A high voltage light activated thyristor with novel over voltage self-protection structure

A new type of high voltage self-protected thyristor with a well structure formed in its p-base layer is described. The device structure is simple and easy to fabricate compared to past devices. Numerical analyses and experiments demonstrate that the breakover voltage of this thyristor can be controlled by varying the well diameter and its depth. The breakdown voltage fluctuation of the device is 10% when the junction temperature is varied from 23°C to 100°C. This device is turned on safely at 7300 V. Fabricated devices show no degrading in important thyristor features.