SCR Turn ON Methods

With a voltage applied to the SCR, if the anode is made positive with respect to the
cathode, the SCR becomes forward biased. Thus, the SCR comes into the forward
blocking state. The SCR can be made to conduct or switching into conduction mode is
performed by any one of the following methods.

SCR Turn On Methods depend on various entities like voltage, temperature etc. Some
of the commonly used SCR Turn On Methods are.
SCR Turn ON Methods (SCR Triggering)
 Forward Voltage Triggering
 Temperature Triggering
 dv/dt Triggering
 Light Triggering
 Gate Triggering
 DC Gate Triggering
 AC Triggering
 Pulse Triggering

a) SCR Firing Circuits

b) Resistance Firing Circuit
c) Resistance – Capacitance (RC) Firing Circuit
d) UJT Firing Circuit
Introduction
We know that the SCR has two stable states as forward blocking and forward conduction
state. Switching the SCR from forward blocking state (OFF- state) to forward conduction
state (ON- state) is known as turning ON process of SCR. It is also called as triggering.

The criteria for triggering the SCR depends on the several variables like supply voltage,
gate current, temperature, etc. There are various methods to trigger the SCR so that it
comes into the ON state. Let us discuss some of the SCR Turn On methods in brief.
Forward Voltage Triggering
One of the commonly used SCR Turn On methods is by increasing the forward anode to
cathode voltage. By doing this, the depletion layer width is also increasing at junction J2.
This also causes to increase the minority charge carriers accelerating voltage at junction
J2. This further leads to an avalanche breakdown of the junction J2 at a forward breakover
voltage VBO.

At this stage SCR turns into conduction mode and hence a large current flow through it
with a low voltage drop across it. During the turn ON state the forward voltage drop across
the SCR is in the range of 1 to 1.5 volts and this may be increased with the load current.

In practice this method is not employed because it needs a very large anode to cathode
voltage. And also once the voltage is more than the VBO, it generates very high currents
which may cause damage to the SCR. Therefore, most of the cases this type of triggering
is avoided.
Temperature Triggering
The reverse leakage current depends on the temperature. If the temperature is increased
to a certain value, the number of hole-pairs also increases. This causes to increase the
leakage current and further it increases the current gains of the SCR. This starts the
regenerative action inside the SCR since the (α1 + α2) value approaches to unity (as the
current gains increases).

By increasing the temperature at junction J2 causes the breakdown of the junction and
hence it conducts. This triggering occurs in some circumstances particularly when it the
device temperature is more (also called false triggering). This type of triggering is
practically not employed because it causes the thermal runaway and hence the device or
SCR may be damaged.

dv/dt Triggering
In forward blocking state junctions J1 and J3 are forward biased and J2 is reverse biased.
So, the junction J2 behaves as a capacitor (of two conducting plates J1 and J3 with a
dielectric J2) due to the space charges in the depletion region. The charging current of the
capacitor is given as

I = C dv/ dt

where dv/dt is the rate of change of applied voltage and C is the junction capacitance.

From the above equation, if the rate of change of the applied voltage is large that leads to
increase the charging current which is enough to increase the value of alpha. So the SCR
becomes turned ON without a gate signal.
However, this method is also practically avoided because it is a false turn ON process and
also this can produce very high voltage spikes across the SCR so there will be
considerable damage to it.

Light Triggering
An SCR turned ON by light radiation is also called as Light Activated SCR (LASCR). This
type of triggering is employed for phase controlled converters in HVDC transmission
systems. In this method, light rays with appropriate wavelength and intensity are allowed
to strike the junction J2.

These types of SCRs are consisting a niche in the inner p-layer. Therefore, when the light
struck on this niche, electron-hole pairs are generated at the junction J2 which provides
additional charge carriers at the junction leads to turn ON the SCR.

Gate Triggering
This is most common and efficient method to turn ON the SCR. When the SCR is forward
biased, a sufficient voltage at the gate terminal injects some electrons into the junction J2.
This result to increase reverse leakage current and hence the breakdown of junction J2
even at the voltage lower than the VBO.

Depends on the size of the SCR the gate current varies from a few milli-amps to 200 milli
amps or more. If the gate current applied is more, then more electrons are injected into
the junction J2 and results to come into the conduction state at much lower applied voltage.

