Fast thyristor operation of the GTO

The GTO was developed to meet designers demands for a device which combined the high voltage/high current capabilities of the thyristor with the transistors ability to turn off a current via a control electrode. The GTO is, basically, a thyristor in which the gains of the internal transistors have been carefully adjusted so that a negative gate voltage will divert part of the on state current into the gate unlatching the device and turning it off. The author examines the limitations and losses of GTO thyristor operation, and applications of its use are also discussed