SIGETRONICS announced that it has developed an MCT (MOS Controlled Thyristor), a high-speed and high-power switching power semiconductor device, through the technology transfer program of the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), and will pursue a national project for line-up commercialization. The device is a thyristor driven by a MOS (Metal Oxide Semiconductor) gate, offering outstanding performance in civilian and defense pulsed power applications thanks to its ultra-fast switching capability derived from low voltage loss at high current density, high pulse current, and excellent di/dt characteristics.

After years of research and development, the MCT has been manufactured based on proprietary core technologies and intellectual property, including high-voltage termination, triple diffusion technology, novel device structures and fabrication methods, and low-resistance packaging. Key performance specifications include forward breakdown voltage greater than 1.6 kV, leakage current below 0.1 µA, turn-on/turn-off voltages below +5 V and above –5 V, peak current exceeding 1 kA, and pulse current rise rate of 10 kA/µs. Comparable products have so far been exclusively supplied under U.S. export license regulations, but are now indigenously developed with Korean technology. The finished devices will be available either as chips or packaged products, offered in TO-247 or SMD forms depending on application requirements.

Application fields for this product include ESADs (Electronic Safe & Arm Devices), high-voltage pulse current transmission, electric vehicles and electric aircraft, UPS power systems, particle accelerators, plasma generation equipment, and eco-friendly water and gas treatment systems. While the switching speed of MCTs is somewhat lower compared to GaN power semiconductors, MCTs provide superior performance in large-current control and robustness.

SIGETRONICS also plans to expand the MCT lineup with devices supporting higher currents (>3 kA) and voltages (>2.5 kV). In relation to ESAD applications, the company is preparing to integrate MCTs alongside avalanche photodiodes (APDs) for LiDAR, as well as infrared (IR) and ultraviolet (UV) photodiodes, with the market expected to reach over 100 billion KRW by 2025.

Date: 2022-05-12

SIGETRONICS