Thyristor which can be triggered electrically and by radiation

US7696528B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Infineon Technologies AG · DE

Inventors

• Uwe Kellner-Werdehausen · Pretzfeld, DE
• Franz-Josef Niedernostheide · Hagen am Teutoburger Wald, DE
• Hans-Joachim Schulze · Taufkirchen, DE
• Jörg Dorn · Buttenheim, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Nov 21, 2006
• Grant date: Apr 13, 2010
• Expiry date: Aug 21, 2027

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H10D62/206

Abstract

A thyristor has a radiation-sensitive breakdown structure (20), a gate electrode (92) that is placed at a distance from the latter in a lateral direction and an ignition stage structure having at least one ignition stage (51, 91) equipped with an n-doped auxiliary emitter (51), which forms a pn-junction (55) together with the p-doped base (6), the thyristor being both electrically and radiation-ignited. In a method for contacting a thyristor that can be ignited by radiation with a gate electrode (92), a contact ram (200) that is adapted to the geometry of the gate electrode (92) is pressed against the thyristor. In a method for monitoring the ignition of a thyristor that is ignited by incident radiation, the electric voltage that is applied to the gate electrode (92) or the electrically conductive electrode (105, 201) is monitored.