648 8 Thyristors

8.2 Blocking Characteristics

One of the important attributes of the power thyristor is the capability to support
large voltages. As discussed in the previous section, the thyristor structure provides
both forward blocking capability in the first quadrant of operation and reverse
blocking capability in the third quadrant of operation. The voltage blocking capa-
bility in both quadrants is approximately equal making the thyristor well suited for
AC power circuits. However, the physics for blocking voltages in the first and third
quadrants is not identical as discussed in this section.

8.2.1 Reverse Blocking Capability

When a negative bias is applied to the anode terminal of the thyristor, the N+ cathode/
P-base junction (J3) and the P+ anode/N-drift junction (J1) become reverse biased,
while the junction (J2) between the P-base region and the N-drift region becomes
forward biased. The P-base region of the thyristor is formed by the diffusion of P-type
dopants with a surface concentration ranging between 1
1017 cm3 and 1
1016
cm3, while the N+ cathode region is very heavily doped as shown in Fig. 8.3. Due to
the high doping concentration on both sides of junction J3, it can only support
relatively small voltages (<50 V). Consequently, almost all of the applied negative
bias to the anode terminal is supported across the P+ anode/N-drift junction (J1).
The reverse blocking voltage is supported across the P+ anode/N-drift junction
with a depletion layer extending mostly within the N-drift region as illustrated in
Fig. 8.7. The maximum electric field occurs at the P+ anode/N-drift junction (J1). On
the one hand, the blocking voltage capability is limited by avalanche breakdown
when the maximum electric field (Em) becomes equal to the critical electric field if
the width of the N-drift region is very large compared with the depletion layer width.
This corresponds to the multiplication coefficient (M) becoming equal to infinity.
The avalanche breakdown voltage is given by:

3=4
BVPP ¼ 4:45 x 1013 N D ð8:1Þ

However, a very large width for the N-drift region is unacceptable because it
increases the on-state voltage drop of the thyristor.
On the other hand, the depletion region can extend through the entire N-drift
region, while the maximum electric field at the junction is well below the critical
electric field for breakdown as illustrated at the bottom of Fig. 8.7 if the width of the
N-drift region is small. This phenomenon is referred to as the reach-through
condition. Holes are injected from junction J2, when the depletion region from the
reverse-biased junction J1 reaches the forward-biased junction J2, producing an
abrupt increase in the anode current. This phenomenon limits the maximum blocking
capability for the thyristor at the reach-through breakdown voltage given by:
8.2 Blocking Characteristics 649

Fig. 8.7 Electric field distribution during the reverse blocking mode in the power thyristor

qN D 2
BVRT ¼ W ð8:2Þ
2εS N
where ND is the doping concentration of the N-drift region and WN is its width.
The actual breakdown voltage for the thyristor in the reverse blocking mode falls
between the above limits and is governed by the open-base transistor breakdown
phenomenon [3]. In order to analyze this phenomenon for the thyristor, consider the
currents flowing at the boundary of the depletion region, as illustrated in Fig. 8.7.
The current consists of the leakage current due to the carrier generation process
within the depletion region and the cathode current amplified by the current gain of
the P-N-P transistor. Based upon the application of Kirchhoff’s current law to the
thyristor structure in the absence of a gate current:

I A ¼ αPNP I K þ I L ¼ I K ð8:3Þ

leading to the relationship:

IL
IA ¼ ð8:4Þ
ð1  αPNP Þ

From this expression, it can be concluded that the anode current will increase very
rapidly when the common base current gain of the P-N-P bipolar transistor within the
thyristor structure approaches unity. As the negative anode bias is increased, the
width of the un-depleted portion of the N-drift region becomes smaller producing an
650 8 Thyristors

increase in the base transport factor (αT). Concurrently, the maximum electric field at
junction J1 becomes larger leading to an increase in the multiplication coefficient.
Both phenomena produce an increase in the common base current gain with increas-
ing anode bias until it becomes equal to unity resulting in open-base transistor
breakdown.
Based upon the above analysis, the open-base transistor breakdown condition is
given by:

