Development of high speed power thyristor: The gate assisted turn-off thyristor

Abstract

A high speed power switch with unique turn-off capability was developed. This gate-assisted turn-off thyristor was rated at 609 V and 50 A with turn-off times of 2 microsec. Twenty-two units were delivered for evaluation in a series inverter circuit. In addition, test circuits designed to relate to the series inverter application were built and demonstrated