Topic Outline

You are going to learn in the next lecture

Construction, operation, and application Of UJT, SCR, diac, and triac.

Lecture By Sourav Sarkar

Lecturer, Dept of ECE

SIT

Thyristors

4-Layer pnpn Devices

1. SCR Silicon-Controlled Rectifier 2. SCS - Silicon Controlled Switch 3. GTO - Gate Turn-Off Switch 4. LASCR - Light Activated SCR
These 4-layer pnpn devices are commonly referred to as Thysistors.
Construction, Characteristics, Ratings and Applications are the learning objectives.
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Silicon Controlled Rectifier

First introduced by Bell Telephone Lab in 1956. Applications including relay controls, timedelay, power supplies, static switches, motor controls, choppers, inverters, cycloconverters, battery chargers, protective circuits, heater controls, and phase controls. Up to 10 MW, 2000 A, 1800 V, 50 kHz. It has two states a low current, high impedance OFF state and a low impedance high current, high ON state.

Basic SCR Operation (1)

I GT Gate + Anode IA VF
(a) Symbol
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Cathode

Basic SCR Operation (2)

IGT
+ Anode p n p n Gate Cathode

(b) basic construction

1. The Anode must be positive with respect to the Cathode (necessary condition) 2. A turn-on pulse current must be established OR if applied voltage is greater than the forward breakover voltage

Basic SCR Operation (3)

Anode

+
p pnp n p

Anode

Q1

pnp

I GT

Gate

n p n - Cathode npn

npn Gate

Q2

Cathode

SCR can be represented by two transistors

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Two Transistor Model of SCR

Device Operation

When the anode is made positive w.r.t the cathode , the junctions J1 and J3 are forward biasesd and J2 is revesed biased.then the device is in forward blocking or OFF state. If the anode to cathode voltage VAK is increased to sufficiently large value the reverse biased junction J2 breaks this is known as avalanche breakdown resulting in a large forward current . The device is then in conducting or ON state.

V-I Characteristics

The anode current must be more than a value known as Latching current IL to maintain the required amount of flow or the device reverts to the blocking condition. Once a thyristor conducts it behaves like a conucting diode and there no control over the device. However if the forward anode current is reduced to a level known as Holding current I H- a depletetion region forms and the device goes to blocking state. Holding current is the minimum current to maintain the thyristor in the ON state.

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Basic SCR Operation (6)

VG turns Q2 on. IC2 = 2IB2=IB1

Q1 is turned on.

I C1 1 I B1 1 2 I B 2
I C1 2 I B 2 .

If 1 2 ,

I B 2 is increased by a factor of 2 in one regenerative loop.

SCR has short turn-on time => 0.1-1s.

High power devices (100 400A) Turn-on time => 10 25s. At t t 2 ~ t 3 , SCR cannot be turned off by simply removing the gate signal. It can only be turn-off if anode current IA drops below the holding current IH.
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SCR Characteristics and Ratings

V F + A K IA G Holding Current IH Reverse breakdown voltage I G2 I G1 IG = 0 IG IA Forward conduction region

VF3 Reverse blocking region

VF2 Forward blocking region

VF VF 1 Forward breakover voltage

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TRIAC

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Triac (1)
- A diac with a gate terminal - A bilateral device: can conduct current in both the directions Gate - Similar control action with SCR --It consists of two SCRs oriented in opposite directions

Anode 2

Anode 1 (a)

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Triac (2)
I A2 +ve

A2
n4 n5 n2 p1

p1

IH VBR VBR

p2 n3 A1 (b)

n1

A2 -ve

Gate

(c)

When A2 is given positive voltage w.r.t A1 we get conventional behaviour of one of the SCR , when A2 is is negative w.r.t M1 the other SCR behaves conventionally. the V-I char. Of the triac is therefore symmetrical .

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Diac (1)
It functions as two Shockley Diodes parallel-inversely connected together. Permits triggering in either direction. Again it is a 3-layer 2 terminal bidirectional avalanche diode with no cathode The basic structure is similar to a pnp transistor but without any connection at the base and the doping of the two junctions are nearly same.

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Diac (2)
Anode 1

Anode 2 (b) A1 n1 n2 p2 n3 A2 (a)

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p1

UJT Unijunction Transistor (1)

UJT is a 3-terminal device having a single p-n junction. The Aluminium rod is alloyed to the silicon slab at a point closer to base 2, so that B2 has a higher potential than B1. p-n junction (closer to B2)

B2

E
AIuminium rod
Silicon slab

VBB

ohmic contact

B1
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UJT Unijunction Transistor (2)

UJT has 2 Base terminals: B1 & B2 and an Emitter terminal: E UJT has the biasing arrangement as shown in the figure When forward-biased, IE is flowing into the device.
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VE
Cut off region Negative resistance region peak point

Important Parameters:
Saturation region

Ip, IV, and VV

Vp

VBB =10V

E(sat)

VV

Valley point

R
Ip I E0 ( A)

B1

Iv
50

Any further increase in IE will place the UJT in the saturation region
I E (mA)

Reverse Leakage Current

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 Do Mathematical problems from transistor, JFET, h parameters

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