25 Jan 11

A new SCR made by STMicroelectronics, the TN1205H, can reduce heat sink costs and footprint layout on a PCB with its high junction temperature rating of 150 C and high turn-off capabilities. The higher junction temperature rating is achieved with a higher current density and circuit design can be optimized with a choice of many current ratings. The device comes standard with a 12A RMS on-state current rating (8A average) and a 600V off-state voltage rating. The sensitive gate trigger current is as low as 5mA with maximum trigger voltage of 1.3V.

These devices would be a perfect fit for many applications that need over-voltage crowbar protection as they would easily be able to handle large voltage and/or current surges without any concern about overheating. These devices can also provide protection from inrush currents when a device is turned on.

Of course, the TN1205H can be used in general purpose AC line load switching applications, motor control circuits, small home appliances, and lighting systems. Because of the higher temperature rating, the devices could be used in many applications with insufficient ventilation or high ambient temperature in the surroundings. Some examples here would be capacitive discharge ignition circuits, ATV or motorbike voltage regulators, and power tools.

The through-hole or surface-mount package styles bring high performance into applications where space is very limited.