Thyristor assembly

Abstract

A power control switch assembly is disclosed. The assembly can include a thyristor device, where the thyristor device includes a first device terminal, a second device terminal, and a gate terminal. The assembly can include a negative temperature coefficient (NTC) device electrically coupled on a first end to the gate terminal of the thyristor device and on a second end to the first device terminal of the thyristor device, where the NTC device is thermally coupled to the thyristor device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This embodiment relates to the field of power switches, and more specifically to thyristor-type devices. Background Technology

[0002] Thyristors, silicon controlled rectifiers (SCRs), and related devices such as TRIACs are widely used in alternating current (AC) power control applications. Thyristors, such as SCRs and TRIACs, can function as power switches. More specifically, thyristors are characterized by their ability to quickly switch from a non-conducting current state to a conducting state. In operation, the thyristor is turned on by applying a voltage between its gate and cathode and running a current from the gate to the cathode, switching from a high-impedance state to a low-impedance state. This voltage required to turn on (trigger) the thyristor is called Vt. GT The gate trigger current is called I. GT SCR and TRIAC showed I GT The negative temperature dependence of IGate Trigger Current, dV / dt, and commutation dV / dt capability. At higher temperatures, these values ​​decrease and may become too low for practical applications. More specifically, when IGate Trigger Current... GT Problems can occur when the value becomes too low, for example, when the controller does not apply gate current, the thyristor may be erroneously triggered in the off state by a small noise signal entering the gate terminal, or a high dV / dt may be applied to the main terminal.

[0003] Adding an external gate resistor (RGK) to a thyristor device can improve the aforementioned electrical characteristics, but the fixed resistance value of the RGK component increases I at room temperature. GT This increases the value and adds stress to the drive circuit. Furthermore, the low IT of the thyristor device... GT The requirement is very common: to enable a microcontroller to directly drive a thyristor without using a separate current boost circuit. In other words, known microcontrollers may be limited to providing 2-5mA to drive the thyristor, establishing a threshold beyond which the microcontroller will not be able to drive the thyristor. Therefore, using RGK to increase I... GT It may be incompatible with the operation of thyristors using microcontrollers. Furthermore, since the gate trigger current provided by the microcontroller to drive the thyristor may only be 2-5mA at room temperature, significant degradation of the gate trigger circuitry as temperature increases could result in very small current values, causing the thyristor to trigger at elevated temperatures.

[0004] This disclosure provides for these and other considerations. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In various embodiments, power control switching assemblies and methods of forming are provided. In one embodiment, the power control switching assembly may include a thyristor device, wherein the thyristor device includes a first device terminal, a second device terminal, and a gate terminal. The assembly may include a negative temperature coefficient (NTC) device electrically coupled at a first terminal to the gate terminal of the thyristor device and electrically coupled at a second terminal to the first device terminal of the thyristor device, wherein the NTC device is thermally coupled to the thyristor device.

[0006] In another embodiment, the thyristor device assembly may include a thyristor device having a first device terminal, a second device terminal, and a gate terminal. The thyristor device assembly may include a housing disposed around the thyristor device and a lead frame configured to electrically contact the thyristor device. The lead frame may include a gate lead and a first terminal lead electrically coupled to the gate and the first device terminal of the thyristor device, respectively. The thyristor device assembly may also include a negative temperature coefficient (NTC) device electrically coupled to the gate at a first terminal and to the cathode at a second terminal.

[0007] In another embodiment, a method of forming a thyristor device may include providing a thyristor including a first terminal, a second terminal, and a gate. The method may further include providing a negative temperature coefficient (NTC) device electrically connected at a first terminal to the gate and at a second terminal electrically connected to a second terminal of the NTC device to a first main terminal, wherein the NTC device is thermally coupled to the thyristor. Attached Figure Description

[0008] Figure 1 A circuit representation of a switch arrangement according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0009] Figure 2 A circuit representation of another switch arrangement according to other embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0010] Figure 3 A top perspective view of a thyristor device assembly according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0011] Figure 4 A top perspective view of an additional thyristor device assembly according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0012] Figure 5A An exemplary resistance-temperature profile of an NTC thermistor, for example, suitable for a thyristor device assembly, is shown according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0013] Figure 5B The use of embodiments according to this disclosure is illustrated. Figure 5ATemperature-dependent gate trigger current behavior of multiple thyristor device components arranged with NTC thermistors;

