Performance study of a novel 13.5 kV multichip thyristor switch

The performance of a novel multichip thyristor switch has been investigated under different pulse conditions. The 13.5 kV switch, jointly developed by ISL and ABB, showed a dI/dt of up to 20 kA/¿s. Thus, the dI/dt capability of the multichip device equals that of a conventional stack made up of three discrete fast-switching thyristors. Further tests, focusing on the commercial multichip device ABB 5SPB 36Z1350, which is now available in an industry standard ceramic presspack housing, revealed no distinct performance difference to the prototype device.