A fast CAD model of plasma spread in thyristors using a seminumerical time-domain approach

This paper presents a fast CAD model to calculate plasma-spreading velocity in large area thyristors. The model is based on the two-dimensional two-transistor circuit model of a thyristor. At first, a simplified numerical solution of the semiconductor equations is developed to obtain the current amplification factor and the base transit time of each transistor of the thyristor model as a function of the emitter current density. The turn-on recurrence relations governing the evolution of the anode current at different lateral points are then derived by the transit function method. The time constant of the anode current rise and the plasma spreading velocity are calculated as functions of the anode current density. The results of simulation are in close agreement with the corresponding measured values of plasma spreading velocity by the electrical probes method. This agreement confirms the validity of our model over a large scale of anode current densities.