Power Electronics

Dr. Mohd Khairunaz Bin Mat Desa

Room 4.04
khairunaz@usm.my
Ext : 5873
 Thyristor/ Silicon Controller Rectifier
(SCR)

§  Introduc)on  and  Characteris)c  

§  Two  transistor  model  
§  Thyristor  Turn-­‐on  
   
Introduction
 Introduction

Cathode   Gate    

Anode  
 Introduction

Cathode   Gate    

Anode  
 Introduction

Cathode   Gate    
Module    

Anode  
 Introduction

Cathode   Gate    
Module    

Anode  
Disk/Puck    
 Introduction

Cathode   Gate    
Module    

Anode  
Disk/Puck    
 Introduction
“Highest  power-­‐handling  capability  (more  than,  7  kV,  
4  kA).  They  are  among  the  largest  semiconductor  
devices  made  (10  cm  diameter)”    
Introduction
Introduction
 Introduction

Similar  to  diode  but  possesses  

third  terminal  called  a  gate.  
Gate  terminal  allows  instant  of  
conduc:on.  Turn  ON  only.  
 Introduction

Turn  on-­‐  when  anode  

posi)ve  with  respect  to  
cathode  and  posi)ve  
current  flow  in  gate  for  few  
microseconds.  
 Introduction

Latching  device  –  once  

triggered,  stay  on  unless  
power  is  removed  or  polarity  
changed.  
 Introduction

A bank of six 2000 A thyristors (white disks arranged in a row at top, and seen edge-on)  
Thyristor Symbol
Thyristor Symbol

J1   J2   J3  
 Thyristor Operation
J1   J2   J3  
Thyristor Operation
1)  When  anode  is  posi)ve  compare  to  
cathode  junc)on  J1  and  J3  are  
forward  biased,  but  J2  is  reversed  
biased  (blocking  mode)  and  there  
small  forward  leakage  current.  
Thyristor Operation

2)  If  the  voltage  applied  is  increase  to  

sufficiently  large  value  between  
anode  and  cathode,  J2  will  break  
down  (avalanche  breakdown).  Since  
J1  and  J3  are  already  forward  biased  
thus  they  will  be  free  movement  of  
carriers  across  all  three  junc)ons  
resul)ng  large  anode  current.  
 
Thyristor Operation

3)  Anode  current  limited  by  load  

resistor  RL.  To  maintain  on  state,  
forward  current  must  be  bigger  than  
the  Latching  current,  IL.  IL  is  the  
minimum  current  requirement  just  
aWer  thyristor  turn  on  and  gate  
signal  is  removed.    
Thyristor Operation
4)  If  current  fall  to  holding  current  
IH  ,deple)on  region  develop  in  junc)on  
J2  thus  thyristor  will  be  in  forward  
blocking  mode.  
 
Thyristor Operation
5)  When  supply  polarity  is  reverse,  
junc)ons  J1  and  J3  will  be  reversed  
biased  while  J2  in  forward  biased.  
Small  reverse  leakage  current  flow  
Thyristor Operation

6)  If  supply  is  greater  than  reverse  

breakdown  voltage  of  thyristor,  large  
current  start  to  flow  (  J1  and  J3  
breakdown).  
Thyristor Operation

7)  A  thyristor  turn  on  by  

increasing  forward  voltage  
beyond  VBO  is  not  a  good  idea  
(destruc)ve).  Posi)ve  voltage  
is  apply  at  gate  terminal  which  
is  much  lesser  than  VBO.  Once  
anode  current  greater  than  IH  
the  device  con)nue  to  conduct  
due  to  posi)ve  feedback  even  
gate  signal  is  removed.  
 Thyristor- Two transistor model

“Opera)on  of  thyristor  can  be  modelled  by  two  transistor  model.“  The  
regenera)ve  or  latching  ac)on  due  to  posi)ve  feedback  (thyristor  keep  ON  state  
even  gate  signal  is  removed)”  
Conditions that can turn ON a Thyristor

Switch  ON  using  gate  signal  -­‐  Applying  posi)ve  voltage  on  gate  
terminal  would  turn  ON  thyristor.  (Main  method)  
Conditions that can turn ON a Thyristor

Switch  ON  using  gate  signal  -­‐  Applying  posi)ve  voltage  on  gate  
terminal  would  turn  ON  thyristor.  (Main  method)  

High  voltage  -­‐    if  forward  voltage  >>  VBO  diode  will  conduct,  but  this  is  
destruc)ve  and  should  be  avoided.  
Conditions that can turn ON a Thyristor

Switch  ON  using  gate  signal  -­‐  Applying  posi)ve  voltage  on  gate  
terminal  would  turn  ON  thyristor.  (Main  method)  

High  voltage  -­‐    if  forward  voltage  >>  VBO  diode  will  conduct,  but  this  is  
destruc)ve  and  should  be  avoided.  