[0014] Figure 5C It shows the corresponding Figure 5B The selection of data includes the temperature-dependent dV / dt behavior of thyristor device components;

[0015] Figure 5D It shows the corresponding Figure 5B The selection of data for thyristor device components as a function of temperature (T) q Behavior;

[0016] Figure 6A The temperature-dependent gate trigger current behavior of another set of thyristor device components arranged according to embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0017] Figure 6B It shows the relationship with Figure 6A The data corresponds to the temperature-dependent dV / dt behavior of the selected thyristor device components;

[0018] Figure 6C It shows the corresponding Figure 6A The selection of data for thyristor device components as a function of temperature (T) q Behavior;

[0019] Figure 7 The temperature-dependent gate trigger current behavior of another set of thyristor device assemblies arranged according to embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated; and

[0020] Figure 8 An exemplary process flow according to embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0021] This embodiment will now be described more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments are illustrated. These embodiments should not be construed as limited to those described herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey their scope to those skilled in the art. In the drawings, the same numerals always refer to the same elements.

[0022] In the following description and / or claims, the terms “on,” “overlying,” “disposed on,” and “over” are used. “On,” “overlying,” “disposed on,” and “over” are used to indicate that two or more elements are in direct physical contact with each other. Furthermore, the terms “on,” “overlying,” “disposed on,” and “over” can mean that two or more elements are not in direct contact with each other. For example, “over” can mean that one element is on top of another element without contacting each other, and there may be one or more other elements between the two elements. Furthermore, the term “and / or” can mean “and”, it can mean “or”, it can mean “exclusive-or”, it can mean “one”, it can mean “some, but not all”, it can mean “neither”, and / or it can mean “both”, although the scope of the subject matter claimed is not limited in this respect.

[0023] In various embodiments, a hybrid device is provided, comprising a thyristor device, such as a TRIAC (triode for alternating current), and an NTC device used as a thermal switch. This device can be arranged to provide an improved design configuration, facilitating easier assembly and better integration into the device to be protected.

[0024] As used herein, the term "thyristor device" can include a single thyristor, a silicon controlled rectifier (SCR), or a TRIAC device. As is known, a thyristor device relates to a silicon controlled rectifier, wherein the SCR consists of a layered structure having, for example, an arrangement of four N-type semiconductor regions or layers in a PNPN sequence and P-type semiconductor layers or regions. In a thyristor, the gate is connected to the inner layer of the four-layer device. A TRIAC can be considered a type of thyristor where current conduction can occur in two directions, rather than a single thyristor conducting current in only one direction.

[0025] This embodiment addresses the shortcomings of thyristor performance by coupling a special device (referred to herein as a negative temperature coefficient (NTC) device) to the thyristor device. As detailed herein, the NTC device can be placed thermally close to the thyristor, meaning it is in good thermal contact with the body including the thyristor (e.g., a silicon die). Furthermore, the NTC device can be electrically connected to the terminals of the thyristor to reduce the variation of the thyristor trigger current with temperature.

[0026] According to various embodiments of this disclosure, an NTC device may be an NTC thermistor, wherein the electrical resistance (also referred to herein simply as "resistance") decreases significantly with increasing temperature. In various embodiments, the NTC device is a component made of a semiconductor ceramic material. The NTC device may be shaped as a disk, plate, cylinder, elongated body, or other suitable shape. Suitable compositions for NTC devices according to embodiments of this disclosure may be based on non-conductive metal oxides, such as ZnO (zinc oxide), TiO2 (titanium oxide), or BaTiO3 (barium titanate), or more complex mixtures of metal oxides. In the base composition, dopant oxides, such as MnO2 (manganese oxide) or Fe2O3 (ferrous oxide), may be added, with a molar fraction that effectively produces a room temperature resistance between 100 ohms and 100 kiloohms, and a B-parameter (β-parameter) value between 2000K and 6000K between 25°C and 85°C or between 25°C and 50°C. When doped at a suitable level of dopant oxide, such oxide material may become conductive (or more appropriately, semiconductive), exhibiting a resistance with a negative temperature coefficient.

