A novel 8 KV light-triggered thyristor with overvoltage self protection

We have fabricated a novel 8 kV light-triggered power thyristor with integrated overvoltage self-protection. The light-sensitivity was improved by a special groove structure. Four amplifying gate-stages together with an integrated currentlimiting resistor guarantee a safe and homogeneous turn-on behavior. An improvement of the dynamic and static power losses could be obtained by a local lifetime reduction and by a decrease of the penetration depths of the blocking pn-junctions.