Development of high-side capable thyristors in thin SOI technology

Abstract

In this paper we describe the development of integrated lateral thyristors in NXP's proprietary HV-SOI technology [1]. Thyristors are typically used for their extreme high-current capability or their zero-crossing switch-off, that allow easy implementation of phase-controlled power conversion. In this work, the main motivation to select thyristors is their ability to operate as an efficient switch under high-side (HS) conditions. The latter differs considerably from conventional thyristor operation, resulting in dedicated device optimisation. Also, the breakdown voltages (>650V) far exceed any previous work on thin SOI [2]. We present a detailed analysis of the thyristor operation and highlight the typical problems associated with the implementation on SOI.