Investigation of high-speed thyristors based on slightly doped gallium arsenide

An experimental study is made of the static and dynamic characteristics of GaAs thyristors with two relatively thick bases (the ratio of the base thicknesses to the diffusion length W/L is greater than 5). The characteristics of the straight branches of the volt-ampere curve and the control characteristics are analyzed. It is shown that the diffusion length of electrons in the slightly doped p-base reaches values of 60-75 microns. It is also shown that the thyristors have a switching voltage of 900 V and can switch a 15-A current over 15-100 ns (depending on the operating voltage), and that the switching times amounted to 2-3 microsec for a current density of 1000 A/sq cm.