Introduction to SCR

The silicon controlled rectifier (SCR) is a three

terminal semiconductor switching device.
SCR can be used as a controlled switch to perform
various functions such as rectification, inversion
and regulation of power flow.
It can handle currents from few milli amperes to
thousands of amperes and voltages upto more
than 1KV.
SCR is also known as thyristor, thyrode transistor.
It is a unidirectional power switch and is being
extensively used in switching ac and dc, rectifying
ac and give controlled dc output, converting dc
into ac etc.

Silicon controlled rectifier

It is a four layer device similar to a
pnpn device exept that a third lead
(gate) is attatched to one of the base
regions.
The three terminals are anode
cathode and gate.
One from the outer p type material
called anode, second from the outer n
type material called cathode, and the
third from the base called the gate.
In normal operating conditions anode
is held at high positive voltage with
respect to cathode, gate at small

Modes of Operation

There are three modes of operation

for an SCR depending upon the
biasing given to it.
Forward blocking mode
Forward Conduction mode
Reverse blocking mode

Forward blocking mode

In this mode of operation anode is given a positive
potential while cathode is given negative voltage
keeping gate at zero potential i.E. Disconnected.
In this case junction j1 and j3 are forward biased
while j2 is reversed biased
Due to which only a small leakage current flows
from anode to cathode till applied voltage reaches
it break over value at which j2 undergoes
avalanche breakdown.
And at this break over voltage it starts conducting
but below break over voltage it offers very high
resistance to the flow of current through to it and
said to be in off state.

Forward Conduction mode

In this mode thyristor conducts currents from
anode to cathode with a very small voltage drop
across it.
A thyristor is brought from forward blocking mode to
forward conduction mode by turning it on by
exceeding the forward break over voltage or by
applying a gate pulse between gate and cathode.
In this mode, thyristor is in on-state and behaves
like a closed switch.
Reduce the current flowing through it below a
minimum value called holding current.
Apply a negative pulse at gate which will bring it in
off state instantaneously.

Reverse blocking mode

When cathode is made positive with respect to
anode thyristor is reverse biased
Junctions J1, J3 are seen to be reverse biased
whereas junction J2 is forward biased. T
The device behaves as if two diodes are
connected in series with reverse voltage applied
across them.
A small leakage current of the order of a few
milliamperes flows.
This is reverse blocking mode, called the offstate, of the thyristor.

Gate triggering mechanism

If the device is in the forward blocking state with
a small saturation current flowing from anode to
cathode.
A positive gate current causes holes to flow
from the gate into p2, the base of the npn
transistor.
This added supply of holes and the
accompanying injection of electrons from n2
into p2 initiates transistor action in the pnpn
device.
After a delay time the device is driven into the
forward conducting state.

IGBT: Insulated-Gate Bipolar

Transistor
Combination BJT and MOSFET
High Voltage and Current Ratings
Symbol

 The Insulated Gate

Bipolar Transistor or
IGBT is a threeterminal power
semiconductor device,
noted for high
efficiency and fast
switching.
The IGBT is a
semiconductor device
with four alternating
layers (P-N-P-N) that
are controlled by a
metal-oxide-

 Non-Punch-Through (NPT) IGBT

The basic IGBT with P-N-P-N (P+, N-, P+, N+)
structure is called as non punch-through
IGBT.
Punch-Through (PT) IGBT
Punch-Through (PT) IGBT is an IGBT with
additional buffer layer (N+) as shown in
Figure.
In PT devices the electric field punches
through the N- base region and is stopped
by the N+ buffer layer.

 The major difference with the corresponding

MOSFET cell structure lies in the addition of
a p+ injecting layer.
This layer forms a pn junction with the drain
layer and injects minority carriers into it.
The n type drain layer itself may have two
different doping levels.
The lightly doped n- region is called the
drain drift region. Doping level and width of
this layer sets the forward blocking voltage
(determined by the reverse break down
voltage of J2) of the device.

 when the gate emitter voltage is less

then the threshold voltage no inversion
layer is formed in the p type body
region and the device is in the off state.
The forward voltage applied between
the collector and the emitter drops
almost entirely across the junction J2.
Very small leakage current flows
through the device under this condition.

 When the gate emitter voltage exceeds the

threshold, an inversion layer forms in the p type body
region under the gate.
This inversion layer (channel) shorts the emitter and
the drain drift layer and an electron current flows
from the emitter through this channel to the drain
drift region.
This in turn causes substantial hole injection from the
p+ type collector to the drain drift region.
A portion of these holes recombine with the electrons
arriving at the drain drift region through the channel.
The rest of the holes cross the drift region to reach
the p type body where they are collected by the
source metallization.

 From the above discussion it is clear

that the n type drain drift region acts
as the base of the output p-n-p
transistor.
The doping level and the thickness of
this layer determines the current
gain of the p-n-p transistor.

Output current voltage

characteristics