Abstract: In a semiconductor switch circuit employing at least one 4-terminal PNPN switch having a cathode gate and an anode gate for switching an AC signal, a current supplying circuit is connected to the cathode gate of the PNPN switch, and a current sinking circuit of constant-current type is connected to the current supplying circuit and the anode gate of the PNPN switch through a current change-over circuit. Depending on the potential of the PNPN switch, the current change-over circuit supplies selectively the current flowing into the current supplying circuit and the current flowing out from the anode gate of the PNPN switch to the current sinking circuit.The current supplying circuit operates as a constant-current circuit owing to the current sinking function of the current sinking circuit. The semiconductor switch circuit is simple in circuit construction and can be economically integrated into an integrated circuit form.

Abstract: A semiconductor switch has a pair of PNPN switches connected in an inverse-parallel mode and each includes a switching circuit for protection against the rate effect. Each switch has its gate terminal multi-connected through a capacitive element to provide a terminal, which is connected to the output terminal of a control circuit for generating a voltage pulse in a repetitive manner to bear the difference of potential between the PNPN switches and a capacitive element by means of the capacitive element and to drive the PNPN switches with the aid of a variation of voltage produced in the control circuit.

Abstract: A semiconductor switch circuit comprises a PNPN switch with a PNPN semiconductor four-layered structure equivalently including first and second transistors and a gate terminal, a load current dividing circuit including at least one transistor, a variable impedance bypass circuit including at least one transistor, and a capacitive element. The base and the collector of the transistor included in the load current dividing circuit are connected to the cathode and the anode of the PNPN switch, respectively. The collector and the emitter of the transistor included in the variable impedance bypass circuit are connected to the P-type base of the second transistor of the PNPN switch and to the emitter of the transistor of the load-current-dividing circuit, respectively. The base of the transistor of the variable impedance bypass circuit is connected to the anode of the PNPN switch through the capacitive element and is controlled for gate turn-off operation.

Abstract: A constant current circuit includes two characteristic-correlated PNP transistors connected to a constant voltage source and having common-connected emitters and common-connected bases and an NPN transistor. A constant current is taken out of a collector of a first PNP transistor. A collector of a second PNP transistor is connected to a base of the NPN transistor and the common-connected emitters of the first and second PNP transistors is connected to a collector of the NPN transistor to form a negative feedback circuit in the first PNP transistor, whereby when a current gain of the second PNP transistor which is characteristic corelated to the first PNP transistor is high a large amount of feedback is applied and when the current gain is low a small amount of feedback is applied so that the magnitude of the output constant current taken from the collector of the first PNP transistor is adjusted.

Abstract: A plurality of PNPN switches, each permitting current flow in either, i.e., positive or negative, direction, are arranged at the cross points between the rows and the columns of the speech paths so as to form a matrix. The gate trigger terminal of each PNPN switch is connected with a gating current circuit having a high impedance, which circuit is adapted to control ON and OFF operations of the switch. A plurality of means are provided to selectively turn the gate current circuits on and off so that gate current is supplied continuously for the gate terminal of any desired PNPN switch at least for the time during which the corresponding cross point of the matrix is to be electrically bridged.

Abstract: A stable semiconductor switch comprising a PNPN switch, a transistor, a driving device, and diodes. The PNPN switch is composed of four-layered PNPN structure and has three PN-junctions, an anode, an anode gate, a cathode gate, and a cathode. The collector and the emitter of the transistor are connected to the cathode gate and the cathode of the PNPN switch, respectively. The driving device has its one end connected to the anode gate of the PNPN switch and its other end connected to the base of the transistor so as to drive the transistor in transient state. The diodes are connected between the driving device and the emitter of the transistor in a manner so that, when the PNPN switch is controlled to fire and a back current tends to flow through the PNPN switch temporarily, the back current does not flow through the transistor so as to prevent the transistor from causing any abnormal actions such as oscillation.