αPNP ¼ ðγ E :αT ÞPNP M ¼ 1 ð8:5Þ

The injection efficiency of the P-base/N-drift junction is close to unity because of the
relatively high doping concentration in the P-base region and the low doping
concentration of the N-drift region. The magnitude of the other two terms in the
above equation is a function of the anode bias.
The base transport factor is determined by the width (l) of the un-depleted portion
of the N-drift region:

1
αT ¼ ð8:6Þ
coshðl=LP Þ

with:
sffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
2εS V A
l ¼ WN  ð8:7Þ
qN D

where VA is the applied reverse bias to the anode electrode. As the reverse bias
increases, the width of the un-depleted portion of the N-drift region shrinks resulting
in an increase in the base transport factor.
The multiplication factor is determined by the anode bias relative to the avalanche
breakdown voltage of the P+ anode/N-drift junction (BVPP,A):

1
M¼ ð8:8Þ
1  ðV A =BVPP, A Þn

where n ¼ 6 for the case of a P+/N diode. The multiplication coefficient also
increases with increasing anode bias. The open-base transistor breakdown voltage
(and the reverse blocking capability of the thyristor) is determined by the anode
voltage at which the multiplication factor becomes equal to the reciprocal of the base
transport factor.
As an example of the design procedure for optimization of the drift region doping
concentration and width, consider the case of a power thyristor that must have a
reverse blocking voltage of 2000 V. In the case of avalanche breakdown, there is a
unique value of 8
1013 cm3 for the drift region doping concentration to obtain
this blocking voltage. However, in the case open-base transistor breakdown, many
combinations of the drift region doping concentration and width can be used to
8.2 Blocking Characteristics 651

Fig. 8.8 Open-base breakdown voltage for the power thyristor in the reverse blocking mode

obtain this blocking voltage capability. This is illustrated in Fig. 8.8 where the open-
base breakdown voltage is plotted as a function of the drift region width for three
cases of the drift region doping concentration. A lifetime of 10 μs was used in the
N-drift region for this analysis.
It can be observed from the Fig. 8.8 that the open-base breakdown voltage
becomes equal to 2000 V at a drift region width of 334 μm for a drift region doping
concentration of 2.5
1013 cm3. In this case, the base transport factor becomes
close to unity under breakdown conditions. When the doping concentration of drift
region is increased to 5
1013 cm3, the drift region thickness is reduced to 287 μm
to achieve the same open-base breakdown voltage of 2000 V. The drift region
thickness increases to 422 μm, when the doping concentration of drift region is
increased to 7.5
1013 cm3, to achieve the same open-base breakdown voltage of
2000 V. In this case, the multiplication coefficient becomes large under open-base
breakdown conditions. These examples demonstrate that there is an optimum drift
region doping concentration to obtain a minimum drift region width to achieve an
open-base breakdown voltage of 2000 V. The location of the optimum design with a
width of 287 μm and doping concentration of 4.6
1013 cm3 is illustrated for this
case in Fig. 8.9.
The reverse blocking voltage capability for the thyristor is also dependent upon
the ambient temperature. As temperature increases, the impact ionization coeffi-
cients are reduced leading to a decrease in the multiplication coefficient. Concur-
rently, the base transport factor increases due to an increase in the minority carrier
lifetime. In general, the reduction of the impact ionization coefficient is dominant as
652 8 Thyristors

Fig. 8.9 Optimum width and doping concentration of the drift region for the power thyristor to
obtain a reverse blocking capability of 2000 V

temperature goes up. Consequently, the reverse blocking voltage capability for the
thyristor increases with increasing temperature. This is accompanied by a significant
increase in the leakage current with temperature due to the enhanced generation rate
for minority carriers in the depletion and neutral regions. Note that the current
produced by the space charge generation current and the diffusion current is ampli-
fied by the gain of the open-base P-N-P transistor (see Eq. 8.4). Consequently, if the
reverse blocking voltage is measured at a constant anode current level, the break-
down voltage for the thyristor is observed to first increase and then decrease as
temperature increases.

