GTO

• A GTO thyristor, which stands for "Gate Turn-Off

Thyristor", is a three terminal power
semiconductor device that can be triggered in
both on and off states using signals applied to its
gate terminal (gto gate turn off thyristor).
• It was developed to address a key limitation of
conventional thyristors - their inability to turn off
using gate signals.
• GTO thyristors are also bipolar, voltage-triggered
devices.
• However, they overcome the limitation of
thyristors by allowing turn-off through the
application of a negative voltage at the gate
terminal.
• This property makes GTO thyristors fully
controllable switching devices.
• The symbol of a GTO thyristor is quite similar to
that of a conventional thyristor with a few
differences (gto thyristor symbol):
• It has three terminals - Anode, Cathode, and
Gate.
• Double arrows are used at the gate terminal to
signify bidirectional current flow during turn-on
and turn-off actions.
• No diode symbols are shown as in thyristors
since both forward and reverse directions can
conduct in a GTO thyristor based on the gate
signal.
• GTO Thyristor Construction
• It has a basic four layer PNPN structure made of
alternating layers of N-type and P-type
semiconductors.
• The cathode region is highly doped with N-type
material for high emitter efficiency.
• The anode region has a number of N+ type
regions diffused periodically to allow direct flow
of electrons, avoiding storage of carriers.
• This "anode shorted" structure reduces reverse
blocking voltage to around 20-30V only.
• The P-gate region has a non-uniformly graded
doping for good turning on and off.
• Cathode and gate fingers are interdigitated for
fast turn-off.
• Fig- GTO Construction
• The Diagram represents the doping level of the
GTO, where the pn and pn layers are doped as p+
np+ n+.
• Here, to have high efficiency of the cathode, the
n+ layer is highly doped. The doping requirement
of the p-type gate region is quite contradictory
because to have high emitter efficiency this layer
should be lightly doped.
• But to have good turning off characteristics of
the GTO; its resistivity should be low so it must
be highly doped. Because of this reason, this
layer is moderately doped.
 GTO Thyristor Working

• The working of a GTO thyristor can be

understood in terms of its turn-on and turn-off
operations:
• Turn on mechanism
• When a small positive voltage (5V typically) is
applied between the gate and cathode terminals,
the P-gate/N-cathode junction becomes forward
biased. This leads to the injection of holes from
the P-gate region into the adjacent N-cathode
region.
 Turn off mechanism

• When a negative gate pulse is applied, it causes

the extraction of stored holes from the P-base
region near the gate-cathode junction.

• The removal of holes leads to the depletion of

the P-base region below the gate terminal.
 GTO Thyristor Characteristics

• VI characteristics of a GTO thyristor include (gto

thyristor characteristics):
• Forward blocking mode: Below breakdown, it
blocks voltage like a reverse biased diode with
small leakage current.
• Forward conduction mode:It conducts forward
current above the holding/latching current value
when gate is positively biased.
• Reverse blocking mode:It can block a small
reverse voltage of 20-30V depending on design
before going into reverse conduction.
• Reverse conduction mode:It conducts reverse
current when reversed biased beyond the
reverse breakdown voltage.
• Turn-off mode: During turn-off, it undergoes
transition from forward to reverse
conduction/blocking states.
Fig: V-I characteristics of a GTO
• Advantages
• Some of the Important advantages of GTO
thyristors include:
• 1. Fully controllable switching with turn-on and
turn-off capability
• 2. Fast switching speeds in kHz range suitable for
power electronic converters
• 3. Good reverse recovery and di/dt characteristics.
• 4. No need for commutation circuits
• 5. High voltage and current blocking capability.
 Disadvantages

• High turn-off losses

• Requires high negative gate drive currents for
turn-off
• Generates more heat during switching compared
to IGBTs
• Prone to damage due to self-heating at high
frequency operations
• More expensive than alternatives like IGBTs
 GTO Thyristor Applications

• Due to their versatile switching capability, GTO

thyristors find wide applications in power control
and conversion systems. Some common
applications include:
• i. AC voltage controllers ii. DC choppers iii. Motor
speed controllers iv. Battery chargers
• Inverters for UPS systems vi. Electric vehicle
motor controls
Parameters GTO Thyristor SCR (Silicon
Controlled Rectifier)
Turn-on Turned on by applying Turned on by
Method a small positive gate applying a small
current. positive gate
current.
Turn-off Turned off by applying Cannot be turned off
Method a high negative gate by gate. Requires
current pulse which the anode current to
extracts stored reduce below
carriers. holding level for turn
off.
Commutation No external An external
Circuit commutation circuit is commutation circuit
required for turn-off. is necessary to force
turn-off by reducing
anode current when
required.
 Thyristor Cooling Methods:

