MOS-GATED OPTICALLY TRIGGERED THYRISTOR - A NEW GALVANICALLY INSULATED HIGH-VOLTAGE INTEGRATED SWITCH

A new high voltage power switch integrating the detection, amplificati on and validation of an optical drive guaranteeing a good galvanic ins ulation has been developed. This device integrates a MOS-gated thyrist or, a photodiode, a Zener diode and a depletion mode MOSFET. Unlike co nventional optothyristors, the photocurrent is not directly used to tr igger the thyristor, but charges the MOS gate of the device. The power needed for triggering should then be reduced. This paper describes th e structure and the electrical behaviour of this new integrated device and also provides information about process how and the design of the devices.