EE428 Industrial Process Control

Dr. Ammar Hasan

Dr. Ammar Hasan SEECS, NUST

 Silicon controlled rectifier
• An SCR is constructed from four
alternately doped silicon layers
• It has three junctions and three
terminals.
• The terminal leads are called the
anode (A), the cathode (K), and
the gate (G).

Dr. Ammar Hasan SEECS, NUST

 Silicon controlled rectifier
• The SCR operates similarly to a
standard diode, where current
flows only in the forward-biased
condition and is blocked when
reverse biased.
• Therefore, the SCR is able to
perform rectification.

Dr. Ammar Hasan SEECS, NUST

 Silicon controlled rectifier
• However, the conduction of the SCR does not
begin until two conditions exists
simultaneously.
• It is forward biased
• A triggering signal is applied to the gate
terminal

Dr. Ammar Hasan SEECS, NUST

 Silicon controlled rectifier
• Once the SCR is turned on, it conducts current
like a regular diode and acts like a latched
switch.
• During conduction, the signal applied to the
gate no longer has an affect on the SCRs
operation, and it remains on as rectifier long as
the current level does not fall below a
predetermined value, which is called the
holding current.
Dr. Ammar Hasan SEECS, NUST
 Silicon controlled rectifier
• When the current drops below the holding
current level, the SCR will turn off.
• It cannot turn on again by applying a positive
voltage to the gate unless there is sufficient
forward bias voltage across its anode and
cathode leads.

Dr. Ammar Hasan SEECS, NUST

 SCR equivalent circuit

Dr. Ammar Hasan SEECS, NUST

 SCR equivalent circuit
• With the switch connected to the base of Q2
open, the npn transistor will not conduct
because its emitter-base junction is not
forward biased.
• The non-conducting Q2 will, in turn, prevent
Q1 from conducting because there is no base
current that can pass through the npn
transistor to the base of the pnp transistor.

Dr. Ammar Hasan SEECS, NUST

 SCR equivalent circuit
• If switch is momentarily closed, the gate of Q2
is made positive in respect to its emitter; the
junction between them is forward biased and
turns the npn transistor on.
• This conduction causes the negative potential
of power supply B to be applied to the base of
Q1.
• With the positive potential of power supply B
at the emitter of Q1, its emitter-base junction is
forward biased, causing it to also turn on.
Dr. Ammar Hasan SEECS, NUST
 SCR Current voltage Curve
 

Dr. Ammar Hasan SEECS, NUST

 Triggering SCR
DC triggering
AC triggering

Dr. Ammar Hasan SEECS, NUST

 AC Triggering 0-90 degrees

Dr. Ammar Hasan SEECS, NUST

 AC Triggering 0-180 degrees

Dr. Ammar Hasan SEECS, NUST

 Phase control SCR circuit

Dr. Ammar Hasan SEECS, NUST

 Phase control SCR circuit
• When the negative alternation occurs, the SCR
is reverse biased and will not conduct. Diode
D2 is forward biased, allowing current to
bypass R1 and charge the capacitor.
• Due to the minimal opposition of the charging
capacitor, the current through the motor is
small enough to be ineffective.

Dr. Ammar Hasan SEECS, NUST

 Phase control SCR circuit
• When the positive alternation occurs, the alternation begins to
rise, the SCR becomes forward biased, and the capacitor begins to
discharge the polarities it received during the negative
alternation.
• Once discharged, it recharges at the opposite polarity.
• The discharging and charging rates are determined by the
component values of the RC network.
• When the positive charge at the top plate of the capacitor is high
enough, D1 forward biases and allows current to flow through to
the gate and fire the SCR.
• The result is that the supply current flows through the motor
during the remaining portion of the alternation.

Dr. Ammar Hasan SEECS, NUST

 Over temperature alarm

Dr. Ammar Hasan SEECS, NUST

 Under temperature alarm

Dr. Ammar Hasan SEECS, NUST

 Unijunction Transistor
• A unijunction transistor (UJT) is a three-lead
electronic semiconductor device with only
one junction that acts exclusively as an
electrically controlled switch.
• The UJT is not used as a linear amplifier.

Dr. Ammar Hasan SEECS, NUST

 Unijunction Transistor

Dr. Ammar Hasan SEECS, NUST

 Unijunction Transistor
• A bias voltage is connected across the junction with the
emitter more positive than B1.
• In its normal state, there is no current flow from B1 to
the emitter.
• When the bias voltage reaches 7.7 V, the UJT turns on.
• Current continues to flow until the emitter voltage
drops below the point where the pn junction is no
longer for-ward biased.
• The UJT turns off until the bias voltage again becomes
7.7 volts.

