Northern Philippines College for Maritime, Science and Technology

Lingsat, City of San Fernando, La Union

Name: _______________________________________ Course/Year: _________________________

Subject:

INDUSTRIAL ELECTRONICS
Module No:

1
Topics:
1. Diodes Applications
2. Transistor as a Switch
3. Thyristors
4. Power supply
5. Voltage Regulators
6. Data Acquisition System

Time Frame
September 21-october 30
LESSON 1:THYRISTORS

I. Introduction:

Industrial electronics is a branch of electronics that deals with power electronic devices such as
thyristors, SCRs, AC/DC drives, meters, sensors, analyzers, load sells automatic test equipment, multimeters,
data recorders, relays, resistors, semiconductors, transistors, waveguides, scopes, amplifiers, radio frequency
(RF) circuit boards, timers, counters, etc. It covers all of the methods and facets of: control systems,
instrumentation, mechanism and diagnosis, signal processing and automation of various industrial applications.
The core research areas of industrial electronics include electrical power machine designs, power conditioning
and power semiconductor devices. A lot of consideration is given to power economy and energy management
in consumer electronic products.

So to put it simply, industrial electronics refers to equipment, tools and processes that involve electrical
equipment in an industrial setting. This could be a laboratory, automotive plant, power plant or construction
site etc. Industrial electronics are also used extensively in chemical processing plants, oil/gas/petroleum plants,
mining and metal processing units, electronics and semiconductor manufacturing.

This lesson covers several types of thyristors, including their principles and applications.

II. Instruction:

This lesson was prepared for students to work on diligently and independently. This is meant to give a
basic background on the applications of diodes in order to prepare the student in their field as engineers.
You are to finish this lesson within 5 days, September 21 –September 25. The activity and quiz should
be done within the scheduled time. Activity and Quiz are found under Topic 1 of Module 1.

Additional guide are listed as follows:

1. Manage your time wisely. Schedule properly in reading this module and doing the activities.
2. Focus your attention. Make sure that you do things one at a time. Read the materials until you are able
to understand the point of the lesson. You can read other materials related to the topics from other
resources such as internet and books.
3. Submit on time. Each activity has a due time of submission. Submit on or before the deadline set for
each activity.
4. Answer confidently. Make sure to give your answers completely and concisely. If questions need to be
answered in essay form, stick to the point.
5. Work independently. It is expected that you work on the module on your own. You can ask help from
others but do your best first. Avoid cheating.
6. Motivate yourself. Whatever knowledge or skill you are gaining from this course will definitely help you
in your career. Enjoy what you are doing and everything else will follow.
7. Contact me. If any part of the module or lesson, you need my help and guidance, you can contact me
through email, messenger or google classroom. Remember, I am here to ensure that we go through
the completion of the course together.

You must remember that all activities in the module are academic activities, which means that the
relevant academic conventions apply. They will affect your performance in this course.

For video references, watch the links from youtube.com below.

https://youtu.be/9jZw80KYfi8
III. Lesson Proper:

A. Presentation:
If the power electronics circuit is to provide energy of a high power level, as in motor drives or in DC or
AC UPS, then the efficiency of the energy conversion is of greatest interest. As all the energy is processed
through the electronic circuit, one cannot afford large losses in this process. As a matter of
principle,resistors are excluded from such circuits. Special power electronics devices (power insulated-gate
bipolar transistors [IGBTs], power metal oxide field effect transistors [MOSFETs], diodes, thyristors, etc.) are
used as switches to carry large currents and support large voltages (kilovolts in high-voltage applications).
From efficiency requirements, these devices must feature small on-parasitic resistances in order to reduce
the energy losses when they are in the conduction state. They have to switch with high speed in order to
diminish the switching losses in the transient process between the states on–off and off–on.
In low-power switching-mode power supplies, the size and weight of the converter have to be
minimized, i.e., the power density has to be maximized. To reduce the size of the passive devices
(inductors, capacitors, transformers) it is desirable to use a high frequency in the conversion process. This
requirement is particularly important in portable devices. One recent development is the use of only switches
and capacitors in the structure of a converter in order to avoid bulky magnetic elements.

B. Discussion:

The thyristor is a four-layered, three-terminal semiconductor device, with each layer consisting of
alternately N-type or P-type material, for example P-N-P-N. The main terminals, labeled anode and cathode,
are across all four layers. The control terminal, called the gate, is attached to p-type material near the
cathode. (A variant called an SCS—silicon controlled switch—brings all four layers out to terminals.) The
operation of a thyristor can be understood in terms of a pair of tightly coupled bipolar junction transistors,
arranged to cause a self-latching action:

Structure on the physical and electronic level, and the thyristor symbol.

Thyristors have three states:

1. Reverse blocking mode – Voltage is applied in the direction that would be blocked by a diode
2. Forward blocking mode – Voltage is applied in the direction that would cause a diode to conduct,
but the thyristor has not been triggered into conduction
3. Forward conducting mode – The thyristor has been triggered into conduction and will remain
conducting until the forward current drops below a threshold value known as the "holding current"
 Function of the gate terminal
The thyristor has three p-n junctions (serially named J1, J2, J3 from the anode).