In gate triggering method, a positive voltage applied between the gate and the cathode
terminals. We can use three types of gate signals to turn On the SCR. Those are DC
signal, AC signal and pulse signal.

DC Gate Triggering
In this triggering, a sufficient DC voltage is applied between the gate and cathode terminals
in such a way that the gate is made positive with respect to the cathode. The gate current
drives the SCR into conduction mode. In this, a continuous gate signal is applied at the
gate and hence causes the internal power dissipation (or more power loss).

AC Triggering
This is the most commonly used method for AC applications where the SCR is employed
for such applications as a switching device. With the proper isolation between the power
and control circuit, the SCR is triggered by the phase-shift AC voltage derived from the
main supply. The firing angle is controlled by changing the phase angle of the gate signal.

However, only one half of the cycle is available for the gate drive to control the firing angle
and next half of the cycle a reverse voltage is applied between the gate and cathode. This
is one of the limitations of AC triggering and also separate step down or pulse transformer
is needed to supply the voltage to gate drive from the main supply.

Pulse Triggering
The most popular method of triggering the SCR is the pulse triggering. In this method, gate
is supplied with single pulse or a train of pulses.

The main advantage of this method is that gate drive is discontinuous or doesn’t need
continuous pulses to turn the SCR and hence gate losses are reduced in greater amount
by applying single or periodically appearing pulses. For isolating the gate drive from the
main supply, a pulse transformer is used.

SCR Firing Circuits

As we have seen in above that out of various triggering methods to turn the SCR, gate
triggering is the most efficient and reliable method. Most of the control applications use
this type of triggering because the desired instant of SCR turning is possible with gate
triggering method. Let us look on various firing circuits of SCR.

Resistance Firing Circuit

 The circuit below shows the resistance triggering of SCR where it is employed to
drive the load from the input AC supply. Resistance and diode combination circuit
acts as a gate control circuitry to switch the SCR in the desired condition.
 As the positive voltage applied, the SCR is forward biased and doesn’t conduct
until its gate current is more than minimum gate current of the SCR.
  When the gate current is applied by varying the resistance R2 such that the gate
current should be more than the minimum value of gate current, the SCR is turned
ON. And hence the load current starts flowing through the SCR.
 The SCR remains ON until the anode current is equal to the holding current of the
SCR. And it will switch OFF when the voltage applied is zero. So, the load current
is zero as the SCR acts as open switch.
 The diode protects the gate drive circuit from reverse gate voltage during the
negative half cycle of the input. And Resistance R1 limits the current flowing
through the gate terminal and its value is such that the gate current should not
exceed the maximum gate current.
 It is the simplest and economical type of triggering but limited for few applications
due to its disadvantages.
 In this, the triggering angle is limited to 90 degrees only. Because the applied
voltage is maximum at 90 degrees so the gate current has to reach minimum gate
current value somewhere between zero to 90 degrees.

Resistance – Capacitance (RC) Firing Circuit

 The limitation of resistance firing circuit can be overcome by the RC triggering circuit
which provides the firing angle control from 0 to 180 degrees. By changing the phase
and amplitude of the gate current, a large variation of firing angle is obtained using
this circuit.
 Below figure shows the RC triggering circuit consisting of two diodes with an RC
network connected to turn the SCR.
 By varying the variable resistance, triggering or firing angle is controlled in a full
positive half cycle of the input signal.
 During the negative half cycle of the input signal, capacitor charges with lower plate
positive through diode D2 up to the maximum supply voltage Vmax. This voltage
remains at -Vmax across the capacitor till supply voltage attains zero crossing.
 During the positive half cycle of the input, the SCR becomes forward biased and the
capacitor starts charging through variable resistance to the triggering voltage value
of the SCR.
 When the capacitor charging voltage is equal to the gate trigger voltage, SCR is
turned ON and the capacitor holds a small voltage. Therefore, the capacitor voltage
is helpful for triggering the SCR even after 90 degrees of the input waveform.
  In this, diode D1 prevents the negative voltage between the gate and cathode during
the negative half cycle of the input through diode D2.

