SEMICONDUCTOR COMPONENT FOR OVERVOLTAGE AND OVERCURRENT PROTECTION

Abstract

Abstract Translated from French L'INVENTION CONCERNE UN COMPOSANT SEMICONDUCTEUR DESTINE A LA PROTECTION DE CIRCUITS ELECTRIQUES CONTRE DES SURTENSIONS ET SURINTENSITES, NOTAMMENT DUES A LA FOUDRE. POUR AMELIORER LES CONDITIONS D'AMORCAGE DE CE COMPOSANT, QUELLE QUE SOIT LA FORME D'ONDE DE LA SURTENSION APPARAISSANT ENTRE BORNES, ON PREVOIT UNE STRUCTURE CONCENTRIQUE AVEC UNE DIODE ZENER (ZONE A) AU CENTRE D'UN THYRISTOR AUXILIAIRE ZONE B, LUI-MEME AU CENTRE D'UN THYRISTOR PRINCIPAL (ZONEA). EN PRESENCE D'UNE SURTENSION, LA DIODE ZENER CONDUIT ET ETABLIT UN COURANT DE GACHETTE POUR LE THYRISTOR AUXILIAIRE ET LE THYRISTOR PRINCIPAL. LE THYRISTOR AUXILIAIRE SE DECLENCHE AVANT LE THYRISTOR PRINCIPAL ET FOURNIT UN COURANT A FORTE PENTE DE CROISSANCE QUI FAVORISE L'AMORCAGE UNIFORME DU THYRISTOR PRINCIPAL. CE PRINCIPE S'ETEND A DES STRUCTURES BIDIRECTIONNELLES. THE INVENTION CONCERNS A SEMICONDUCTOR COMPONENT INTENDED FOR THE PROTECTION OF ELECTRIC CIRCUITS AGAINST OVERVOLTAGES AND OVERCURRENTS, IN PARTICULAR DUE TO LIGHTNING. TO IMPROVE THE START-UP CONDITIONS OF THIS COMPONENT, WHATEVER THE WAVEFORM OF THE OVERVOLTAGE APPEARING BETWEEN TERMINALS, A CONCENTRIC STRUCTURE IS PROVIDED WITH A ZENER DIODE (ZONE A) AT THE CENTER OF AN AUXILIARY THYRISTOR ZONE B, IT -MEME AT THE CENTER OF A MAIN THYRISTOR (ZONEA). IN THE PRESENCE OF AN OVERVOLTAGE, THE ZENER DIODE CONDUCTS AND ESTABLISHES A TRIGGER CURRENT FOR THE AUXILIARY THYRISTOR AND THE MAIN THYRISTOR. THE AUXILIARY THYRISTOR TRIGGES BEFORE THE MAIN THYRISTOR AND PROVIDES A STEEPY GROWTH CURRENT THAT PROMOTES UNIFORM FIRING OF THE MAIN THYRISTOR. THIS PRINCIPLE EXTENDS TO BIDIRECTIONAL STRUCTURES.

Inventors

• 👤 Pierre Bacuvier

Bibliographic Details