ABSTRACT
The acronym GTO stands forGate Turn-Off (thyristor). Fundamentally, the GTO is a normal thyristor, i.e., it consists of a four-layer npnp-structure, with anode-, cathode-, and gate-terminals.
During turn-on and conduction, the GTO behaves almost exactly like a thyristor. The relevant theory can be found in Chapter 5. The main feature that differentiates the GTO from a normal thyristor is a special gate arrangement, which enables the interruption of the load current at any desired time by applying a negative current to the gate. Hence, in contrast to the thyristor, the GTO can be operated as a true on/off switch.