Dr. Ammar Hasan SEECS, NUST

 Unijunction Transistor

Dr. Ammar Hasan SEECS, NUST

 UJT for triggering SCR

Dr. Ammar Hasan SEECS, NUST

 UJT for triggering SCR

Dr. Ammar Hasan SEECS, NUST

 UJT as Relaxation oscillator

Dr. Ammar Hasan SEECS, NUST

 Diac

Dr. Ammar Hasan SEECS, NUST

 Diac

Dr. Ammar Hasan SEECS, NUST

 Triac

Dr. Ammar Hasan SEECS, NUST

 Triac

Dr. Ammar Hasan SEECS, NUST

 Triac
• A triac is basically a two-way SCR with one gate that
passes current in both directions.
• Its terminals are labeled MT1 (main terminal 1), MT2
(main terminal 2), and G (gate).
• When the triac is on, the primary current passes
between MT1 and MT2

Dr. Ammar Hasan SEECS, NUST

 Triac
• Mode 1: 1 When MT2 is more positive than MT1 and
the gate is made positive, the triac turns on and
current flows from MT1 to MT2.

Dr. Ammar Hasan SEECS, NUST

 Triac
• Mode 2: When MT2 is more negative with respect to
MT1 and the gate is made positive, the triac will turn
on and current will flow from MT2 to MT1

Dr. Ammar Hasan SEECS, NUST

 Triac
• Mode 3: When MT2 is made more positive than.MT1
and a negative voltage is applied to the gate, the
triac fires and current flows from MT1 to MT2.

Dr. Ammar Hasan SEECS, NUST

 Triac
• Mode 4: if MT2 is made negative in respect to MT1
and a negative gate voltage is applied, the triac turns
on and current flows from MT2 to MT1.

Dr. Ammar Hasan SEECS, NUST

 Triac

Dr. Ammar Hasan SEECS, NUST

 Motor control with Triac

Dr. Ammar Hasan SEECS, NUST

 Motor control with Triac

Dr. Ammar Hasan SEECS, NUST

 IGBTs
• In the 1980s, semiconductor designers developed a
component that combines the characteristics of a
bipolartransistor (BJT) and a metal-oxide
semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET).
• The device that was created is called an Insulated
Gate Bipolar Junction Transistor (IGBT).
• Combining these two devices provides the high
current capabilities of the BJT and the excellent fast
switching capabilities of the MOSFET.

Dr. Ammar Hasan SEECS, NUST

 IGBTs

Dr. Ammar Hasan SEECS, NUST

Remaining slides are not part
of the syllabus

Dr. Ammar Hasan SEECS, NUST

 Not included in Syllabus
Gate Turn-Off (GTO) Thyristor
• A gate turn-off thyristor (GTO) is a special type of
thyristor, which is a high-power semiconductor
device.
• It was invented at General Electric.
• GTOs, as opposed to normal thyristors, are fully
controllable switches which can be turned on and off
by their third lead, the gate lead.

Dr. Ammar Hasan SEECS, NUST

 Not included in Syllabus
MOS Controlled Thyristor (MCT)
• An MOS-controlled thyristor (MCT) is a voltage-
controlled fully controllable thyristor.
• MCTs are similar in operation to GTO thyristors, but
have voltage controlled insulated gates

Dr. Ammar Hasan SEECS, NUST

 Not included in Syllabus
Integrated Gate-Commutated
Thyristors (IGCT)
• An IGCT is a special type of thyristor similar to a gate
turn-off thyristor (GTO).
• They can be turned on and off by a gate signal,
• Lower conduction loss as compared to GTOs
• Can withstand higher rates of voltage rise (dv/dt),
such that no snubber is required for most applications.

Dr. Ammar Hasan SEECS, NUST

 Not included in Syllabus
PIN Diode
• A PIN diode is a diode with a wide, undoped intrinsic
semiconductor region between a p-type
semiconductor and an n-type semiconductor region.
• The wide intrinsic region is in contrast to an ordinary
p–n diode.
• The wide intrinsic region makes the PIN diode an
makes it suitable for high voltage power electronics
applications.

Dr. Ammar Hasan SEECS, NUST

 Not included in Syllabus
Shockley Diode
• The Shockley diode (named after physicist William
Shockley) is a four-layer semiconductor diode,
• One of the first semiconductor devices invented. It
was a "pnpn" diode.
• It is equivalent to a thyristor with a disconnected
gate.

Dr. Ammar Hasan SEECS, NUST

 Not included in Syllabus
Schottky Diode
• The Schottky diode is a semiconductor diode formed
by the junction of a semiconductor with a metal.
• It has a low forward voltage drop and a very fast
switching action.
• Also known as Schottky barrier diode or hot-carrier
diode

Dr. Ammar Hasan SEECS, NUST

 Not included in Syllabus
Comparison of Devices

Dr. Ammar Hasan SEECS, NUST

 Not included in Syllabus
Comparison of Devices

Dr. Ammar Hasan SEECS, NUST

 Not included in Syllabus
Comparison of Devices

Dr. Ammar Hasan SEECS, NUST