Design and Characterization of High $di/dt$ CS-MCT for Pulse Power Applications

A high di/dt MOS-controlled thyristor with cathode-short structure (CS-MCT) is developed for pulse power applications. Compared with conventional MCT (con-MCT), the cathode short in the proposed CS-MCT greatly improves the dV/dt robustness. To achieve simultaneously high di/dt capability, special design of device characteristics parameter and consideration of 2-D transient carrier transport are carried out for the first time. Experimental results show that the proposed CS-MCT exhibits di/dt over 357 kA/cm
²
/μs and peak current of 27.1 kA/cm
²
. Meanwhile, the improved practical dV/dt characteristics are validated in comparison with con-MCT at the same condition. The high di/dt property and simultaneously high dV/dt robustness indicate the proposed CS-MCT is a promising semiconductor pulse switch for pulse power applications.