Layer diagram of thyristor.

When the anode is at a positive potential VAK with respect to the cathode with no voltage applied at
the gate, junctions J1 and J3 are forward biased, while junction J2 is reverse biased. As J2 is reverse biased,
no conduction takes place (Off state). Now if VAK is increased beyond the breakdown voltage VBO of the
thyristor, avalanche breakdown of J2 takes place and the thyristor starts conducting (On state).
If a positive potential VG is applied at the gate terminal with respect to the cathode, the breakdown
of the junction J2 occurs at a lower value of VAK. By selecting an appropriate value of VG, the thyristor can
be switched into the on state quickly.
Once avalanche breakdown has occurred, the thyristor continues to conduct, irrespective of the
gate voltage, until: (a) the potential VAK is removed or (b) the current through the device (anode−cathode)
becomes less than the holding current specified by the manufacturer. Hence VG can be a voltage pulse,
such as the voltage output from a UJT relaxation oscillator.
The gate pulses are characterized in terms of gate trigger voltage (VGT) and gate trigger current
(IGT). Gate trigger current varies inversely with gate pulse width in such a way that it is evident that there
is a minimum gate charge required to trigger the thyristor.

Switching characteristics
In a conventional thyristor, once it has been switched on by the gate terminal, the device remains
latched in the on-state (i.e. does not need a continuous supply of gate current to remain in the on state),
providing the anode current has exceeded the latching current (IL). As long as the anode remains
positively biased, it cannot be switched off unless the current drops below the holding current (IH). In
normal working conditions the latching current is always greater than holding current.

A thyristor can be switched off if the external circuit causes the anode to become negatively biased
(a method known as natural, or line, commutation). In some applications this is done by switching a
second thyristor to discharge a capacitor into the anode of the first thyristor. This method is called forced
commutation.
After the current in a thyristor has extinguished, a finite time delay must elapse before the anode
can again be positively biased and retain the thyristor in the off-state. This minimum delay is called the
circuit commutated turn off time (tQ). Attempting to positively bias the anode within this time causes the
thyristor to be self-triggered by the remaining charge carriers (holes and electrons) that have not
yet recombined.
For applications with frequencies higher than the domestic AC mains supply (e.g. 50 Hz or 60 Hz), thyristors
with lower values of tQ are required.
Applications
Thyristors are mainly used where high currents and voltages are involved, and are often used to
control alternating currents, where the change of polarity of the current causes the device to switch off
automatically, referred to as "zero cross" operation. The device can be said to operate synchronously;
being that, once the device is triggered, it conducts current in phase with the voltage applied over its
cathode to anode junction with no further gate modulation being required, i.e., the device is biased fully
on. This is not to be confused with asymmetrical operation, as the output is unidirectional, flowing only
from cathode to anode, and so is asymmetrical in nature.
Thyristors can be used as the control elements for phase angle triggered controllers, also known
as phase fired controllers.
They can also be found in power supplies for digital circuits, where they are used as a sort of
"enhanced circuit breaker" to prevent a failure in the power supply from damaging downstream
components. A thyristor is used in conjunction with a Zener diode attached to its gate, and if the output
voltage of the supply rises above the Zener voltage, the thyristor will conduct and short-circuit the power
supply output to ground (in general also tripping an upstream breaker or fuse). This kind of protection
circuit is known as a crowbar, and has the advantage over a standard circuit breaker or fuse in that it
creates a high-conductance path to ground for the damaging supply voltage and potentially for stored
energy in the system being powered.
The first large-scale application of thyristors, with associated triggering diac, in consumer products
related to stabilized power supplies within color television receivers in the early 1970. The stabilized high
voltage DC supply for the receiver was obtained by moving the switching point of the thyristor device up
and down the falling slope of the positive going half of the AC supply input (if the rising slope was used
the output voltage would always rise towards the peak input voltage when the device was triggered and
thus defeat the aim of regulation). The precise switching point was determined by the load on the DC
output supply, as well as AC input fluctuations.
Thyristors have been used for decades as light dimmers in television, motion pictures, and theater,
where they replaced inferior technologies such as autotransformers and rheostats. They have also been
used in photography as a critical part of flashes (strobes).

SCR –Silicon Controlled Rectifier

This is a semiconductor device that normally blocks conventional current attempting to pass
either way between the anode and the cathode. But when a current attempting to flow from anode to
cathode, a quick pulse of current into the gate will turn the SCR “On”. And the most important, the SCR
stays on, even after the control gate current has stopped, as long as working current is supplied.

SCR is a unidirectional three terminal device used to control large current to a load.
Since SCR normally does not permit any appreciable working current to pass in reverse, from cathode to
anode, it functions like any other diode or rectifier. The formal name is “Silicon reverse-blocking triode
thyristors”.
Comparison Between Transistor and Thyristor

Turning ON the SCR

When the gate current is zero, the device is in OFF state. In this state, the very high resistance between the
anode and the cathode can be approximated by an open circuit. When the positive pulse of current (trigger) is
applied to the gate, SCR turn ON.

