ET2001 - Electronics I

Lecture 3 - Thyristors

Dr. Dulika Nayanasiri

dulika@ent.mrt.ac.lk

March 1, 2016

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 Electronics I Semiconductor Devices

Introduction
A family of devices known as thyristors are constructed of four
semiconductor layers (pnpn)
Thyristors include,
1 Silicon-Controlled Rectifier (SCR)
2 DIAC
3 TRIAC
4 Silicon-Controlled Switch (SCS)
5 4-layer diode
They act as open circuits capable of withstanding a certain rated voltage
until they are triggered
When triggered, they turn-ON and become low-resistance current paths
and remain so, even after the trigger is removed
They conduct until the current is reduced to a certain level or until they
are triggered off
Applications - used to control the amount of ac power to a load
1 Lamp dimmers
2 Motor speed controls
3 Ignition systems
4 Charging circuits
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 Electronics I Semiconductor Devices

Silicon-Controlled Rectifier (SCR)

An SCR is a 4-layer pnpn device with three terminals: anode, cathode,
and gate

Figure: SCR cross-section, symbol and packages

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 Electronics I Semiconductor Devices

SCR Equivalent Circuit

The upper pnp layers act as a

transistor Q1
The lower npn layers act as a
transistor Q2
Figure: SCR equivalent circuit
Two middle layers are ”shared”

SCR operation can be understood

by thinking of its internal pnpn
structure as a two-transistor
arrangement

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 Electronics I Semiconductor Devices

Turning the SCR ON

Figure: The SCR turn-ON process - Electron flow direction is shown as current flow
direction

When the gate current (IG = 0), is zero, the device in the off state
The very high resistance between the anode and cathode can be
approximated by an open switch
When a positive pulse of current (trigger) is applied to the gate, both
transistors turn on (the anode must be more positive than the cathode)
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 Electronics I Semiconductor Devices

Turning the SCR ON

Figure: The SCR turn-ON process - Electron flow direction is shown as current flow
direction

IB2 turns-ON Q2 , providing a path for IB1 out of the Q2 collector, thus
turning-ON Q1
The collector current of Q1 provides additional base current for Q2 so that
Q2 stays in conduction after the trigger pulse is removed from the gate
By this regenerative action, Q2 sustains the saturated conduction of Q1
by providing a path for IB1
In turn, Q1 sustains the saturated conduction of Q2 by providing IB2 6 / 34
 Electronics I Semiconductor Devices

SCR characteristic curves

SCR can be turned-ON without gate triggering by increasing the
anode-to-cathode voltage to a value exceeding the forward-breakover
voltage VBR(F ) - But need to avoid
The forward-breakover voltage decreases as IG is increased above 0V
A value of is reached at which the SCR turns on at a very low
anode-to-cathode voltage
Gate current controls the value of forward breakover voltage VBR(F ) ,
required for turn-ON

Figure: SCR characteristic curves 7 / 34

 Electronics I Semiconductor Devices

SCR Characteristics and Ratings

Forward-breakover voltage VBR(F ) - SCR enters the forward-conduction
region
Holding current IH - Value of anode current below which the SCR
switches from the forward-conduction region to the forward-blocking
region
Gate trigger current IGT - The gate current necessary to switch the SCR
from the forward-blocking region to the forward-conduction region under
specified conditions
Average forward current IF (avg) - This is the maximum continuous anode
current (dc) that the device can withstand in the conduction state under
specified conditions
Reverse-breakdown voltage VBR(R) - Value of reverse voltage from
cathode to anode at which the device breaks into the avalanche region
and begins to conduct heavily
Forward-conduction region - ON condition of the SCR where there is
forward current from cathode to anode
Forward-blocking and reverse-blocking regions - OF F condition of the
SCR where the forward current from cathode to anode is blocked by the
effective open circuit of the SCR 8 / 34
 Electronics I Semiconductor Devices

Turning the SCR OFF

When the gate returns to 0V after the trigger pulse is removed, the SCR
cannot turn off - it stays in the forward-conduction region
The anode current must drop below the value of the holding current IH ,
in order for turn-off to occur
There are two basic methods for turning-OFF an SCR,
1 Anode current interruption
2 Forced commutation

Figure: The SCR turn-OFF methods

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Turning the SCR OFF

Anode current interruption

1 Use series switch
2 Use parallel switch
Forced commutation
1 Requires momentarily forcing current
through the SCR in the direction
opposite to the forward conduction
2 Net forward current is reduced below the
holding value
3 SCR is conducting, the switch is open
and Cc is charged to the supply voltage
through Rc
4 Switch is closed, placing the capacitor
across the SCR and forcing current
through it opposite to the forward
current
Figure: The SCR turn-OFF 5 Turn-OFF times for SCRs range from a
methods few microseconds up to about 30ms
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 Electronics I Semiconductor Devices