[0027] In various embodiments, commercially available NTC thermistors can be used to couple to thyristor devices, wherein the composition, characteristics, and size of the NTC thermistor can be selected to suit a given thyristor device and application. By arranging the thyristor device assembly to include an NTC thermistor electrically coupled to two different device terminals of the thyristor and in good thermal contact with the thyristor die, the NTC thermistor will alter the resistance of the gate-cathode (or MT1) path and provide appropriate current distribution at room temperature and high temperature. As described in detail in the embodiments below, the NTC device can be placed directly on the thyristor die inside the thyristor package, or placed on the leads of the leadframe, or on the heatsink of the thyristor package, or by placing the NTC thermistor on the cathode or MT1 connection pad on a circuit board.

[0028] More generally, various embodiments may provide protection devices including thyristor devices and NTC devices. A thyristor device may include a first device terminal, a second device terminal, and a gate terminal. In embodiments where the thyristor device is an SCR, the first device terminal may be a cathode terminal, and the second device terminal may be an anode terminal. In embodiments where the thyristor device is a TRIAC, the first device terminal may be a first main terminal (MT1) and a second main terminal (MT2) known in the art. Thus, the NTC device is electrically coupled to the gate terminal of the thyristor device at a first terminal and electrically coupled to the first device terminal of the thyristor device at a second terminal, wherein the NTC device is also thermally coupled to the thyristor device.

[0029] Turn now Figure 1 The diagram illustrates a circuit representation of a switch arrangement 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. A power supply 104 is coupled to a thyristor device assembly 102 arranged according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In this example, the thyristor device assembly 102 includes an SCR 112 and an NTC device 114. A first terminal of the NTC device 114 is electrically coupled to the cathode (K) of the SCR 112, while a second terminal of the NTC device 114 is coupled to the gate G of the SCR 112. A load 106 is also provided in electrical series between the power supply 104 and the cathode of the SCR 112. A controller 110 is reversibly electrically coupled to the gate G of the SCR 112 on one side and electrically coupled to the cathode via a voltage VCC 108 on the other side. The controller 110 can provide a gate current I. G This triggers SCR 112, as shown in the figure.

[0030] When operating as a standalone device without the addition of NTC device 114, if the temperature of SCR 112 rises, the gate trigger current I... GT May be significantly reduced, such as Figure 5B The lower curve is shown. Briefly turn. Figure 5B The figure shows a graph depicting the gate trigger current as a function of temperature for an exemplary SCR without an NTC device. The trigger current value decreases from 4 mA at room temperature to 0.5 mA at 150°C, a value that could expose the SCR to instability and random triggering from noise, for example. To address this issue, as shown, protection arrangement 100 places the NTC device 114, electrically coupled to the gate and cathode, to provide an additional current path.

[0031] In the protective arrangement 100, and as discussed with respect to the following embodiments, the NTC device 114 can be placed in good thermal contact with the SCR 112. Therefore, when the SCR 112 heats up, heat from the SCR 112 and adjacent structures can heat the NTC device 114, resulting in a decrease in the resistance of the NTC device. Briefly turning to... Figure 5AExemplary resistance-temperature profiles for, for example, NTC materials suitable for thyristor device assemblies according to embodiments of the present disclosure are shown. As illustrated, for several different NTC devices, the resistance decreases by three orders of magnitude over a temperature range of -50°C to -150°C. This reduction in resistance provides an increased current path as the temperature increases. In protection arrangement 100, the increased current through NTC device 114 can have the effect of a reduced gate trigger current through SCR 112, as discussed in more detail below. As a result, thyristor device assembly 102 can provide better electrical behavior for the SCR up to high temperatures, where the gate trigger current can be maintained at an appropriate level for stable operation.

[0032] Figure 2 A circuit representation of another switch arrangement according to other embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Switch arrangement 120 may have components similar to those of protection arrangement 100 to... Figure 1 A similar circuit configuration is arranged, except that the thyristor device assembly 122 includes a TRIAC 124 instead of an SCR 112. Therefore, the gate of the TRIAC 124 is coupled to the first terminal of the NTC device 114, as shown, while the MT1 terminal of the TRIAC 124 is coupled to the second terminal of the NTC device 114.