UJT Firing Circuit

 It is the most common method of triggering the SCR because the prolonged pulses
at the gate using R and RC triggering methods cause more power dissipation at
the gate so by using UJT (Uni Junction Transistor) as triggering device the power
loss is limited as it produces a train of pulses.
 The RC network is connected to the emitter terminal of the UJT which forms the
timing circuit. The capacitor is fixed while the resistance is variable and hence the
charging rate of the capacitor depends on the variable resistance means that the
controlling of the RC time constant.
 When the voltage is applied, the capacitor starts charging through the variable
resistance. By varying the resistance value voltage across the capacitor get
varied. Once the capacitor voltage is equal to the peak value of the UJT, it starts
conducting and hence produce a pulse output till the voltage across the capacitor
equal to the valley voltage Vv of the UJT. This process repeats and produces a
train of pulses at base terminal 1.
 The pulse output at the base terminal 1 is used to turn ON the SCR at
predetermined time intervals.
SCR Turn OFF Methods
The SCR can be turned ON by applying appropriate positive gate voltage between the
gate and cathode terminals, but it cannot be turned OFF through the gate terminal. The
SCR can be brought back to the forward blocking state from the forward conduction
state by reducing the anode or forward current below the holding current level.
The turn OFF process of an SCR is called commutation. The term commutation means
the transfer of currents from one path to another. So the commutation circuit does this
job by reducing the forward current to zero so as to turn OFF the SCR or Thyristor.
To turn OFF the conducting SCR the below conditions must be satisfied.
 The anode or forward current of SCR must be reduced to zero or below the level
of holding current and then,
 A sufficient reverse voltage must be applied across the SCR to regain its forward
blocking state.
When the SCR is turned OFF by reducing forward current to zero. There exist excess
charge carriers in different layers. To regain the forward blocking state of an SCR, these
excess carriers must be recombined. Therefore, this recombination process is
accelerated by applying a reverse voltage across the SCR.
There are several ways to properly implement the SCR Turn OFF methods like Natural,
Forced, Dynamic. In Forced Commutation, there are again several sub-categories like
Class A, B, C, D, E.
1. Natural Commutation
2. Forced Commutation
 Class A Commutation
 Class B Commutation
 Class C Commutation
 Class D Commutation
Class E Commutation
The reverse voltage which causes to commutate the SCR is called commutation
voltage. Depending on the commutation voltage located, the commutation methods are
classified into two major types.
Natural Commutation
In natural commutation, the source of commutation voltage is the supply source itself.
If the SCR is connected to an AC supply, at every end of the positive half cycle the
anode current goes through the natural current zero and also immediately a reverse
voltage is applied across the SCR. These are the conditions to turn OFF the SCR.
This method of commutation is also called as source commutation, or line
commutation, or class F commutation. This commutation is possible with line
commutated inverters, controlled rectifiers, cyclo converters and AC voltage regulators
because the supply is the AC source in all these converters.

