Light Triggered Thyristor
A light triggered thyristor (LTT) has an optically sensitive region in its gate, into which electromagnetic radiation (usually infrared) is coupled via an optical fiber. Since no electronic boards need to be provided at the potential of the thyristor in order to trigger it, light triggered thyristors can be an advantage in high voltage applications such as HVDC. Light triggered thyristors are available with in-built over-voltage (VBO) protection which triggers the thyristor when the forward voltage across it becomes too high; they have also been made with in-built forward recovery protection, but not commercially.
Despite the simplification they can bring to the electronics of an HVDC valve, light triggered thyristors may still require some simple monitoring electronics and have the disadvantage of being available from only very few manufacturers.
Read more about this topic: Thyristor, Types of Thyristor
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