[0033] Figure 3 A top perspective view of a thyristor device assembly 102A according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. In the thyristor device assembly 102A, a thyristor die 152 is provided, meaning a semiconductor die that includes or forms a thyristor device. In various non-limiting embodiments, the thyristor die 152 may be an SCR die or a TRIAC die. The thyristor device assembly 102A also includes an NTC thermistor die 154 disposed on the surface of the thyristor die 152. The NTC thermistor die 154 may be bonded to the thyristor die 152 and electrically coupled to the thyristor die 152 via solder or other dielectric. In this example, the lower surface of the NTC die 154 is electrically connected to a terminal of the thyristor die 152, such as the cathode of an SCR die or the MT1 terminal of a TRIAC die. Furthermore, the upper surface of the NTC thermistor die 154 ( Figure 3 The visible surface of the thyristor die 152 is electrically connected to the gate 156 of the thyristor die 152, referring to the gate of the SCR device or TRIAC device formed in the thyristor die 152. Figure 3 In the example, the NTC thermistor die 154 can be a small piece of NTC ceramic, such as a plate or chip, typically smaller than the thyristor die 152.

[0034] The upper surface of the NTC thermistor die 154 can be indirectly electrically connected to the gate 156 of the thyristor die 152, such as Figure 3 As shown. In Figure 3 In this configuration, the thyristor device assembly 102A is connected to a lead frame 160, such as a known lead frame structure. The lead frame 160 includes three leads, including lead 166, which may be a cathode (MT1) lead, for connection to terminals formed on the top surface of the thyristor die 152, for example via bonding wire or other suitable means. The lead frame 160 also includes leads 164 and 166, where lead 164 may be an anode (MT2) lead for electrical connection to terminals formed on the bottom surface of the thyristor die 152, and lead 166 may be a gate lead. Figure 3 In the example, a bonding wire (bonding wire 158A) connects the upper surface of the NTC thermistor die 154 to the lead 166, while a second bonding wire (bonding wire 158B) connects the lead 166 to the gate 156, thereby providing an electrical connection between the upper surface of the NTC thermistor die 154 and the gate 156. However, other means of electrically connecting the NTC thermistor die 154 to the gate 156 are also possible, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, the connection need not be wire bonding, but could be other methods, such as clip attachment.

[0035] therefore, Figure 3 The arrangement places the NTC thermistor die 154 in the series electrical path between the cathode (MT1) terminal and the gate 156 of the thyristor die 152, with the cathode (MT1) terminal connected to the lower surface of the NTC thermistor die 154, as in the SCR embodiment. Figure 1 As shown, or in the TRIAC embodiment Figure 2 As shown. Furthermore, by directly bonding to the thyristor die 152, the NTC thermistor die 154 maintains good thermal contact with the thyristor die 152, allowing the temperature of the NTC thermistor die 154 to closely track the temperature of the thyristor die 152. Therefore, when the thyristor die 152 heats up, it tends to reduce the gate trigger current, and the NTC thermistor die 154 will also heat up, resulting in a reduced resistance path for the current source and a tendency to increase the gate trigger current to compensate for the individual characteristics of the thyristor die 152.

[0036] Figure 4 A top perspective view of a thyristor device assembly 102B according to another embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. In the thyristor device assembly 102B, a thyristor die 152 may be provided, meaning a semiconductor die that includes or forms a thyristor device. In various non-limiting embodiments, the thyristor die 152 may be an SCR die or a TRIAC die. Figure 4In the view, the thyristor die 152 is not visible and is contained within the housing 170. The three different terminals of the thyristor die can be electrically connected to the lead frame 160, typically as described above. Figure 3 As stated above.