8.2.2 Forward Blocking Capability

When a positive bias is applied to the anode terminal of the thyristor, the N+ cathode/
P-base junction (J3) and the P+ anode/N-drift junction (J1) become forward biased,
while the junction (J2) between the P-base region and the N-drift region becomes
reverse biased. The P-base region of the thyristor is more heavily doped than the
N-drift region as shown in Fig. 8.3. Consequently, most of the applied positive bias
to the anode terminal is supported across the N-drift region. However, due to the
graded doping profile at junction J2, the depletion layer extends into P-base region as
well. If the doping concentration of the P-base region is too low, the electric field can
extend through its entire width as illustrated at the bottom of Fig. 8.10. Once the
8.2 Blocking Characteristics 653

Fig. 8.10 Electric field distribution during the forward blocking mode in the power thyristor

P-base region is depleted, injection of electrons occurs from the N+ cathode/P-base

junction (J3) resulting in current flow, which limits the blocking voltage capability.
The P-base region reach-through limited breakdown voltage is given by:

q N P ðN P þ N D Þ 2
BVRT, P ¼ WP ð8:9Þ
2εS ND
where ND is the doping concentration of the N-drift region, NP is the doping
concentration of the P-base region, and WP is it width. The reach-through breakdown
voltage is much smaller than the open-base transistor breakdown voltage of the PNP
transistor. Consequently, the doping concentration in the P-base region of thyristors
must be sufficiently larger than that in the N-drift region to suppress this
breakdown mode.
The forward blocking voltage is then supported across the P-base/N-drift junction
(J2) with a depletion layer extending mostly within the N-drift region as illustrated in
the middle of Fig. 8.10. The maximum electric field occurs at the P-base/N-drift
junction (J2). On the one hand, the blocking voltage capability becomes limited by
avalanche breakdown if the width of the N-drift region is made very large because
the maximum electric field (Em) becomes equal to the critical electric field. This
corresponds to the multiplication coefficient (M) becoming equal to infinity. How-
ever, a very large width for the N-drift region is unacceptable because it increases the
on-state voltage drop of the thyristor. On the other hand, the depletion region can
extend through the entire N-drift region if the width of the N-drift region is made
small while the maximum electric field at the junction is well below the critical
654 8 Thyristors

electric field for breakdown. This results in an N-drift region reach-through limited
breakdown as discussed earlier for the reverse blocking mode. The maximum
blocking capability for the thyristor at the N-drift region reach-through limit is
given by:

qN D 2
BVRT, N ¼ W ð8:10Þ
2εS N
where ND is the doping concentration of the N-drift region and WN is it width.
The actual breakdown voltage for the thyristor in the forward blocking mode falls
between the above limits because it is governed by the open-base transistor break-
down phenomenon. In order to analyze this phenomenon for the thyristor, consider
the currents flowing at the boundary of the depletion region, as illustrated in
Fig. 8.10. The current consists of the leakage current due to the generation process
within the depletion region in the N-drift region, the anode current amplified by the
current gain of the P-N-P transistor, and the cathode current amplified by the current
gain of the N-P-N transistor. Based upon the application of Kirchhoff’s current law
to the thyristor structure with no gate current:

I A ¼ αNPN I K þ αPNP I A þ I L ¼ I K ð8:11Þ

leading to the relationship:

IL
IA ¼ ð8:12Þ
ð1  αNPN  αPNP Þ

From this expression, it can be concluded that the anode current will increase very
rapidly when the sum of the common base current gains of the P-N-P and N-P-N
bipolar transistors within the thyristor structure approaches unity. As the positive
anode bias is increased, the width of the un-depleted portion of the N-drift region
becomes smaller producing an increase in the base transport factor (αT,PNP). Con-
currently, the maximum electric field at junction J2 becomes larger leading to an
increase in the multiplication coefficient. Both phenomena produce an increase in
the common base current gain of the P-N-P transistor (αPNP) with increasing anode
bias until it becomes equal to (1–αNPN) resulting in open-base transistor breakdown.
The common base current gain of the N-P-N transistor (αNPN) is close to unity in the
thyristor structure due to the high injection efficiency and base transport factor.
Consequently, a smaller increase in the common base current gain of the P-N-P
transistor (αPNP) is sufficient to produce open-base transistor breakdown in the
forward blocking mode when compared with the reverse blocking mode.
Based upon the above analysis, the open-base transistor breakdown condition in
the forward blocking mode is given by:
 
