1. General principles

1.1 Diagram of bipolar structures

Understanding the operation of bipolar power semiconductor components is greatly facilitated if we accept the one-dimensionality of the main phenomena and the possibility of partitioning the structure into physically and electrically "typed" regions ("regional" approach, cf. article , § 1.7). Figure 1 shows the schematic diagrams of the main purely bipolar power devices: diode, transistor, thyristor.

• The "base", i.e. the wide, low-doped region adjacent to the blocking junction, is the "heart" of the device. Most often N-type, this base corresponds to the central...