[0037] The thyristor device assembly 102B may also include a discrete NTC thermistor 172, such as a thermistor formed in a glass package as known in the art. The discrete NTC thermistor 172 may include a first thermistor lead 172A electrically coupled via lead 162 to a first terminal of the thyristor die 152, such as the cathode of an SCR die or the MT1 terminal of a TRIAC die. The discrete NTC thermistor 172 also includes a second thermistor lead 172B electrically coupled via lead 166 to the gate lead of the thyristor die. For example, the first thermistor lead 172A and the second thermistor lead 172B may be electrically connected to leads 162 and 166, respectively, using solder 174 or other suitable conductive medium. Figure 4 As further shown, the discrete NTC thermistor 172 is configured to be in thermal contact with lead 164 (e.g., the anode lead in the case of an SCR die, or the MT2 lead in the case of a TRIAC die). Thermal contact can be facilitated by using thermal grease 176 disposed between the body of the discrete NTC thermistor 172 and the lead 164. Lead 164 may be formed of a copper plate (see also...). Figure 3 The anode lead is bonded to the lower surface of the thyristor die 152, forming a good thermal path between the body of the discrete NTC thermistor 172 and the thyristor die 152. However, in this configuration, the resistance value calculation of the NTC thermistor may need to be modified because the temperature of the anode lead may be different from the temperature of the thyristor die 152 inside the housing 170.

[0038] Example

[0039] To highlight the advantages of this embodiment, several examples including empirical data are provided, such as those related to the table below and Figure 5A-7 Detailed description. According to various embodiments of this disclosure, the NTC thermistor can provide good thermal contact with the thyristor device and is in the condition as described above. Figure 1-2 The circuit layout shown.

[0040] Choosing the appropriate NTC thermistor may depend on several considerations, including the target resistance value that the thyristor device is intended to achieve. In one example, NTC thermistor value selection can be performed as follows: a) by selecting the target I... G (Gate current) and by considering the actual I of the thyristor GT (Gate trigger current) and gate trigger voltage (V) GT), calculate the target or desired resistance value at the selected elevated temperature. For example, I can G Set to the actual I at 25℃ GT The values ​​are the same.

[0041] Using Littelfuse's commercial SCR equipment SJ6016L1TP, V at 150°C GT and I GT The values ​​are 0.26V and 0.51mA, respectively. Target I G It can be set to 4.12mA, which represents the value at 25°C. For this target gate current, the required resistance value of the NTC thermistor at 150°C (R150°C) is given by the following formula:

[0042] R150℃=V GT / (I G –I GT = 0.26V / (4.12mA – 0.51mA) = 72.0Ω. (Equation 1)

[0043] Given the required or target resistance value at a high temperature (150°C in this case), a suitable NTC thermistor can be selected to produce a resistance value close to that derived from equation (1). Table I provides example resistors corresponding to four different commercial thermistors, with their corresponding resistance-temperature curves as follows: Figure 5A As shown in Table I, within the provided sample range, the 202FG1K has the closest R value of 60Ω for SCR SJ6016L1TP at 150°C, with a target of 72.0Ω. Of course, Table I is provided for illustrative purposes, and any suitable NTC thermistor that produces an appropriate high-temperature resistance value can be selected according to embodiments of this disclosure.

[0044]

[0045] Table I

[0046] Another consideration for selecting a suitable NTC thermistor is a high B-constant, where a higher B-constant means a greater change in resistance with temperature. For example, commercially available NTC thermistors can exhibit B-constants ranging from 3000 to 5000. As shown in Table I, the values ​​for commercial examples are all in the range of 3000 to approximately 3500.

[0047] Figure 5BThe temperature-dependent gate trigger current behavior of various thyristor device assemblies arranged according to embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated. In these examples, a commercial SCR SJ6016L1TP is coupled with various NTC thermistors attached between the gate and cathode of the SJ6016L1TP, typically represented by thyristor device assembly 102. Various curves represent the behavior of thyristor device assemblies arranged with the commercial NTC thermistors listed in Table I, with the last three digits not shown. Notably, the gate trigger voltage remains significantly higher in all thyristor device assemblies using thermally coupled NTC thermistors compared to the lower curve representing the gate trigger current behavior of the SJ6016L1TP SCR itself. In some examples, the gate trigger current value at 150°C is higher than at room temperature, while in other examples, the value is lower. Based on the above considerations, the selected NTC thermistor 202FG1K (shown as 202F) maintains I within the exemplary temperature range (between 3 and 5 mA). GT Almost flat. This behavior represents high temperature I. GT A significant improvement from 0.5mA at 150°C without an NTC thermistor to 4.2mA with the addition of a 202FG1K NTC thermistor. It is worth noting that examples of a significant increase in gate trigger current at 150°C are also unacceptable, as these values ​​may exceed the current capacity of a given controller.