Turning OFF the SCR

When the gate current returns to 0 volt after the trigger pulse is removed, the SCR cannot turn OFF, it stays
ON.

There are two basic methods for turning OFF an SCR: Anode current interruption and forced commutation.

SCR Specification

Breakdown Voltage – is the voltage at which the blocking capability fails, and a massive amount of current
rushes through, SCR’s use the terms “absolute maximum forward blocking voltage” and absolute “maximum
blocking voltage”. Typically SCR’s can stand 100 volts in either direction without breaking down.

Operating Speed – SCR is specified in terms of “turn-on time” and “commutation turn-off time”. The term
commutating is included as a reminder that the device does not turn off by itself, rather is turned off by an
interruption of the power supply. Typical switching speeds are in 1 nad 2 microseconds.

Gate Trigger Current – specifies how much current is required to turn the device ON. In the typical
example, the specification says no more than 100 microampere (at the proper voltage) is required.

Gate Trigger Voltage – specifies the voltage required to trigger the device – in our case, no more than 0.7
volts. We can say that 100 microampere at 0.7 volt will be enough to trigger the device.

SCR Application
1. Lighting System for Power Interruptions
2. An Over-voltage Protection Circuit
3. Solid State Automobile Ignition System
4. DC Motor Control
 TRIAC

The triac is a three terminal semiconductor for controlling current in either direction. The symbol looks like two
SCRs in parallel (opposite direction) with one trigger or gate terminal. The main power terminals are
designated as MT1 and MT2.

Minimum holding current, must be maintained in order to keep a triac conducting. A triac operates in
the same way as the SCR, however it operates in both a forward and reverse direction. It can be triggered
into conduction by either a plus (+) or minus (-) gate signal.

Obviously a triac can also be triggered by exceeding the breakover voltage. This is not normally
employed in triac operation. The breakover voltage is usually considered a design limitation. The only way to
turn off the triac is to reduce the current to a sufficiently low level.
Triac Applications
1. Used in running lights
2. Used for lamp dimmer. The brightness of incandescent bulb depends on the gate voltage applied. The
smaller gate voltage, the lesser the brightness. The bigger gate voltage, it gives more brightness.
3. Phase control application.

Diac

Diac is a two terminal device that is used as a trigger device for either SCR or Triac. Conduction occurs
in the diac when the breakover voltage is reach with either polarity across the terminals. Once breakover
occurs, current is in the direction depending on the polarity of the voltage across the terminals. The device
turns off when the current drops the holding value.

Quadrac

A quadrac is basically a triac with built in trigger diac.

 Silicon Controlled Switch (SCS)

The SCS is similar in construction to the SCR. The SCS, however, has two gate terminals, the cathode
gate and the anode gate. The SCS can be turned ON and OFF using either gate terminal, unlike the SCR that
can only be turned on using its gate terminal.
Normally, the SCS is available in power ratings lower than those of the SCR.

Programmable Unijuntion Transistor (PUT)

The PUT is actually a type of thyristors and not like UJT (Unijuntion Transistor) all in terms of structure.
The only similarity to a UJT is that PUT can be used in some oscillator applications to replace the UJT. The PUT
is more similar to an SCR except that its anode-to-gate voltage can be used to both turn on and turn off the
device.
 Light Activated SCR
LASCR operates essentially as does the conventional SCR except that it can also be triggered by a
source of light.. Most LASCRs have an available gate terminal so that the device can also be triggered by an
electrical pulse just as a conventional SCR.

C. Synthesis/Activity:
Take the Activity #3 in Topic 3. (Google Classroom)

D. Summary:
In general, Thyristors are also switching devices similar to the transistors. As we already
discussed, Transistors are the tiny electronic component that changed the world, today we can find them in
every electronic device like TVs, mobiles, laptops, calculators, earphones etc. They are adaptable and versatile,
but it doesn’t mean that they can be used in every application, we can use them as amplifying and switching
device but they cannot handle higher current, also a transistor required a continuous switching current. So, for
all these issues and to overcome these problems we use Thyristors.  
 Generally, SCR and Thyristor are used interchangeably but SCR is a kind of Thyristor. Thyristor
includes many types of switches, some of them are SCR (Silicon Controlled Rectifier), GTO (Gate Turn OFF),
and IGBT (Insulated Gate Controlled Bipolar Transistor) etc. But SCR is the most widely used device, so the
word Thyristor become synonymous to SCR. Simply, SCR is a kind of Thyristor.

SCR or Thyristor is a four-layered, three-junction semiconductor switching device. It has three

terminals anode, cathode, and gate. Thyristor is also a unidirectional device like a diode, which means it
flows current only in one direction. It consists of three PN junction in series as it is of four layers. Gate terminal
used to trigger the SCR by providing small voltage to this terminal, which we also called gate triggering
method to turn ON the SCR.

IV. Evaluation/Assessment:
Take the Quiz #3 in Topic 3(Google Classroom)

V. Resources:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/materials-science/power-electronics
Michael Q. Enriquez, Fred T. Gantalo and Rommel M. Lasala, Simple Electronics, Andes Mountain
Printers, 2004