Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba

Junichi Miwa

Minoru Kato

Kouichi Asakura

In the gate-controlled bi-directional semiconductor switching device, when a negative trigger signal is applied to a second electrode functioning as a gate electrode, a second auxiliary thyristor formed of the sixth, third, first and eighth conductive layers is turned on, causing an ON current to be supplied as a gate current to a main thyristor formed of the fifth, second, first and eighth conductive layers via the first wiring. When a positive trigger signal is applied to the second electrode, a first auxiliary thyristor formed of the seventh, fourth, first and eighth conductive layers is turned on, causing an ON current to be supplied as a gate current to the main thyristor via the second wiring. Since the second electrode is connected to the fourth and sixth conductive layers of the first and second auxiliary thyristors are formed separately from the third and seventh conductive layers, invalid current components in the first and second thyristors are reduced to a minimum. This enhances the gate sensitivity particularly in operation modes I and II.

Gate-controlled bi-directional semiconductor switching device

When a positive gate trigger signal is applied to a gate terminal of a gate-controlled bidirectional semiconductor switching device, a first auxiliary thyristor, made up of an n-type 7th layer, a p-type 4th layer, an n-type first layer, and a p-type 8th layer, is turned on, and a resultant on-current of the thyristor is fed as a gate current, through a second wiring, to a first main thyristor made up of an n-type 5th layer, a p-type second layer, an n-type first layer, and a p-type 8th layer, turning on the first main thyristor. When a negative gate trigger signal is applied to the gate terminal, a second auxiliary thyristor, made up of an n-type 6th layer, a p-type third layer, an n-type first layer, and a p-type 8th layer, is turned on. In this case, however, a rectifier prevents an on-current of the second auxiliary thyristor from flowing to the gate terminal through the 4th layer, and, as a result, the on-current is fed, without leakage, as a gate current to the first main thyristor. Accordingly, the reactive current components in the second auxiliary thyristor are reduced, and the first main thyristor is turned on.

Gate-controlled bidirectional semiconductor switching device with

A semiconductor switching device includes first to fourth layers, a first gate portion, a second gate portion and a common gate terminal interconnecting the first and second gate portions. The first gate portion is the current control type and has a rectifying PN junction, and the second gate portion is the voltage control type. When a first polarity vias voltage is applied to the common gate terminal, the device turns on through the second gate portion, while turns off through the first gate portion when a second polarity vias voltage is applied to the terminal.

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Yokohama, Japan

Junichi Miwa