1. Origin of operating temperature limitation

Power semiconductors are primarily used as switches in static power conversion circuits. As already suggested in this treatise, in the article ref. , these power semiconductor components can be classified as :

• junction or Schottky diodes ;

• bipolar or field-effect transistors and derived components ;

• thyristors and related components.

These basic components can be supplemented by more sophisticated assemblies using hybrid or monolithic power integration techniques. For these assemblies, the aim...