The Light-Activated SCR (LASCR)

SCR that can be light-triggered
Conducts current in one direction when activated by a sufficient amount
of light and continues to conduct until the current falls below a specified
value
A resistor from the gate to the cathode is used as LASCR is most
sensitive to light when the gate terminal is open
The input source turns on the lamp, the resulting incident light triggers
the LASCR, the anode current energizes the relay, closes the contact

Figure: LASCR application circuit

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 Electronics I Semiconductor Devices

The DIAC
A diac is a two-terminal four-layer semiconductor device
The right side of the stack - pnpn structure with the same characteristics
as a four-layer diode
Left side is an inverted four-layer diode having an npnp structure
Conduct current in either direction when activated
The top and bottom layers contain both n and p materials
Conduction occurs in a diac when the breakover voltage is reached with
either polarity
The device turns OFF when the current drops below the holding value

Figure: DIAC cross section, symbol and characteristics 12 / 34

 Electronics I Semiconductor Devices

Equivalent circuit and bias condition

When current from A1 to A2 , Q1 and Q2 , and are forward-biased, and Q3

and Q4 are reverse-biased
When current from A2 to A1 , Q3 and Q4 , and are forward-biased, and Q1
and Q2 are reverse-biased

Figure: Equivalent circuit and bias condition

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TRIAC
A TRIAC is like a DIAC with a gate terminal
A triac can be turned on by a pulse of gate current
The TRIAC can conduct current in either direction when it is triggered
on (depending on the polarity)
The only way to turn off the triac is to reduce the current to a sufficiently
low level

Figure: TRIAC cross section, symbol and characteristics

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TRIAC operation
Terminal A1 is biased positive with respect to A2 - Q1 and Q2 conduct
with positive pulse
Terminal A2 is biased positive with respect to A1 - Q3 and Q4 conduct
with positive pulse

Figure: TRIAC operation - Electron flow direction is shown

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 Electronics I Semiconductor Devices

The silicon-controlled switch (SCS)

Figure: SCS symbol

An SCS is a four-terminal thyristor that has two gate terminals

The SCS can be turned on and off using either gate terminal
The SCS typically has a faster turn-off time than the SCR

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SCS operation

Turn-ON operation
A positive pulse on the cathode gate
drives Q2 into conduction
Provides a path for Q1 base current
When Q1 turns ON, its collector current
provides base current for Q2
Thus sustaining the on state of the device
The SCS can also be turned on with a
negative pulse on the anode gate
This drives Q1 into conduction, provides
base current for Q2 , Once Q2 is on, it
provides a path for Q1 base current, thus
sustaining the ON state
Figure: SCS turn-ON
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SCS operation

Turn-OFF operation
A positive pulse is applied to the anode
gate to turn the SCS off
This reverse-biases the base-emitter
junction of Q1 and turns it off
Q2 in turn, cuts off and the SCS ceases
conduction
The device can also be turned off with a
negative pulse on the cathode gate

Figure: SCS turn-OFF

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Shockley Diode
The 4-layer diode (also known as Shockley diode and SUS) is a type of
thyristor
The pnpn structure can be represented by pnp and npn transistor
When a positive bias voltage is applied
1 Base-emitter junctions of Q1 and Q2 (pn junctions 1 and 3) are forward
biased
2 Common base-collector junction (pn junction 2) is reverse biased

Figure: Shockley diode cross section, symbol and equivalent circuit

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Characteristics curve
Direction of electron current is shown (Real currents in opposite direction)
Characteristics curve,
1 As VAK is increased from 0, the anode current IA , gradually increases,
2 VAK = VBR(F ) when IA = IS due saturation of the internal transistor
structures
3 When this happens, the forward voltage drop VAK , suddenly decreases to a
low value
4 When the anode current drops back below the holding value IH , the device
turns off

Figure: Diode current and characteritics curve

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Thyreistor Applications

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SCR - On-Off Control of Current

Figure: ON-OFF SCR control circuit

Current to be switched to a load by the momentary closure of switch

SW 1 and
Removed from the load by the momentary closure of switch SW 2
SCR remains in conduction even after the momentary contact of SW 1 is
removed as far as load current larger than IH
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SCR - Half-Wave Power Control

Figure: Half-wave, variable-resistance, phase control circuit

A common application of SCRs is in the control of ac power for lamp

dimmers, electric heaters, and electric motors
Resistor R1 limits the current, and potentiometer R2 sets the trigger level
for the SCR
By adjusting the SCR can be made to trigger at any point on the positive
half-cycle of the ac waveform between 0◦ and 90◦
The diode prevents the negative ac voltage from being applied to the gate
of the SCR 23 / 34
 Electronics I Semiconductor Devices