Light  -­‐    if  light  strike  junc)on;  create  electron-­‐hole  pairs;  turn-­‐on  thyristor    
Conditions that can turn ON a Thyristor

Switch  ON  using  gate  signal  -­‐  Applying  posi)ve  voltage  on  gate  
terminal  would  turn  ON  thyristor.  (Main  method)  

High  voltage  -­‐    if  forward  voltage  >>  VBO  diode  will  conduct,  but  this  is  
destruc)ve  and  should  be  avoided.  

Light  -­‐    if  light  strike  junc)on;  create  electron-­‐hole  pairs;  turn-­‐on  thyristor    

Thermals  -­‐    if  temperature  is  high;  increase  number  of  electron-­‐hole  pairs;  
turn-­‐on  thyristor    
Conditions that can turn ON a Thyristor

Switch  ON  using  gate  signal  -­‐  Applying  posi)ve  voltage  on  gate  
terminal  would  turn  ON  thyristor.  (Main  method)  

High  voltage  -­‐    if  forward  voltage  >>  VBO  diode  will  conduct,  but  this  is  
destruc)ve  and  should  be  avoided.  

Light  -­‐    if  light  strike  junc)on;  create  electron-­‐hole  pairs;  turn-­‐on  thyristor    

Thermals  -­‐    if  temperature  is  high;  increase  number  of  electron-­‐hole  pairs;  
turn-­‐on  thyristor    

dv/dt  –  if  the  rate  rise  of  anode  cathode  voltage  quite  high,  this  can  cause  
charging  current  of  the  capaci)ve  junc)ons  large  enough  to  turn  on  the  thyristor.  
A  high  value  charging  current  can  damage  the  thyristor.  
 Turn ON using gate terminal
J1   J2   J3   Applying  posi)ve  voltage  around  gate  and  cathode  terminal  
would  turn  on  thyristor.  As  gate  current  increases  the  
forward  blocking  decreases.    
 Summary
“A  thyristor  is  iden)cal  to  power  diode  with  an  
addi)onal  gate  terminal  that  allow  us  to  control  to  
turn  ON  only  in  forward  biased  condi)on.  Once  turn  
ON  will  con)nue  to  turn  ON  unless  the  supply  is  
reversed  biased.”  
 Example
If  the  latching  current  in  the  circuit  below  is  4mA,  obtain  the  minimum  width  of  the  
ga)ng  pulse  required  to  properly  turn  on  the  thyristor?  
 Example
If  the  latching  current  in  the  circuit  below  is  4mA,  obtain  the  minimum  width  of  the  
ga)ng  pulse  required  to  properly  turn  on  the  thyristor?  
 Example
If  the  latching  current  in  the  circuit  below  is  4mA,  obtain  the  minimum  width  of  the  
ga)ng  pulse  required  to  properly  turn  on  the  thyristor?  
 di/dt protection
A  thyristor  requires  a  minimum  )me  to  spread  the  current  conduc)on  uniformly  
throughout  the  junc)ons.  If  anode  current  is  very  fast  compare  to  spreading  
velocity  of  a  turn  on  process,  a  localized  hot  spot  hea)ng  will  occur.  Device  might  
fail  due  to  excessive  temperature.  di/dt  is  limited  by  adding  series  inductor.  

di Vs
=
dt Ls
 dv/dt protection
If  switch  is  closed  at  t=0,  a  step  voltage  will  be  applied  across  thyristor  T1  and  dv/
dt  maybe  high  enough  to  turn  on  the  thyristor  connected.  

Rs  added  to  limit  

Cs  added  to  limit  dv/ discharge  current  of  
dt   capacitor.  

dv 0.632Vs
=
dt Rs Cs
 Thyristor turn off
1)  Turn  off  by  reducing  forward  current  <  IH  or  changing  the  supply  polarity.  

2)  Similar  to  a  diode  turn  off  characteris)c  (junc)on  J1  and  J3)  with  reverse  
recovery  )me  tRR  and  peak  reverse  recovery  current  IRR.  Use  similar  equa)on  
like  diode  for  finding  tRR  and  IRR.    

3)  The  reverse  recovery  voltage  start  appear  immediately  aWer  forward  current  
goes  to  zero.    

4)  Inner  junc)on  J2  require  recombina)on  )me  trc  to  recombine  excess  carrier.  
trc  is  dependent  on  magnitude  of  reverse  voltage.  