αNPN þ αPNP ¼ ðγ E αT ÞNPN þ ðγ E αT ÞPNP M ¼ 1 ð8:13Þ
8.2 Blocking Characteristics 655

Note that, although the injection efficiency and base transport factor for the two
transistors are different, they share the same multiplication factor due to the common
reverse-biased collector junction for both transistors.
The multiplication factor is determined by the anode bias relative to the avalanche
breakdown voltage of the P-base/N-drift junction (BVPP,B):

1
M¼ ð8:14Þ
1  ðV A =BVPP, B Þn

where n ¼ 6 for the case of a P+/N diode. The open-base transistor breakdown
condition (and the forward blocking capability of the thyristor) is then given by:

1
M¼ ð8:15Þ
ðγ E αT ÞNPN þ ðγ E αT ÞPNP

In comparison, the open-base transistor breakdown condition (and the reverse

blocking capability of the thyristor) is given by:

1
M¼ ð8:16Þ
ðγ E αT ÞPNP

Based upon these expressions, it can be concluded that the forward blocking voltage
will always be lower than the reverse blocking capability for a thyristor.
In the forward blocking mode, the injection efficiency and base transport factor
for the N-P-N transistor remain approximately independent of the anode bias. The
injection efficiency of the P+ anode/N-drift junction is close to unity because of the
high doping concentration in the anode region and the low doping concentration of
the drift region. However, the base transport factor for the P-N-P transistor is a strong
function of the anode bias. The base transport factor is determined by the width of
the un-depleted portion of the N-drift region:

1
αT ¼ ð8:17Þ
coshðl=LP Þ

where l is the width of the un-depleted portion of the N-drift region given by:
sffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
2εS V A
l ¼ WN  ð8:18Þ
qN D

where VA is the applied forward bias to the anode electrode. As the forward bias
increases, the width of the un-depleted portion of the N-drift region shrinks resulting
in an increase in the base transport factor.
As an example of the design procedure for optimization of the drift region doping
concentration and width, consider the case of a power thyristor that must have a
forward blocking voltage of 2000 V. In the case of avalanche breakdown, there is a
unique value of 8
1013 cm3 for the drift region doping concentration to obtain
656 8 Thyristors

Fig. 8.11 Open-base breakdown voltage for the power thyristor structure in the forward
blocking mode

this blocking voltage. However, in the case open-base transistor breakdown, many
combinations of the doping concentration and width can be used to obtain this
blocking voltage capability. This is illustrated in Fig. 8.11 where the open-base
breakdown voltage is plotted as a function of the drift region width for three cases of
the drift region doping concentration. A lifetime of 10 μs was used in the N-drift
region for this analysis with a common base current gain of 0.65 for the N-P-N
transistor based upon a diffusion length for electrons equal to the width of the P-base
region. It can be observed from the figure that the open-base breakdown voltage
becomes equal to 2000 V at a drift region width of 515 μm for a drift region doping
concentration of 2.5
1013 cm3. When the doping concentration of drift region is
increased to 5
1013 cm3, the drift region thickness is reduced to 436 μm to achieve
the same open-base breakdown voltage of 2000 V. If the doping concentration of drift
region is increased to 7.5
1013 cm3, the drift region thickness increases to 542 μm
to achieve the same open-base breakdown voltage of 2000 V. This demonstrates that
there is an optimum drift region doping concentration to obtain a minimum drift
region width to achieve the open-base breakdown voltage of 2000 V.
The location of the optimum design is provided for the case of a forward blocking
voltage of 2000 V in Fig. 8.12. In comparison with the reverse blocking case, the
optimum drift region doping concentration is slightly larger. More importantly, the
width of drift region required to achieve the forward blocking voltage has increased
from 287 μm for the reverse blocking case to 435 μm. This has an adverse impact on
the on-state voltage drop.
8.2 Blocking Characteristics 657

