A design method for reducing the local loss at turn-on in a gate turn-off thyristor with the press package used in commutation circuits

Abstract

In this paper, we present a design method for reducing local losses in a Gate Turn-Off Thyristor (GTO) at turn-on and protecting GTOs, particularly those of the flat-package type used in the high-frequency switching from overheating failure. This method utilizes the measurement of cathode-current spread obtained by infrared measurement. The performance of this was verified observing the gate-current at turn-on in a GTO used in the LC resonant commutation circuit for a power supply rated 10 kHz, 1.0 MW. © 2009 The Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan.