Licentia Patent-verwaltungs Gmbh

Marius Fullmann

Dieter Silber

Friedhelm Sawitzki

Wolfgang Winter

Karl-Julius Finck

An interference-potential-compensated thyristor comprising, a common emitter zone of one conductivity type, a common main base zone of an opposite conductivity type in contact with said common emitter zone, a common control base of said one conductivity type in contact with said common main base, first and second outer emitter zones of said opposite conductivity type in contact with said common control base, a common metallized electrode layer in contact with said common emitter zone, a first opposite metallized electrode layer in contact with a portion of said common control base and said first outer emitter zone at a junction between said common control base and said first outer emitter zone, and a second opposite metallized electrode layer in contact with a portion of said common control base and said second outer emitter zone at a junction between said common control base and said second outer emitter zone, said first outer emitter zone defining a pilot thyristor part thereabout and said second outer emitter zone defining a sequential thyristor thereabout, a geometry of said first and second outer emitter zones and said first and second opposite metallized electrode layers being chosen so that a capacitance resulting from a forward blocking p-n junction and the surface resistance of said common control base result in a potential which compensates and which approximately corresponds to a maximum interference potential occurring in said common control base beneath said first outer emitter zone, and with an optical or electrical triggering, a potential develops in said common control base adjacent said portion of said first outer emitter zone in contact with said first opposite metallized electrode layer which is substantially lower than the maximum turn-on potential produced in the common control base beneath said first outer emitter zone.

Interference-potential-compensated thyristor comprising at least four

A semiconductor switch including a main thyristor and an auxiliary thyristor which can both be switched on and off by a control current. The anodes of the two thyristors are connected together and lead to a first load current terminal for the switch, the cathode of the main thyristor leads to a second load current terminal for the switch, the control electrode of the main thyristor is connected with the cathode of the auxiliary thyristor, and the control current for the switch is fed in via the control electrode of the auxiliary thyristor. The turn-off gain of the main thyristor is greater than the turn-off gain of the auxiliary thyristor and the holding current of the auxiliary thyristor is lower than the holding current of the main thyristor.

Semiconductor switch with thyristors

A gate turn-off thyristor device including a gate turn-off main thyristor and a gate turn-off auxiliary thyristor, each having an emitter, a control base, a main base and a counter-emitter, integrated in a semiconductor body including three zones of alternatingly opposite conductivity type. The three zones of the semiconductor body are each divided into two regions to provide the counter-emitter, main base and control base zones of the two thyristors, while the emitter zones of the main thyristor and of the auxiliary thyristor are separate zones formed in the respective associated regions constituting the control base zones of the respective thyristors. The two counter-emitter zones of the two thyristors are commonly contacted, and the two regions of at least one of the zones of the semiconductor body are doped differently so that the turn-off gain of the main thyristor is greater than the turn-off gain of the auxiliary thyristor and the holding current of the auxiliary thyristor is smaller than the holding current of the main thyristor.

Gate turn-off thyristor

A light fired thyristor including a semiconductor body having four zones of alternatingly opposite conductivity types constituting a first or cathode emitter zone, a control base zone adjacent thereto, a main base zone and a second or anode emitter zone with the cathode emitter zone being formed within the control base zone at one major surface of the semiconductor body and being divided into a plurality of separate regions of which one serves as the firing region of the first emitter zone to fire the thyristor in response to impinging radiation energy. The firing region of the first emitter zone is provided in part with a first ohmic contact which is ohmically connected to a further ohmic contact connected to the control base region adjacent the edge of the semiconductor body. The remaining regions of the first emitter zone are provided with a cathode contact which simultaneously contacts the portions of the control base zone between these regions and forms short circuits with the control base zone. Consequently with interfering currents which are approximately uniformly distributed over the thyristor area, an increase in potential is produced in the firing region of the first emitter zone which increase is in the same direction as the increase in potential in the firing region of the control base zone and the likelihood of a faulty firing of the thyristor is reduced.

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Neu-Isenburg, Germany

Marius Fullmann