• In cooling applications, thyristors are often used to

control cooling fans, chillers, or pumps. The goal is
to manage the power delivered to these cooling
components, much like heating systems.
• a. Fan Speed Control (Using Phase Angle):
• Thyristors can be used to control the speed of AC
fans by adjusting the phase angle. Lower fan speeds
result in less cooling, while higher fan speeds
increase cooling.
• This method is typically used in air conditioning
systems or refrigeration units where cooling power
needs to be dynamically adjusted.
• B. Compressor Control in Refrigeration:
• In systems like air conditioners and refrigerators,
thyristors can control the compressor's motor,
adjusting how much work it does to compress
refrigerant. By modulating the power to the
compressor, the cooling effect can be increased
or decreased.
• c. Pump Control (Water-Cooled Systems):
• In water-cooled or liquid-cooled systems,
thyristors can regulate pumps that circulate
coolant. Adjusting the pump speed controls the
rate of heat exchange and, thus, the cooling
effect.
• Pulse Width Modulation (PWM):
• In some cooling systems, thyristors control
cooling devices via PWM, a technique where the
power is delivered in pulses.
• By varying the pulse width, the cooling output
can be modulated. PWM is commonly used in
systems where smooth and precise control over
cooling is required.
 Firing Circuits of Thyristor or SCR – R, RC & UJT Triggering

• There are many ways to turn ON a thyristor, like forward-

voltage firing, dv/dt triggering, temperature triggering,
light triggering, and gate triggering.
• But other than these methods, the most commonly
employed method to turn-ON a thyristor is by controlling
the gate pulse.
• The circuit used for turning ON the thyristor by giving
gate pulses is called the Firing or Triggering Circuit of SCR.
• But in order to employ the firing circuit method for
turning ON thyristor, the circuit must fulfill some
conditions,
 Conditions for Triggering or Firing Circuits of Thyristors :

• Certain conditions are to be met for firing the

thyristors are,
• Gate current should be of sufficient amplitude
and should flow in the circuit for the required
duration.
• Voltage pulses should be fed to the driver circuit
first and then to the gate-cathode circuit.
• For a circuit with more than one thyristor, the
gate current for each thyristor must be provided
at the desired instant of time.
The general layout for firing the thyristor is shown below.
• The firing circuit consists of a control circuit, a
driver circuit, and a power circuit.
• The output of the pulse generator is fed to the
pulse amplifier for amplification. Amplified
pulses are given to the pulse transformer
through shielded cables.
• The pulse transformer separates the low-voltage
gate-cathode circuit from the high-voltage
anode-cathode circuit.
 Triggering or Firing Circuits of Thyristor or SCR :

• The most commonly used firing or firing

circuits for thyristor or SCR are,
• 1. Resistance Firing Circuit (R-Firing),
• 2. Resistance-Capacitance Firing(RC-Firing),
• 3. UJT-Firing Circuit.
 Resistance Firing Circuit (R-Firing) :

• The below shows the circuit configuration and

waveforms of the resistance firing circuit. This
firing circuit is the simplest method of controlling
the firing angle of SCR.
• In this firing circuit, the firing angle can vary over a
limited range of 0° to 90°. Instead of giving gate
pulses to the thyristor, an ac supply is given to the
gate terminal for firing.
• Working of Resistance Firing Circuit (R-Firing) :
• The working of the resistance firing circuit is as follows,
• During the positive half-cycle of the voltage source V S,
thyristor, T is forward-biased, but it doesn’t conduct
because of insufficient gate current. Hence, load
voltage VL is zero.
• As voltage source VS increases, thyristor and diode
both are forward-biased, and gate current IG flows in
the circuit.
• When gate current IG reaches to value equal to IG(min),
the thyristor is turned-ON and load voltage follows
source voltage, and the voltage drop across the
thyristor is equal to the on-state drop.
• During the negative half cycle of the supply
voltage, the thyristor is reverse-biased, and hence
it is turned OFF. Thus load voltage VL becomes
zero and voltage across the thyristor VT will be
equal to source voltage VS.
• The diode in the gate circuit prevents the reverse
voltage of the thyristor during the negative half-
cycle from exceeding peak reverse voltage. The
limiting resistance RL placed between anode and
gate of thyristor limits the gate current not to
exceed peak gate current IG(max).
• From the waveforms above, the firing angle and
the output voltage can be controlled by varying
the variable resistance RV.
• If RV is large, then the current will be small, and
hence firing angle (α) increases and vice versa.
Advantages of Resistance Firing Circuit :
• The firing circuit is very easy and simple to
operate.
• The firing angle can be varied from 0° to 90°.
• By using a capacitor and a diode, the limited firing
angle issue is resolved.
Disadvantages of Resistance Firing Circuit :
• Limited firing angle i.e., up to 90° only.
• The firing angle is totally dependent on the
minimum gate current of thyristors.
• The value of minimum gate current changes
between the thyristors.
• It is a temperature-dependent circuit.