacitor in series with load
• Drops current after a certain time
• Capacitor starts charging when thyristor is switched on
• Current starts to drop exponentially
• When current falls below holding current, thyristor goes into
forward blocking state
 Impulse Commutation
• Capacitor is initially charged to −𝑉𝑜𝑢𝑡
• Main thyristor 𝑇1 is initially conducting load
current
• Auxiliary thyristor 𝑇2 is fired to switch 𝑇1 off
• 𝑇1 gets reverse biased due to negative voltages
provided by the negatively charged capacitor
• Load current now flows through 𝑇2
• Discharges capacitor from negative to zero and
then charges it from zero to positive voltages

• 𝑇2 will turn off when capacitor is fully charged from zero to positive voltages
• Charge reversal is required. Done by triggering thyristor 𝑇3
• LC circuit resonates at particular frequency and capacitor will be charged negatively