SCR - Half-Wave Power Control

Figure: Operation of the phase-control circuit

SCR triggers near the beginning of the cycle - maximum power is

delivered to the load
Near the peak of the positive half-cycle - SCR conducts for approximately
90◦
When the ac input goes negative, the SCR turns off and does not conduct
again until the trigger point on the next positive half-cycle 24 / 34
 Electronics I Semiconductor Devices

SCR - Backup Lighting for Power Interruptions

Figure: Backup Lighting for Power Interruptions

Centertapped full-wave rectifier used for providing ac power to a

low-voltage lamp
The battery charges through diode D3 and R1
The SCRs cathode voltage is established when the capacitor charges to
the peak value of the full-wave rectified AC
The anode is at the 6V battery voltage
The SCRs gate is at a voltage established by the voltage divider made up
of R2 and R3 25 / 34
 Electronics I Semiconductor Devices

SCR - Backup Lighting for Power Interruptions

Figure: Backup Lighting for Power Interruptions

When there is an interruption of ac power

1 Capacitor discharges through the closed path R1 , D3 and R3 , making the
cathode less positive than the anode or the gate
2 Establishes a triggering condition, and the SCR begins to conduct
3 Current from the battery is through the SCR and the lamp
4 When ac power is restored, the capacitor recharges and the SCR turns off.
The battery begins recharging
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SCR - An Over-Voltage Protection Circuit

Figure: A basic SCR over-voltage protection circuit

”crowbar” circuit, in a DC power supply

The dc output voltage from the regulator is monitored by the zener diode
(D1 ) and the resistive voltage divider (R1 and R2 )
The upper limit of the output voltage is set by the zener voltage
If this voltage is exceeded, the zener conducts and the voltage divider
produces an SCR trigger voltage
The SCR current causes the fuse to blow, thus disconnecting the line
voltage from the power supply 27 / 34
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SCR - Sawtooth Generator

Figure: Sawtooth Generator

The SCR can be used in conjunction with an RC circuit

The time constant is set by R1 and C1
The voltage at which the SCR triggers on is determined by the variable
voltage-divider formed by R2 and R3
When the switch is closed, the capacitor begins charging and turns on the
SCR
When the SCR turns on, the capacitor quickly discharges through it
SCR turn off when anode current decreases below the holding value 28 / 34
 Electronics I Semiconductor Devices

TRIAC - AC Power Control

Figure: TRIAC AC power control

Control average power to a load by the method of phase control

TRIAC can be triggered such that the ac power is supplied to the load for
a controlled portion of each half-cycle
The TRIAC is off for a certain interval, called the delay angle
It is triggered on and conducts current through the load for the remaining
portion (conduction angle) of the half-cycle
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TRIAC - AC Power Control

Figure: TRIAC AC power control

Diode D1 conducts during the positive half-cycle

The value of R1 sets the point on the positive half-cycle at which the triac
triggers
During this portion A1 and G are more positive compared to A2
Diode D2 conducts during the negative half-cycle
The value of R1 sets the point on the negative half-cycle at which the
triac triggers
it is necessary that the triac turn off at the end of each half cycles 30 / 34
 Electronics I Semiconductor Devices

One More Device

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 Electronics I Semiconductor Devices

The Unijunction Transistors (UJT)

The unijunction transistor does not belong to the thyristor family
The term unijunction refers to the fact that the UJT has a single pn
junction
The UJT is useful in certain applications as a triggering device in
thyristor circuits

The UJT is a three-terminal

device Emitter (E), Base 1 (B1 ),
and Base 2 (B2 ).

Figure: UJT cross section and symbol

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Equivalent Circuit and Characteristics

Figure: Equivalent Circuit and Characterisitcs

The diode shown in the figure represents the pn junction

0 0
rB1 and rB2 represents two dynamic resistances
pn junction forward bias when VEB1 reaches to certain value and start to
conduct IE current
After turn-on, the UJT operates in a negative resistance region up to a
certain value of IE
Beyond the valley point the device is in saturation 33 / 34
 Electronics I Semiconductor Devices

A UJT Application

The UJT can be used as a trigger

device for SCRs and triacs
Other applications include
nonsinusoidal oscillators, sawtooth
generators, phase control, and
timing circuits
Relaxation oscillator
Figure: Relaxation oscillator

The capacitor C charges exponentially through until it reaches the

peak-point voltage VP
The pn junction becomes forward-biased, and the emitter characteristic
goes into the negative resistance region
The capacitor then quickly discharges through the forward-biased
0
junction, rB and R2
When the capacitor voltage decreases to the valley-point voltage the UJT
turns off, capacitor begins to charge 34 / 34