Forward current surge failure in semiconductor rectifiers

The application of semiconductor rectifiers to most practical circuits requires a knowledge of the device's ability to withstand the forward current surges encountered as a result of severe faults or high instantaneous overloads. In particular, an understanding of the nature of failure is desirable in order to properly protect the rectifier. Suitable fuses can then be chosen to obtain optimum utilization of the rectifier. Gutzwiller1 has developed fuse-selection techniques which are adequate for this purpose.