Abstract: A plurality of sets of thyristors, each set consisting of two thyristors connected in inverse parallel configuration, are arranged in the form of a matrix to provide a switch of balanced or unbalanced type. A control circuit is provided which feeds successive pulses or light energy whose repetition rate is higher than the frequency of the ac signal such as a ringing signal passing through the speech paths, to the thyristors at a cross-point to be closed, during the time required for exchange operation. In this way, a speech path switch can be constituted of semiconductor elements and ringing, dialing and hooking signals can be treated together with speech signals.

Abstract: A light-emitting diode element comprises a semiconductor wafer including a pair of a p-type semiconductor region and an n-type semiconductor region forming a pn junction, an inclined first electrode provided on at least one of the peripheral edges of the surface of one of the semiconductor regions in the semiconductor wafer, and a flat second electrode provided on the surface of the other semiconductor region. A light-emitting diode device is provided in which a plurality of such light-emitting diode elements are respectively received in a plurality of openings of a substrate having a first wiring conductor group and a second wiring conductor group electrically connected to the first and second electrodes respectively of the light-emitting diode elements by a low-melting metal. Thus, these light-emitting diode elements can be mounted on the single substrate in a high package density, and the light-emitting diode device of simple construction can be easily assembled.

Abstract: A semiconductor switch of a PNPN structure comprises a PNPN switch of an equivalently four-layered structure including a P-type anode, N-type cathode, N-type gate and P-type gate, a first NPN transistor, a second PNP transistor, a level shifting circuit, and an impedance element, wherein the impedance element is connected between the collector and emitter of the first transistor, the first transistor has its collector and emitter connected to the P-type gate and N-type cathode respectively, and the second transistor has its emitter and base connected to the P-type anode and N-type gate, respectively, and has its collector connected to the base of the first transistor through the level shifting circuit.

Abstract: A semiconductor switch assuring the easy formation of a semiconductor integrated circuit and having high control sensitivity while maintaining high dv/dt - immunity, which comprises a PNPN switch of an equivalently four-layered structure including at least three PN-junctions, an anode and a cathode, switching means including a control terminal and connected with the PNPN switch to shunt one of the three PN-junctions at either one end of the PNPN switch, amplifying means, and a capacitive element for differentiating a voltage applied between the anode and the cathode of the PNPN switch to allow a current to flow into the control terminal of the switching means through the amplifying means, so that the switching means is driven by the current thereby to short-circuit the one of three PN-junctions.

Abstract: A semiconductor switch is composed of at least a 4-terminal PNPN switch. The cathode gate and the anode gate of the PNPN switch are connected to a current-supplying type constant-current circuit with a power supply for feeding a current into the cathode gate and to a current-sinking type constant-current circuit without any power supply for taking out a current from the anode gate, respectively. A change-over circuit is connected between both the constant-current circits for automatically selecting a path of a drive current from the current-supplying type constant-current circuit to either selected one of the cathode gate and the anode gate or the current-sinking type constant-current circuit in response to the electrical potential of the PNPN switch. The semiconductor switch circuit composed of the 4-terminal PNPN switch may be thus controlled economically with a single power supply without any wasteful power consumption.

Abstract: A semiconductor switch device comprising a PNPN switch having an equivalent four-layer structure, a transistor, two impedance elements and a capacitive element, wherein the transistor and one of the impedance elements are connected in parallel with each other, the parallel circuit thus formed is connected between the P base and the N cathode of the PNPN switch, the capacitive element is connected between the base of the transistor and a terminal maintained at a constant potential, and the other impedance element is connected between the base and the emitter of the transistor, whereby the semiconductor switch has a high tolerance to dv/dt and can be closed with high sensitivity.

Abstract: A light activated semiconductor switch device comprising a light activated PNPN switch, an impedance element, a switching element, and a capacitance element. The impedance element and switching element are connected in parallel across the cathode gate and the cathode or across the anode and the anode gate of the light activated PNPN switch, and the switching element is turned on by the current supplied through the capacitance element, so that the device can operate with improved tolerance to dv/dt and high turn-on sensitivity.

