Industrial Control Electronic A Thyristor (silicon controlled rectifier or SCR) is a little like a transistor.

When a small current flows into the GATE (G), this allows a larger current to flow from the ANODE (A) to the CATHODE (C). Even when the current into the gate stops the thyristor continues to allow current to flow from anode to cathode. It latches on. Thyristor Structure The thyristor consists of a four layer p-n-p-n structure with the outer layers are referred to as the anode (n-type) and cathode (n-type). The control terminal of the SCR is named the gate and it is connected to the p-type layer located next to the cathode. It comes in packages with two to four-leads and are available in very large voltage and current ratings, making them attractive for use in applications at high power levels. Thyristors are usually manufactured from silicon. There are two main reasons for this. One is the voltage, current and thermal handling properties of silicon enable it to meet the requirements of the power industry, and secondly silicon technology is well developed and very cheap to use. Thyristor Applications speed-control circuits low-cost timer circuits power switching circuits oscillatorcircuits relay-replacement circuits Major Kinds of Thyristor Four Layer Diode (Shockley Diode) Four Layer Diode By putting in four layers, instead of the three used in transistors, the Shockley Diode could do more than a transistor. For one, it acted like a rectifier, able to turn alternating current into direct current. Two, it switched on and off when a specific amount of voltage -- known as the breakover voltage -- was applied. The four-layer diode, therefore, could be used to replace both the rectifiers and transistors necessary to connect long distance phone calls. When placed between two points in a circuit, it acts as a voltage-sensitive switch. If the voltage difference across its leads is below a specific breakdown voltage, it remains in the off state. When the voltage difference exceeds the breakdown point, it turns in the on state. Conducts in one direction, from anode (A) to cathode (C). Major Kinds of Thyristor Silicon Controlled Rectifier (SCR) Silicon Controlled Rectifier (SCR) Normally off, but when a small current enters its gate (G), it turns on. Even when the gate current is removed, the SCR remains on. To turn it off, the anode-to-cathode current flow must be removed, or the anode must be set to a more negative voltage than the cathode. Current flows in only one direction, from anode (A) to cathode (C). The basic purpose of the SCR is to function as a switch that can turn on or off small or large amounts of power. It performs this function with no moving parts that wear out and no points that require replacing. The SCR is an extremely fast switch. It is difficult to cycle a mechanical switch several hundred times a minute; yet, some SCRs can be switched 25,000 times a second. It takes just microseconds (millionths of a second) to turn on or off these units. Kinds of SCRs Low-current SCRs, such as the NTE5402, typically come with maximum current/ voltage ratings approximately no bigger than 1 A/100 V. Medium-current SCRs, such as the NTE5491, on the other hand, come with maximum current/voltage ratings typically no bigger than 10 A/100 V. The maximum ratings for high-current SCRs may be in several thousand amps at several thousand volts. Low-current SCRs come in plastic or metal can-like packages, while medium and high-current SCRs come with heat sinks built in.

Major Kinds of Thyristor Silicon-controlled switch (SCS) Silicon Controlled Switch (SCS) It is a four-layer pnpn device Its basic construction is the same with the SCR with the addition of the second gate lead. Anode, cathode, and a anode gate, and a cathode gate. Current flows in one direction, from anode (A) to cathode (C). An SCS is turned on by applying a positive voltage between the cathode gate and cathode terminals. It may be turned off (forced commutation) by applying a negative voltage between the anode and cathode terminals, or simply by shorting those two terminals together. The anode terminal must be kept positive with respect to the cathode in order for the SCS to latch. Major Kinds of Thyristor Diac Diode for Alternating Current (DIAC) The diac symbol used to depict this electronic component in circuit diagrams can be remembered as a combination of what may appear to be two diodes in parallel with each other but connected in opposite directions. Owing to the fact that diacs are bi-direction devices the terminals cannot be labelled as anode and cathode as they are for a diode. Instead they may be labelled as A1 and A2 or MT1 ("Main Terminal") and MT2. Similar to the four-layer diode but can conduct in both directions. A diac is a full-wave or bi-directional semiconductor switch that can be turned on in both forward and reverse polarities. Designed to switch either ac or dc. The behavior is typically the same for both directions of current flow. Most DIACs have a breakdown voltage around 30 V. Major Kinds of Thyristor Triac Triode for Alternating Current (TRIAC) Similar to an SCR, but it can be switched in both directions, meaning it can switch ac as well as dc currents. A triac remains on only when the gate is receiving current, and it turns off when the gate current is removed. Current flows in both directions, through MT1 and MT2. Main terminals 1 and 2 on a TRIAC are not interchangeable. A TRIAC acts much like two SCRs connected back-to-back for bidirectional (AC) operation. TRIAC controls are more often seen in simple, low-power circuits than complex, high-power circuits. In large power control circuits, multiple SCRs tend to be favored. TRIAC Application This circuit is used in many household dimmer switches. In this circuit, at one moment the diac is at OFF state. When enough current passes through the resistors and charges up the capacitor to a voltage that exceeds the diacs triggering voltage, the diac suddenly allows to pass all the capacitors charge into the triacs gate. This in turn causes the triac to turn on and thus turns the lamp on. After the capacitor is discharged to a voltage below the breakdown voltage of the diac, the diac turns off, the triac turns off, and the lamp turns off. And then will have a repeated cycle, over and over again. Now, the lamp is on (or dimmed to some degree) because the on/off cycles are occurring very quickly. The lamps brightness is controlled by R2.