Fig. 8.12 Optimum width and doping concentration of the drift region for the power thyristor
structure in the forward blocking mode

The forward blocking voltage capability for the thyristor is also dependent upon
the ambient temperature. As temperature increases, the impact ionization coeffi-
cients are reduced leading to a decrease in the multiplication coefficient. Concur-
rently, the base transport factor increases due to an increase in the minority carrier
lifetime. In general, the reduction of the impact ionization is dominant as tempera-
ture goes up. Consequently, the forward blocking voltage capability for the thyristor
increases with increasing temperature until the leakage current becomes sufficient to
turn on the structure due to the regenerative action. The forward blocking capability
then degrades rapidly with further increase in the temperature.

8.2.3 Cathode Shorting

A substantial improvement in the forward blocking capability, especially at elevated

temperatures, can be obtained by suppressing the current gain of the N-P-N transistor
within the thyristor structure. A high current gain for the N-P-N transistor is
necessary at high current levels in order to create the regenerative action that is
required to sustain the thyristor in its on-state mode with a low on-state voltage drop.
It is therefore desirable to suppress the current gain of the N-P-N transistor only at
low (leakage) current levels. This is possible by utilizing cathode shorts within
the thyristor structure as illustrated in Fig. 8.13. The cathode shorts are
produced by interrupting the N+ cathode regions so that the cathode electrode
658 8 Thyristors

Fig. 8.13 Shorted cathode power thyristor structure

overlaps the N+ cathode/P-base junction at periodic intervals within the thyristor.

This short-circuits the emitter of the N-P-N transistor to its base region. In the
presence of the cathode shorts, the leakage current collected by the P-base region
from the reverse-biased junction J2 is diverted to the cathode shorts as shown in the
figure by the green lines without traversing the N+ cathode/P-base junction. This
prevents the injection of electrons from the N+ cathode in response to the holes being
collected at junction J2, resulting in suppressing the current gain of the N-P-N
transistor.
The current gain for the N-P-N bipolar transistor can be analyzed in the presence
of the emitter short by using the current flow shown in Fig. 8.14. The upper part of
the figure illustrates the current flow to the cathode short in the thyristor structure,
while the lower part of the figure shows the current flow in a lumped equivalent
circuit. In practice, the leakage current is collected across the entire junction J2
resulting in a larger current level near the emitter-base short. The current (IS) flowing
into the emitter-base short produces a voltage drop across the resistance (RBS) within
the P-base region. This voltage drop forward biases the emitter-base junction at the
center of the N+ emitter at location A in the figure.
The emitter current (IE) of the N-P-N bipolar transistor depends upon the forward
bias across the emitter-base junction:
 
I E ¼ I O eqV BE =kT  1 ð8:19Þ
8.2 Blocking Characteristics 659

Fig. 8.14 Analysis of

current gain for an N-P-N
bipolar transistor with
shorted emitter

where VBE is the forward bias across the emitter-base junction at location A. The
current IO is the saturation current for the emitter-base junction:

qDn nP0
IO ¼ A ð8:20Þ
Ln
where A the junction area. The total current flowing at the emitter terminal of the
shorted N-P-N bipolar transistor consists of its emitter current plus the current
flowing via the shunting resistance (RBS):
  V
I ES ¼ I E þ I S ¼ I O eqV BE =kT  1 þ
BE
ð8:21Þ
RBS
The common base current gain in the presence of the emitter short is given by:
 qV kT 

IC e BE  1
αNPN, S ¼ ¼ αNPN qV =kT ð8:22Þ
I ES ðe BE  1Þ þ ðV BE =I O RBS Þ

where

IC
αNPN ¼ ð8:23Þ
IE
is the common base current gain of the N-P-N transistor without the emitter short.
The relative magnitude of the current flowing through the emitter-base junction
and the shunting resistance is illustrated in Fig. 8.15 with increasing forward bias
voltage across the emitter-base junction. The emitter-base junction does not begin to
inject a substantial amount of electrons until the voltage drop across the junction
exceeds 0.7 V at room temperature. Consequently, all the collector current flows
660 8 Thyristors