[0048] Figure 5C It shows the corresponding Figure 5B The data selected focuses on the temperature-dependent dV / dt behavior of thyristor device components. dV / dt is a dynamic characteristic value indicating the SCR's turn-off noise immunity. Specifically, the data reflects experiments conducted on the commercial SCR SJ6016L1TP without an NTC thermistor (lower curve), and with either an NTC thermistor 202FG1K or an NTC thermistor 502FG1K, as shown in the figure. In the tests, a VD value of 600V was used, representing the worst-case test condition for dV / dt.

[0049] Without the addition of an NTC thermistor, the SJ6016L1TP SCR cannot maintain a VD of 600V at 150℃ on its own. Figure 5C The value is shown as 0 V / μs in the graph. Even at 125°C, the dV / dt value is very low, only 63 V / μs, indicating limited ability to operate reliably at temperatures around 100°C.

[0050] According to embodiments of this disclosure, by adding a commercial NTC thermistor 502FG1K, the dV / dt value is increased to 200V / μs at 150°C, which is high enough for practical applications. Adding a commercial NTC thermistor 202FG1K increases the dV / dt value to 400V / μs at 150°C, which is close to the 75°C value of SCR devices, eliminating the need to add an NTC thermistor.

[0051] Figure 5D It shows the corresponding Figure 5C The data of thyristor device components as a function of temperature T q Behavior. T q Or, the turn-off time is a dynamic characteristic value that indicates the SCR's ability to turn off at high-frequency input AC. Figure 5C The data is the same. The commercial SCR SJ6016L1TP was tested under the same standard test conditions with and without an NTC thermistor, with and without an NTC thermistor 202FG1K, and with and without an NTC thermistor 502FG1K. Without an NTC thermistor, the SCR SJ6016L1TP itself generates a To of approximately 85 μsec at 150°C. q With the addition of an NTC thermistor 502FG1K, at 150°C, T q The value was increased to 68 μsec, while with the addition of an NTC thermistor 202FG1K, at 150°C, T... q It is further improved to 60 μsec, which is close to the 100°C value produced by the SCR SJ6016L1TP device without the addition of an NTC thermistor.

[0052] Figure 6A The temperature-dependent gate trigger current behavior of another set of thyristor device assemblies arranged according to embodiments of this disclosure is illustrated. In another set of experiments, the electrical behavior of the thyristor (in this case, an SCR) device assembly was tested using a different commercially available SCR, the SV6016L1TP. The SV6016L1TP has a die design different from the SJ6016 SCR die design to achieve better high-temperature dV / dt. However, with the addition of an NTC thermistor, as shown in the figure below, the overall high-temperature performance is significantly improved.

[0053] The V produced by the independent SCR SV6016L1TP at 150°C GT and I GT The voltages are 0.38V and 1.06mA, respectively. A target I is used with a voltage of 4.99mA. G The target R150℃ of the NTC thermistor is determined by R150℃ = V GT / (I G–I GT The given value is 0.38V / (4.99mA–1.06mA) = 96.7Ω. Based on this standard, the NTC thermistor 202FG1K (60Ω at 150°C) can be selected as the best match for the target resistance of 96.7Ω (for various NTC thermistors, see also the resistance values ​​as a function of temperature). Figure 5A ).

[0054] Turn again Figure 6A The figure shows the I generated by the SCR SV6016L1TP. GT - Temperature profiles show various NTC thermistors attached between the gate and cathode of the SV6016L1TP, with good thermal contact between the SCR and the NTC thermistor. Notably, the gate trigger current remains significantly higher in all thyristor device assemblies using thermally coupled NTC thermistors compared to the lower profile representing the gate trigger current behavior of the SV6016L1TP SCR itself. In some examples, the gate trigger current value at 150°C is higher than at room temperature, while in others it is lower. The NTC thermistor 202FG1K performs particularly well, maintaining IC between 25°C and 150°C. GT Maintain between 5mA and 7mA.

