A high-voltage light-activated thyristor with a novel over-voltage self-protection structure

A high-voltage self-protected thyristor with a well structure formed in its p-base layer whose operation is based on avalanche breakdown is described. The device structure is simple and easy to fabricate compared to other avalanche-type devices. Numerical analyses and experiments demonstrate that the breakover voltage can be controlled by varying the well diameter and/or its depth. The breakdown voltage fluctuation of the device is 10% when the junction temperature is varied from 23 to 100 degrees C. The device is turned on safely at 7300 V.<
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