Patent · US Expired

Amplified gate thyristor with non-latching amplified control transistors across base layers

US4529998A · kind A · utility

7Cited by
4References
7Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJun 24, 1982
Grant dateJul 16, 1985
Priority date
Expiry dateJun 24, 2002

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH10D88/101

Abstract

A diode is integrated on a common substrate with a thyristor to form a parasitic transistor in the gate circuit of the thyristor for amplifying gate current thereto. In addition, gate sensitivity is further enhanced by this formation because the injection efficiency across the thyristor anode-base junction is increased, thus reducing the amount of gate current necessary to trigger the thyristor. The diode cathode, diode anode and substrate form an emitter, base and collector, respectively, of the parasitic transistor. The junction formed by the substrate and the thyristor anode region is forward biased and supplies collector current for the parasitic transistor, this junction being inactive with respect to the junction formed by the substrate and the diode anode region. Thus gate current flowing through the diode to the gate of the thyristor is increased by the additional collector current afforded by the parasitic transistor. This parasitic transistor formation enables the use of a shorted-emitter thyristor while also achieving a high degree of gate sensitivity without the usual drawbacks of temperature and dv/dt sensitivity associated with a nonshorted-emitter high gate sensitivi…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.