Fig. 8.15 Current distribution within an N-P-N bipolar transistor with shorted emitter

through the shunting resistance when the emitter-base voltage drop is less than 0.6
V. However, when the voltage drop across the emitter-base junction exceeds 0.7 V,
the emitter current increases very rapidly and becomes dominant at larger voltages
across the junction.
The change in the common base current gain for the N-P-N bipolar transistor with
emitter shorting is illustrated in Fig. 8.16. It can be observed from this figure that the
current gain is very low at small current levels and becomes equal to the current gain
without the emitter short at high current levels. This is the desired behavior to
improve the forward blocking capability while retaining strong regenerative action
in the on-state. The forward blocking capability can be made very close to the
reverse blocking capability with the inclusion of the emitter shorts in a thyristor
structure. This is achieved with no additional processing steps.

8.2.4 Cathode Shorting Geometry

In the previous section, it was demonstrated that the current gain begins to increase
when the current increases beyond a certain level. As the current gain of the N-P-N
transistor increases, the thyristor can be switched from the blocking state to the
on-state. An increase in the current occurs in the thyristor structure with increasing
temperature, while it is operating in the forward blocking mode, because of the
strong dependence of the space charge generation and diffusion components of the
leakage current upon the temperature. Consequently, the forward blocking capability
of the thyristor begins to degrade as the temperature increases.
8.2 Blocking Characteristics 661

Fig. 8.16 Current gain for an N-P-N bipolar transistor with emitter shorting

Fig. 8.17 Linear cathode

shorting geometry for the
thyristor

The leakage current at which the thyristor will switch from the forward blocking
mode to the on-state can be determined for a linear cathode short geometry by using
two-dimensional analysis. A cross-section of thyristor structure is shown in Fig. 8.17
for a region from the center of the cathode to the cathode short. When the thyristor is
operating in the forward blocking mode, a uniform leakage current density (JL) can
be assumed to be arriving at the reverse-biased junction J2. This leakage current
662 8 Thyristors

flows through the P-base region to the cathode electrode at the cathode short
(at location B in the figure).
The current collected within a small segment (dx) of the P-base region along the
cathode is given by:

dI B ¼ J L Z dx ð8:24Þ

where Z is the width of the cathode orthogonal to the cross-section shown in the
figure. The current flowing in the P-base region at a distance x from the center of the
cathode finger (at location A) is then given by:
ðx
I B ð xÞ ¼ J L Z dx ¼ J L Z x ð8:25Þ
0

The resistance of the P-base region of thickness dx is given by:

ρSB
dRBS ¼ dx ð8:26Þ
Z
where ρSB is the sheet resistance of the P-base region under the N+ cathode.
Combining the above expressions, the voltage drop produced across the segment
due to the current flow in the P-base region is:

dV B ðxÞ ¼ I B ðxÞ dRBS ¼ J L ρSB x dx ð8:27Þ

Consequently, the total voltage drop produced in the P-base region between points
A and B is:
ð ðW K =2Þ
W 2KS
V B ðAÞ ¼ dV B dx ¼ J L ρSB ð8:28Þ
0 8

The center of the cathode finger is forward biased by this voltage due to the leakage
current flowing through the P-base region. The maximum allowable leakage current
can be determined by assuming that the thyristor will switch to the on-state when the
forward bias for the N+ cathode/P-base junction becomes equal to Vbi (~0.7 V) at the
center of the cathode finger. Using this criterion in Eq. (8.28):

8V bi
J L, Max ¼ ð8:29Þ
ρSB W 2KS

with a corresponding leakage current for the cross-section shown in Fig. 8.17 given
by:

W KS 4V bi Z
I L, Max ¼ J L, Max Z ¼ ð8:30Þ
2 ρSB W KS
8.2 Blocking Characteristics 663

