Thyristor surge suppressors are semiconductor chips used to protect circuits and devices from over-voltage and over-current. A thyristor surge suppressor protects electronic equipment and sensitive ...
They're known as "thyristors" and a variety of types, including Shockley Diodes, exist. Thyristors are chiefly used as switches to control power supplies -- often in electrical utility systems.
Gate turn-off thyristors (GTOs) are four-layer PNPN devices that act as switches, rectifiers, and voltage regulators. Like other thyristors, GTOs can be turned on by the application of a positive gate ...