Achieving the limits of IATOin TIL GTO thyristors

A rigorous developmental design has been performed with the aim of achieving the limits of the peak interruptable anode current I
ATO
in 4 × 4-mm area T0-220-packed two-interdigitation levels TIL GTO thyristors. The developed design rules with general validity are rooted in the peculiar operation principles of TIL GTO's and take into consideration the electrothermal failure-safety conditions usually affecting the current-handling capability of GTO's. The high-voltage TIL GTO's, fabricated according to the developed guidelines, possess a value of I
ATO
= 65, ..., 70 A under the heaviest possible on-state power dissipation test conditions. This value is the highest ever reported in the open literature for this class of GTO's (identical device area and case) and is determined primarily by the thermal impedance junction-to-case Z
th
j-c
of T0-220 packages. The broad implications of obtained results are also outlined in this communication.