Fig. 8.18 Surface topology

of the cathode shorting
geometry for the thyristor

Based upon this equation, it can be concluded that the forward blocking capability at
elevated temperatures can be enhanced for a thyristor by reducing the sheet resis-
tance of the P-base region and the width of the cathode finger.
In power thyristors with larger active areas, typically fabricated using entire
silicon wafers with diameters ranging from 100 to 150 mm, the shorting of the
cathode is accomplished by using a two-dimensional array of shorts that are uni-
formly distributed on the top surface of the device. This can be achieved by
appropriate masking of the N+ cathode diffusion as illustrated in Fig. 8.18 for a
square array of cathode shorts of diameter “d” spaced apart at a distance “D.” For this
geometry, the largest forward bias produced in the P-base region by the leakage
current is given by:

V B, Max ¼ J L ρSB AS ð8:31Þ

where the shorting geometry area factor is given by [4]:

 

1 D
AS ¼ d þ D 2 ln
2 2
1 ð8:32Þ
16 d

Other geometries for the cathode shorts, such as triangular and hexagonal arrays,
have been also been proposed and implemented in practical devices [5].
The presence of the cathode shorts creates dead zones within the thyristor where
no regenerative action can occur. The size of the dead zone is larger than the actual
diameter of the short as illustrated in the figure by the circles with dashed lines
because the cathode-base junction is not sufficiently forward biased to inject elec-
trons during on-state operation. The fractional area lost due to the presence of the
cathode short is given by:
 
π DZ 2
FS ¼ ð8:33Þ
4 D

where DZ is the diameter of the dead zone. Placing the cathode shorts at close
proximity can degrade the available active area for the conduction of current
producing an increase in the on-state voltage drop of the thyristor.
664 8 Thyristors

Fig. 8.19 Maximum voltage developed in the P-base region of a thyristor with emitter shorts in a
square array

As an example, the maximum voltage developed within the P-base region

calculated by using the area factor given by Eq. (8.32) is shown in Fig. 8.19 for
the square array of cathode shorts. A leakage current density of 1 A/cm2 was used for
these calculations with a P-base sheet resistance of 450 Ω/sq. Due to the large active
area for typical thyristors designed with high current handling capability, it is
customary to utilize large geometries for the lithography during device fabrication.
For the case of a short diameter (d ) of 1 mil (25 μm), the spacing between the shorts
must be made less than 20 mils (500 μm) to keep the maximum voltage generated in
the P-base region to less than 0.5 V. Even for this case, the loss of current conduction
area is only 3% if a dead zone diameter of 100 μm is assumed.
Simulation Example
The results of two-dimensional numerical simulations for a typical thyristor structure
are described here to gain further insight into the physics of operation for the device
under voltage blocking conditions. The total width of the structure, as shown by the
cross-section in Fig. 8.17, was 1000 μm (Area ¼ 1
105 cm2) with a cathode
finger width of 980 μm. The structure had an N-drift region doping concentration of
5
1013 cm3 and width of 360 μm. The P-base region had a Gaussian doping
profile with a surface concentration of 5
1017 cm3 and a depth of 25 μm. The N+
cathode region had a Gaussian doping profile with a surface concentration of 1
10
20
cm3 and a depth of 10 micron. The P+ anode region had a Gaussian doping
profile with a surface concentration of 1
1020 cm3 and a depth of 10 micron. The
resulting doping profile is shown in Fig. 8.20. A lifetime (τp0, τn0) of 10 μs was used
for the N-drift region.
8.2 Blocking Characteristics 665

Fig. 8.20 Doping profile

1020
for the simulated N-P-N-P
power thyristor structure
N+
1019

Doping Concentration (cm-3)

WP = 15 m
1018

P+
1017

1016 P

1015
WN = 360 m
1014
N
1013
0 100 200 300 400
Distance (microns)

Fig. 8.21 Typical reverse 102

blocking characteristics for
the N-P-N-P power thyristor
101
structure
Temperature
Anode Current Density (A/cm2)

100
500 °K
10–1

10–2 450 °K

10–3 400 °K

10–4
350 °K
–5
10

300 °K
10–6

10–7
-4000 -3000 -2000 -1000 0
Anode Bias Voltage (Volts)