5)  Turn  off  )me,  tq  =  tRR  +  trc  

6)  Turn  off  )me,  tq  is  dependent  on  peak  value  of  on  state  current  and  the  
instantaneous  on  state  voltage.    
 Thyristor turn off
6)  Reverse  recovery  charge  QRR  is  the  amount  of  charge  which  has  to  be  
recovered  during  turn  off  process.  Value  depent  on  rate  of  fall  on  state  current  
and  peak  value  on  state  current  before  turn  off.  QRR  contribute  to  switching  
losses.  
Thyristor turn off
 Thyristor types

1.  Phase  Controlled  Thyristor  

2.  Fast  Switching  Thyristor  
3.  Gate  turn  off  (GTO)  thyristor  
4.  Bidirec:onal  triode  thyristor  
5.  MOS  Controlled  thyristor  
 Phase Control/Converter thyristor
1)  Operated  at  line  frequency  and  turn  off  by  natural  commuta)on.  Suited  to  low  
speed  switching  applica)on.    

2)  tq  in  order  50  to  100us,  on  state  voltage  in  between  1.15V  to  2.5V.  

3)  Modern  thyristor  used  an  amplifying  gate.  This  permit  high  dynamic  characteris)c  
of  di/dt  and  dv/dt  limita)on.    

Amplifying  gate  circuit.  

 Fast Switching thyristor
1)  Use  in  high  speed  switching  applica)on  with  forced  commuta)on  i.e  
chopper  and  inverter  circuits.  

2)  tq  in  order  5  to  50us,  on  state  voltage  typically  about  1.7V.  High  dv/dt  (1000V/us)  
and  di/dt  (1000A/us).  

3)  Other  fast  thyristor  known  as  inverter  thyristor  has  low  tq  in  order  3  to  5us,  but  
low  reverse  blocking  capability  10V.  
 Gate turn off thyristor (GTO)
1)  GTO  has  addi)onal  capability  than  normal  SCR  thyristor  that  is  the  ability  
to  turn  off  by  applying  short  nega)ve  pulse  to  the  gate.  

2)  This  added  few  advantages  

 a)  Elimina)ng  of  commuta)on  components  in  forced    
 commuta)on  and  commuta)on  choke  (  reduce  cost,  weight  and    
 volume).  
 b)  Faster  turn  off  and  improved  efficiency.  

3)  For  low  power  applica)on  advantage  GTO  over  bipolar  transistor  are;  
higher  blocking  voltage,  high  ra)on  of  peak  controllable  current  to  average  
current,  high  ra)on  of  peak  surge  current  to  average  current,  high  on  state  
gain  and  short  dura)on  pulse  gate  signal.  
 Gate turn off thyristor (GTO)
4)  Disadvantages-­‐  has  higher  on  state  voltage  of  about  3.4V  and  rela)vely  
high  nega)ve  current  pulse  to  turn  off.  
 Bidirectional Thyristor TRIAC
1)  TRIAC  is  a  bidirec)onal  devices  thus  can  conduct  in  both  direc)on.  
Bidirectional Thyristor TRIAC
2)  When  MT2  is  posi)ve  compare  to  MT1  
-­‐   the  TRIAC  can  be  turn  on  by  applying  
posi)ve  gate  signal.  T2  will  conduct.  

+  
Bidirectional Thyristor TRIAC
+   2)  When  MT1  is  posi)ve  compare  to  MT2  
the  TRIAC  can  be  turn  on  by  applying  
posi)ve  gate  signal.  T2  will  conduct.  

3)  If  polarity  reverse,  MT2  is  nega)ve  

and  MT1  is  posi)ve,  TRIAC  can  be  
turn  on  by  applying  nega)ve  gate  
-­‐   signal.  
 Series Connection
1)  Two  more  thyristor  can  be  connected  in  series  to  increase  the  voltage  
ra)ng.  Similar  to  diode,  thyristor  also  has  produc)on  spread  characteris)cs.  

2)  Unlike  diode,  thyristor  requires  voltage  sharing  for  both  reverse  and  off  
state  condi)ons.  
 Series Connection
3)  This  is  accomplish  by  connec)ng  resistor  across  each  thyristor.  

Control  transient   Limit  the  

voltage  distribu)on   discharge  current  
 Parallel Connection
1)  Problem  with  thyristors  connected  in  parallel  is  unequal  sharing  of  load  
current  due  to  different  in  their  characteris)cs.  

2)  Solved  by  adding  small  resistor  but  this  will  increase  conduc)on  losses.  
 Parallel Connection
3)  Common  solu)on:  magne)cally  couple  inductor.    

4)  If  current  through  T1  increases,  a  voltage  of  opposite  polarity  will  induced  
in  winding  T2.  This  reduce  impedance  in  T2  thus  balances  the  current  flow.    
 Firing Circuits
The  power  circuit  usually  held  at  100V  or  greater  while  the  gate  circuit  held  typically  at  
12V  to  30V.  Two  way  to  achieve  this  by  isola)on  through  opto-­‐coupler  or  transformer.  
Opto-­‐coupler  required  separate  power  supply  thus  increase  cost  and  weight  of  firing  
circuit.  

An  example  opto-­‐coupler  isola)on  gate  circuit.  

 Firing Circuits

An  example  transformer  isola)on  gate  circuit.  

Introduction