Power semiconductors: Fast, tough, and compact: MOS field-effect transistors and gate turnoff thyristors are bringing new levels of performance in switching frequencies and current and voltage ratings

The silicon-controlled rectifier (SCR) may not be on its way out, but it is certainly being challenged by a number of semiconductor devices. More efficient, easier to control, and switching faster than the SCR, they are replacing that old standby in a variety of applications.