Enhanced short-circuit withstanding capability of the emitter switched thyristor (EST) by employing a new protection circuit

Abstract

A new protection circuit, which improves the short-circuit withstanding capability of an emitter switched thyristor (EST) is proposed and fabricated. Experimental results show that the EST employing the protection circuit exhibits a high voltage current saturation when the protection circuit reduces the gate voltage. We have also investigated the mechanism by employing two-dimensional simulation.