Abstract: A semiconductor bidirectional switch circuit comprises a bidirectional switch including two thyristors connected in antiparallel relationship. A bypass circuit is connected to each of the two thyristors for bypassing a part of a main current flowing through the thyristor from the anode to the cathode of the thyristor.

Abstract: A semiconductor switch comprising a PNPN switch having an equivalently four-layer structure of p, n, p and n regions and three PN junctions; a transistor; two impedance elements and a capacitive element, wherein the transistor and one of the impedance elements is connected in parallel to each other, the parallel circuit thus formed being connected between the p base and the cathode of the PNPN switch, the capacitive element is connected between the base of the transistor and the anode of the PNPN switch, and the other impedance element is connected between the base and the emitter of the transistor, so that the obtained semiconductor switch has a high dv/dt withstandingness independent of the potential at the anode or cathode and a high breakdown voltage, can be closed with a small control current and is adapted for high speed switching.

Abstract: A semiconductor speech path switch selectively connects a transmitting circuit which is connected with a row line to one of a plurality of receiving circuits which are respectively connected with associated column lines, the row lines and column lines forming a matrix of signal transmission lines. The switch includes a plurality of PNPN switching elements respectively connected across row and column lines of the matrix, a plurality of diodes for triggering the respective switching elements and a plurality of control gate lines connected with the diodes for triggering each switching element. Control signals are applied to input terminals of respective switching circuits to selectively energize the individual PNPN switching elements during the presence of a control signal supplied thereto. In the absence of the control signal, the control gate lines are shunted to ground to prevent cross-talk interference and erroneous triggering of non-selected PNPN switching elements.

Abstract: A memory circuit comprises a semiconductor element circuit having equivalently a PNPN four-layer structure, at least an NPN transistor and a diode. An N-type emitter of the semiconductor element circuit is connected to the base of the NPN transistor, while a P-type base of the circuit is connected to the collector of the NPN transistor through the diode. The semiconductor element circuit has a positive feedback loop which is additionally provided with another feedback loop extending across the P-type base and the N-type emitter of the semiconductor element circuit, whereby in the ON holding state of the memory circuit the semiconductor element circuit is operated as a current stabilizing circuit and the transistor included in the additional feedback loop is stabilized in a controlled staturation state. The memory circuit can thus be operated at a high speed with a low power consumption.

Abstract: A memory circuit for providing a zero OFF-holding power under the logical control of three inputs comprises a memory cell including a semiconductor element circuit of equivalently four PNPN layer structure and a logical input section including at least one PNP transistor and NPN transistor with the collector of the PNP transistor connected to the base of the NPN transistor. The NPN transistor in the logical input section has its collector connected to the control gate of the memory cell, and logical input signals are applied to the emitter and base of the PNP transistor and the emitter of the NPN transistor in the logical input section, respectively.

Abstract: A cathode gate triggering method and system for speech path channel switches using m .times. n PNPN switches as switching elements, in which l .times. n PNPN switches in each switch array connected in common at the anode thereof are connected in multiple at the control gate thereof to substantially a single control gate common line through respective diodes, and a single constant-current regulated power supply capable of switching the output current thereof by being controlled by an external control source is connected to this control gate common line for supplying constant current to the control gate of each of the PNPN switches, so that uniform gate current can be supplied to each of the multiple connection stages, and each of the PNPN switches can be triggered in a stable and reliable manner.

Abstract: A semiconductor switch large in dv/dt bearing capacity regardless of the anode or cathode potential, high in breakdown voltage, capable of being closed with a small control current, and easy to be included in semiconductor integrated circuits. The semiconductor switch according to the invention comprises a PNPN switch having an equivalent PNPN four-layer construction with three junctions and an active circuit network including at least one transistor. The active circuit network combines with part of a positive feedback loop in the PNPN switch to form a negative feedback circuit network. The transistor forming part of the active circuit network is connected in such a manner as to divide one of the gate currents of the PNPN switch.