Chapter 33
Thyristors and Optical Devices

Introduction to Thyristors
Thyristors
Switch
On-state, off-state
Unilateral or bilateral
Latching
High power

Introduction to Thyristors
Thyristors
Sinusoidal
Firing angle
Conduction angle

Triggering Devices
Used to pulse switching devices
Diac
3-layer
Bi-directional conduction
Breakover voltage
Blocking region

Triggering Devices
Unijunction Transistor (UJT)
3-terminal device
Intrinsic standoff ratio

Triggering Devices
UJT
0.5 < η < 0.9
Emitter region heavily doped
VE – B1 = 0, p-n junction reverse biased
Increase VE – B1, reach peak point (maximum current)

Triggering Devices
UJT
Continue increase, reach valley point
Further increase VE – B1, UJT is saturated

Triggering Devices
UJT relaxation oscillator

Silicon Controlled Rectifiers (SCRs)
4-layer device, p-n-p-n
Anode (A)
Cathode (K)
Gate (G)
Unidirectional

Silicon Controlled Rectifiers (SCRs)
High-power (I up to 2500 A, V up to 2500 V)
Phase control
Small VAK when On

SCRs

SCRs
Operation
IG = 0, no anode current
IG > IGT → regenerative feedback → high IAK
IAK < IH → turn off → IAK = 0

SCRs
Can cause SCR turn-on
High temperature
High ∆V/∆t (noise)
Radiation

SCRs
Specifications
VDRM or VRRM  Peak Repetitive Off-state Voltage
IT(RMS)  On-State RMS current (maximum)
ITSM  Peak Non-Repetitive Surge current
IGT  Gate trigger current
IL  Latching current
IH  Holding current

SCRs
SCR phase control

SCRs
Small R1
Short RC time constant
SCR turns on rapidly, close to 0°
Large R1
long RC time constant
SCR turns on slowly, close to 180°

SCRs
Too large R1
SCR does not turn on

Triacs
3-terminal switch
Bi-directional current
Symbol
Gate trigger may be either + or – pulse

Triacs
Characteristics
Direct replacement for mechanical relays
Trigger circuit for full-wave control
4 modes
Remains on in either direction until I < IH
Blocking region, I ≈ μamps
Small voltage across Triac when On

Triacs
Specifications
Similar to SCR
PGM  Peak Gate Power
PG(AV)  Average Gate Power
VGM  Peak Gate Voltage
VGT  Gate trigger voltage
tgt  Turn-On Time

Triacs
Phase control light dimmer

Triacs
Circuit operation
Turn-off due to small load current
Capacitor charges/discharges through load
DIAC is bi-directional
RC time constant → 0° to 180° turn on in each direction

Power Control Fundamentals
Review equations
Control
Lamp intensity
Heat from a resistive heater
Speed of a motor

Power Control Fundamentals

Power Control Fundamentals
Delayed turn-on, full-wave signal
Delayed turn-on, half-wave signal

Power Control Fundamentals
V and P curves for full-wave control

Introduction to Optical Devices
Opto-electronic devices λ = wavelength
Current → light
Light → current
c = speed of light in a vacuum
c = 3 x 108 m/s

Introduction to Optical Devices
Electromagnetic spectrum
Visible (380 < λ(nm) < 750)
Infrared region (750 < λ(nm) < 1000)

Introduction to Optical Devices
LED is a diode
When forward biased
Electron-hole recombination energy
Photons released: E = hf , h is Planck’s constant
h = 6.626 ´ 1034 Joules∙seconds
High energy → visible spectrum
Lower energy → IR spectrum

Introduction to Optical Devices
LED advantages
Low voltage
Rapid change in light output with input V change
Long life
LED output can be matched to photodetector

Introduction to Optical Devices
LED disadvantages
Easily damaged
Brightness dependent on temperature
Chromatic dispersion
Inefficient compared to LCDs

Photodetectors
R varies with light intensity
Photoresistors
Voltage or current varies with light intensity
Photodiodes
Phototransistors
Light-Activated SCRs (LASCRs)

Photodetectors
Photodiodes
Reverse biased
Low ambient light → very small current, ID (small leakage current)
High ambient light → increased current, ID (increase in minority carriers)

Photodetectors
Photodiodes
Symbol

Photodetectors
Phototransistor
Base open
Light on reverse-biased CB junction
Increase minority carriers
Increase IC

Photodetectors
Phototransistor
Usually used as a switch
Off → IC = 0
On → IC > 0

Photodetectors
LASCR
Light-Activated SCR or photo-SCR
Symbol
Light turns LASCR on
Open gate or resistor on gate to control sensitivity

Optocouplers
Couple two circuits
LED and Photodetector in single circuit
Electrical isolation
Medical equipment
High voltage circuit to digital circuit

Optocouplers
Use as
Linear device
Digital buffer

Optocouplers
Phototransistor optocoupler

Optocouplers
Current transfer ratio
0.1 < CTR < 1

Optocouplers
Operation
High diode current in input circuit yields
High diode light output which yields
High collector current in output circuit

Semiconductor LASERs
Light Amplification through Stimulated Emission of Radiation
Operation
Similar to LEDs
Monochromatic (same frequency)
Coherent (same phase) output
Small pulse dispersion