[0055] Figure 6B Showing with Figure 6A The data corresponds to the temperature-dependent dV / dt behavior of the selected thyristor device components. As shown in the figure, compared to the SCR SJ6016L1TP, the SCR SV6016L1TP itself produces a better dV / dt value at high temperatures, approximately 200 V / μs at 150°C. By adding the NTC thermistor 202FG1K, the dV / dt is significantly improved to the 3100 V / μs level. This value is high enough to handle any practically possible noise in the input AC line.

[0056] Figure 6C It shows the corresponding Figure 6B The data of thyristor device components as a function of temperature T q Behavior. As shown in the figure, using the SCR SV6016L1TP itself produces better T compared to the SCR SJ6016L1TP. q The value approximately halved the time. This was achieved by adding an NTC thermistor 202FG1K. q Further improvements were achieved, with the value at 150°C being similar to that of the SCR SV6016L1TP itself without NTC at 90°C.

[0057] In further experiments, the same methods as described above were used. Figures 5A-6CThe same method was used to test the addition of an NTC thermistor to the TRIAC. In these experiments, the commercially available TRIAC Q6016LH1LEDTP was tested, exhibiting VA of 0.29V and 0.79mA at 125°C. GT and I GT Features. In this example, a target gate current I of 3.0mA can be used. G The target value of R125℃ for the NTC thermistor is given by the following equation: R125℃ = V GT / (I G –I GT = 0.29V / (3.00mA – 0.79mA) = 131.2Ω. Therefore, based on Figure 5A An NTC thermistor 202FG1K (102Ω at 125°C) can be selected to be added to the TRIAC Q6016LH1LEDTP.

[0058] Figure 7 The temperature-dependent gate trigger current behavior of another set of thyristor device assemblies arranged according to embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated. In this case, the figure depicts the I-type gate trigger current behavior of the TRIAC Q6016LH1LEDTP with various NTC thermistors added. GT - Temperature profiles, these thermistors are arranged in good thermal contact and attached between the gate of the TRIAC Q6016LH1LEDTP and MT1.

[0059] It is worth noting that, compared to the lower curve representing the gate trigger current behavior of the SV6016L1TP SCR itself, the gate trigger current remains significantly higher in all thyristor device components using thermally coupled NTC thermistors. In some examples, the gate trigger current value at 150°C is higher than at room temperature, while in other examples, the value is lower. The NTC thermistor 202FG1K (pink line) maintains I0 throughout the temperature range. GT The voltage is almost flat, varying only between 2.8 mA and 3.2 mA. This result indicates that, without the addition of an NTC thermistor, TRIAC's high-temperature I... GT There has been a significant improvement, with the current increasing from 0.8 mA at 125°C to over 3 mA.

[0060] In the experiment measuring dV / dT performance, the addition of an NTC thermistor did not significantly change the dV / dt behavior when using the SV6016L1TP TRIAC alone, while the advantage of improved high-temperature IGT resulting from the addition of an NTC thermistor was obvious, as mentioned above.

[0061] Figure 8An exemplary process flow 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. At block 202, a thyristor die is provided. The thyristor die may include a first device terminal, a second device terminal, and a gate terminal. In the case of an SCR die, the first device terminal may be a cathode terminal, and the second device terminal may be an anode terminal. In the case of a TRIAC die, the first device terminal may be an MT1 terminal, and the second device terminal may be an MT2 terminal.

[0062] At block 204, an NTC device, such as an NTC thermistor, is provided. The NTC device may be formed from semiconductor ceramic materials known in the art. Depending on various non-limiting embodiments, the NTC device may be arranged as a disk or die, or it may be a discrete NTC thermistor.

[0063] At block 206, a first terminal of the NTC device can be electrically coupled to the gate terminal of the thyristor die. In one example, the first terminal can be formed on the top surface of the NTC die, wherein the first terminal is connected to the gate lead via wire bonding, clips, or other structures. The gate lead can in turn be connected to the gate terminal of the thyristor die, for example, via wire bonding or other structures. In another example, a discrete NTC thermistor can have a first terminal of a gate lead soldered to a lead frame, wherein the gate lead is electrically coupled to the gate terminal of the thyristor die.

[0064] At box 208, a second terminal of the NTC device can be electrically coupled to a first device terminal of the thyristor die. In one example, the second terminal can be formed on the bottom surface of the NTC die, wherein the second terminal is connected to the top surface of the thyristor die via solder or other medium.