The reverse blocking characteristics for the thyristor structure are shown in
Fig. 8.21 at various ambient temperatures ranging from 300 to 500  K. The break-
down voltage is indicated by an abrupt increase in the anode current. At room
temperature (300  K), the reverse blocking voltage obtained with the simulations
is 2350 V. The value predicted by the analytical model (see plot with doping
666 8 Thyristors

Fig. 8.22 Typical forward 100

blocking characteristics for
the N-P-N-P power thyristor
structure 10–1

Anode Current Density (A/cm2)

450 °K
10–2
425 °K

10–3 400 °K
375 °K
10–4
350 °K

10–5 325 °K

300 °K
10–6
Temperature

10–7
0 1000 2000 3000
Anode Bias Voltage (Volts)

concentration of 5
1013 cm3 in Fig. 8.8 at a N-drift region width of 360 μm) is in
excellent agreement with this value providing validity for the model. The reverse
blocking capability increases with increasing temperature because of a reduction in
the impact ionization coefficients.
The forward blocking characteristics for the thyristor structure are shown in
Fig. 8.22 at various ambient temperatures ranging from 300 to 450  K. The forward
blocking capability is limited by the snapback of the characteristics when the anode
current exceeds a critical value that is dependent upon the temperature. The thyristor
is being triggered from the blocking state to the on-state when the leakage current
(amplified by the gain of the internal transistors) exceeds this critical value. At room
temperature (300  K), the forward blocking voltage obtained with the simulations is
2350 V – the same as that in the reverse blocking mode due to the utilization of the
cathode short. Consequently, the analytical model allows an accurate prediction of
the forward blocking capability.
Initially, the forward blocking capability increases with increasing temperature
due to a reduction in the impact ionization coefficients. However, beyond 375  K,
there is a rapid degradation of the blocking voltage capability in spite of the cathode
shorts. This is due to the growth in the leakage current density which is sufficient to
produce an increase in the current gain of the N-P-N transistor as shown in Fig. 8.16.
The leakage current density at which this thyristor switches from the blocking to the
on-state at room temperature is 0.11 A/cm2. This value is also predicted by the
analytical model using Eq. (8.29) if an effective doping concentration of 6
1015 cm
3
is assumed for the P-base region, which is consistent with the doping profile
shown in Fig. 8.20.
8.3 On-State Characteristics 667

4000
Blocking Voltage Capability (Volts)
Reverse Blocking
3000

2000

1000 Forward Blocking

0
300 350 400 450 500
Ambient Temperature (°K)

Fig. 8.23 Forward and reverse blocking voltage for the N-P-N-P power thyristor structure

The forward and reverse blocking capability obtained from the simulations are
plotted in Fig. 8.23 as a function of the ambient temperature. It can be observed that
the forward blocking capability is the same as the reverse blocking capability at room
temperature (300  K). As the temperature increases, the reverse blocking capability
increases monotonically, while the forward blocking capability reaches a maximum
value at 375  K and then degrades with increasing temperature. This thyristor design
is capable of supporting 2000 V in both the first and third quadrants of operation up to
a temperature of 400  K (125  C), which is typical for power thyristors.
The voltage is primarily supported in the thyristor within the N-drift region. This
is illustrated in Fig. 8.24 where the electric field profiles are shown during operation
in the reverse and forward blocking modes at two voltages. It can be observed that
the P+ anode/N-drift junction becomes reverse biased during the reverse blocking
mode with the depletion region extending toward the left-hand side with increasing
(negative) anode bias. In contrast, the P-base/N-drift junction becomes reverse
biased during the forward blocking mode with the depletion region extending toward
the right-hand side with increasing (positive) anode bias. The electric field profiles
used in Figs. 8.7 and 8.10 to develop the analytical models for the blocking voltage
are consistent with those observed with the simulations.

8.3 On-State Characteristics

One of the attributes of the thyristor structure is its excellent forward conduction
characteristic even when designed to support large voltage levels. The thyristor
structure can be triggered from the forward blocking mode at the anode supply