Present-day solid-state power switches

New static components and devices, many of which are characterized by decreasing cost with time, are being developed at a rapid rate. A review of their properties and applications, at this time, is in order Although the SCR is only seven years old,1 many of the original types are either obsolescent or already obsolete in view of the apparent ability of present-day power semiconductor technology to develop “ultimate” devices (see Fig. 1).