Cryogenic operation of asymmetric field controlled thyristors

Detailed measurements and modeling of 500 V asymmetric field controlled thyristor characteristics in the 300–77 K temperature range are presented for the first time. When the temperature is reduced from 300 to 77 K, it has been found that: the forward voltage drop increases by about 40%; the breakdown voltage reduces by 20%; the blocking gain remains essentially constant; the turn-off time reduces by 10 × and the gate charge withdrawn via the gate current flow during turn-off reduces by 95 ×. The forward voltage drop versus turn-off time trade-off curve obtained by temperature reduction is found to be much superior to that obtained by electron radiation.