Forced Commutation
In case of DC circuits, there is no natural current zero to turn OFF the SCR. In such
circuits, forward current must be forced to zero with an external circuit to commutate
the SCR hence named as forced commutation.
This commutating circuit consist of components like inductors and capacitors called as
commutating components. These commutating components cause to apply a reverse
voltage across the SCR that immediately bring the current in the SCR to zero.
Based on the manner in which the zero current achieved and arrangement of the
commutating components, forced commutation is classified into different types such as
class A, B, C, D, and E. This commutation is mainly used in chopper and inverter
circuits.
Class A Commutation
This is also known as self commutation, or resonant commutation, or load
commutation. In this commutation, the source of commutation voltage is in the load.
This load must be an under damped R-L-C supplied with a DC supply so that natural
zero is obtained.
The commutating components L and C are connected either parallel or series with the
load resistance R as shown below with waveforms of SCR current, voltage and
capacitor voltage.
The value of load resistance and commutating components are so selected that they
form a under damped resonant circuit to produce natural zero. When the thyristor or
SCR is triggered, the forward currents starts flowing through it and during this the
capacitor is charged up to the value of E.
Once the capacitor is fully charged (more than the supply source voltage) the SCR
becomes reverse biased and hence the commutation of the device. The capacitor
discharges through the load resistance to make ready the circuit for the next cycle of
operation. The time for switching OFF the SCR depends on the resonant frequency
which further depends on the L and C components.
This method is simple and reliable. For high frequency operation which is in the range
above 1000 Hz, this type of commutation circuits is preferred due to the high values of
L and C components.
Class B Commutation
This is also a self commutation circuit in which commutation of SCR is achieved
automatically by L and C components, once the SCR is turned ON. In this, the LC
resonant circuit is connected across the SCR but not in series with load as in case of
class A commutation and hence the L and C components do not carry the load current.
When the DC supply is applied to the circuit, the capacitor charges with an upper plate
positive and lower plate negative up to the supply voltage E. When the SCR is
triggered, the current flows in two directions, one is through E+ – SCR – R – E- and
another one is the commutating current through L and C components.
Once the SCR is turned ON, the capacitor is starts discharging through C+ – L – T –
C-. When the capacitor is fully discharged, it starts charging with a reverse polarity.
Hence a reverse voltage applied across the SCR which causes the commutating
current IC to oppose load current IL.
When the commutating current Ic is higher than the load current, the SCR will
automatically turn OFF and the capacitor charges with original polarity.
In the above process, the SCR is turned ON for some time and then automatically
turned OFF for some time. This is a continuous process and the desired frequency of
ON/OFF depends on the values of L and C. This type of commutation is mostly used
in chopper circuits.
Class C Commutation
In this commutation method, the main SCR is to be commutated is connected in series
with the load and an additional or complementary SCR is connected in parallel with
main SCR. This method is also called as complementary commutation.
In this, SCR turns OFF with a reverse voltage of a charged capacitor. The figure below
shows the complementary commutation with appropriate waveforms.
Initially, both SCRs are in OFF state so the capacitor voltage is also zero. When the
SCR1 or main SCR is triggered, current starts flowing in two directions, one path is E+
– R1 – SCR1 – E- and another path is the charging current E+ – R2- C+ – C- SCR1 –
E-. Therefore, the capacitor starts charging up to the value of E.
When the SCR2 is triggered, SCR is turned ON and simultaneously a negative polarity
is applied across the SCR1. So, this reverse voltage across the SCR1 immediately
causes to turn OFF the SCR1. Now the capacitor starts charging with a reverse polarity
through the path of E+ – R1- C+ – C- SCR2 – E-. And again, if the SCR 1 is triggered,
discharging current of the capacitor turns OFF the SCR2.
This commutation is mainly used in single phase inverters with a centre tapped
transformers. The Mc Murray Bedford inverter is the best example of this commutation
circuit. This is a very reliable method of commutation and it is also useful even at
frequencies below 1000Hz.
Class D Commutation
This is also called as auxiliary commutation because it uses an auxiliary SCR to switch
the charged capacitor. In this, the main SCR is commutated by the auxiliary SCR. The
main SCR with load resistance forms the power circuit while the diode D, inductor L
and SCR2 forms the commutation circuit.
When the supply voltage E is applied, both SCRs are in OFF state and hence the
capacitor voltage is zero. In order to charge the capacitor, SCR2 must be triggered first.
So, the capacitor charges through the path E+ – C+ – C- – SCR2- R- E-.
When the capacitor is fully charged the SCR2 becomes turned OFF because no current
flow through the SCR2 when capacitor is charged fully. If the SCR1 is triggered, the
current flows in two directions; one is the load current path E+ – SCR1- R- E- and
another one is commutation current path C+ – SCR1- L- D- C.
As soon as the capacitor completely discharges, its polarities will be reversed but due
to the presence of diode the reverse discharge is not possible. When the SCR2 is
triggered capacitor starts discharging through C+ – SCR2- SCR1- C-. When this
discharging current is more than the load current the SCR1 becomes turned OFF.
Again, the capacitor starts charging through the SCR2 to a supply voltage E and then
the SCR2 is turned OFF. Therefore, both SCRs are turned OFF and the above cyclic
process is repeated. This commutation method is mainly used in inverters and also
used in the Jones chopper circuit.
Class E Commutation
This is also known as external pulse commutation. In this, an external pulse source is
used to produce the reverse voltage across the SCR. The circuit below shows the class
E commutation circuit which uses a pulse transformer to produce the commutating
pulse and is designed with tight coupling between the primary and secondary with a
small air gap.
If the SCR need to be commutated, pulse duration equal to the turn OFF time of the
SCR is applied. When the SCR is triggered, load current flows through the pulse
transformer. If the pulse is applied to the primary of the pulse transformer, an emf or
voltage is induced in the secondary of the pulse transformer.
This induced voltage is applied across the SCR as a reverse polarity and hence the
SCR is turned OFF. The capacitor offers a very low or zero impedance to the high
frequency pulse.
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