Experimental demonstration of the emitter switched thyristor

The operation of 600 V forward blocking emitter switched thyristors (ESTs) has been experimentally demonstrated. The devices were fabricated using an IGBT baseline process with six masking steps. The forward I-V and turnoff characteristics have been measured and corroborated through two-dimensional numerical simulations. The output characteristics are close to a thyristor with an additional drop of about 0.5 V across the lateral MOSFET. Switching tests were performed up to a current density of 1000 A/cm/sup 2/ on single unit cells, and the measured turn-off times were about 7 mu s. A unique feature of the EST which is not seen in any other MOS-gated thyristor devices is saturation of thyristor current even after latch up of the main thyristor. This feature is very important for applications requiring current limiting and short circuit protection.<>