[0065] At box 210, the NTC device is thermally coupled to the thyristor die. Thermal coupling can be achieved by bonding the NTC thermistor die to the thyristor die using solder or other conductive media. In other embodiments, thermal coupling can occur by placing the body of the discrete NTC thermistor on the anode lead of the lead frame connected to the thyristor die. The body of the discrete NTC thermistor can be coupled to the anode lead, for example, using thermal grease. Therefore, heat transfer between the thyristor die and the NTC thermistor device is more efficient.

[0066] While this embodiment has been disclosed with reference to certain embodiments, many modifications, alterations, and changes to the described embodiments are possible without departing from the breadth and scope of this disclosure as defined in the appended claims. Therefore, this embodiment is not limited to the described embodiments and may have the full scope defined by the language of the following claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A power control switch assembly comprising: a thyristor device, the thyristor device comprising a first device terminal, a second device terminal, and a gate terminal; and a negative temperature coefficient (NTC) device, the NTC device electrically coupled at a first end to the gate terminal of the thyristor device and at a second end to the first device terminal of the thyristor device, wherein the NTC device is thermally coupled to the thyristor device, wherein the thyristor device comprises a thyristor die, wherein the NTC device comprises an NTC thermistor die disposed on a surface of the thyristor die, wherein a lower surface of the NTC thermistor die is electrically connected to a cathode of the thyristor die, and wherein an upper surface of the NTC thermistor die is electrically connected to a gate of the thyristor die. the thyristor device comprises a semiconductor die, wherein a resistance of the NTC device varies as a function of a temperature of the semiconductor die.

2. The power control switch assembly of claim 1, wherein, the thyristor device comprises a silicon controlled rectifier (SCR) die.

3. The power control switch assembly of claim 1, wherein, The thyristor device comprises a gate trigger current (I GT ), wherein the value of the thyristor device varies by 50% or less between 25°C and 150°C.

4. The power control switch assembly of claim 3, wherein, I at 150 °C GT the first value of I at 25 °C GT within 10% of the second value of I at 25 °C.

5. The power control switch assembly of claim 1, wherein, the NTC device comprises a semiconductive ceramic material.

6. The power control switch assembly of claim 1, wherein, the semiconductive ceramic material comprises zinc oxide, titanium oxide, barium titanate, or an oxide doped with a dopant oxide.

7. The power control switch assembly of claim 6, wherein, 8. A thyristor device assembly comprising: a thyristor device, the thyristor device comprising a first device terminal, a second device terminal, and a gate terminal; a housing disposed about the thyristor device; a lead frame disposed in electrical contact with the thyristor device, the lead frame comprising a gate lead and a first terminal lead electrically coupled to the gate terminal and the first device terminal of the thyristor device, respectively; and a negative temperature coefficient (NTC) device, the NTC device electrically coupled at a first end to the gate terminal of the thyristor device and at a second end to the first device terminal of the thyristor device, wherein the NTC device is thermally coupled to the thyristor device, wherein the thyristor device comprises a thyristor die, wherein the NTC device comprises an NTC thermistor die disposed on a surface of the thyristor die, wherein a lower surface of the NTC thermistor die is electrically connected to a cathode of the thyristor die, and wherein an upper surface of the NTC thermistor die is electrically connected to a gate of the thyristor die. the NTC device comprises zinc oxide, titanium oxide, barium titanate, or an oxide doped with a dopant oxide.

9. The thyristor device package of claim 8, wherein, 10. A method of forming a thyristor device, comprising: providing a thyristor comprising a first terminal, a second terminal, and a gate; providing a negative temperature coefficient (NTC) device; electrically connecting a first end of the NTC device to the gate on a first end; and electrically connecting a second end of the NTC device to the first main terminal on a second end, wherein the NTC device is thermally coupled to the thyristor, wherein the thyristor comprises a thyristor die, wherein the NTC device comprises an NTC thermistor die disposed on a surface of the thyristor die, wherein a lower surface of the NTC thermistor die is electrically connected to a cathode of the thyristor die, and ​ wherein an upper surface of the NTC thermistor die is electrically connected to a gate of the thyristor die.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, The thyristor includes a silicon controlled rectifier (SCR) die.

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