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A TRIAC (triode for alternating current; also bidirectional triode thyristor or bilateral triode thyristor [1]) is a three-terminal electronic component that conducts current in either direction when triggered.
A silicon-controlled switch (SCS) behaves nearly the same way as an SCR; but there are a few differences. Unlike an SCR, an SCS switches off when a positive voltage/input current is applied to another anode gate lead. Unlike an SCR, an SCS can be triggered into conduction when a negative voltage/output current is applied to that same lead.
Like an SCR, when a voltage pulse is present on the gate terminal, the device turns on. The main difference between an SCR and a Triac is that both the positive and negative cycle can be turned on independently of each other, using a positive or negative gate pulse. Similar to an SCR, once the device is turned on, the device cannot be turned off.
A thyristor (/ θ aɪ ˈ r ɪ s t ər /, from a combination of Greek language θύρα, meaning "door" or "valve", and transistor [1]) is a solid-state semiconductor device which can be thought of as being a highly robust and switchable diode, allowing the passage of current in one direction but not the other, often under control of a gate electrode, that is used in high power applications ...
In addition to its use as the active device in relaxation oscillators, one of the most important applications of UJTs or PUTs is to trigger thyristors (silicon controlled rectifiers (SCR), TRIACs, etc.). A DC voltage can be used to control a UJT or PUT circuit such that the "on-period" increases with an increase in the DC control voltage.
The strict physics definition treats passive components as ones that cannot supply energy themselves, whereas a battery would be seen as an active component since it truly acts as a source of energy. However, electronic engineers who perform circuit analysis use a more restrictive definition of passivity .
One example is the TRIAC, which is comparable to two thyristors connected back-to-back (in other words, reverse parallel), but on a single piece of silicon. Two LEDs can be paired this way, so that each protects the other from reverse voltage. A series string of such pairs can be connected to AC or DC power, with an appropriate resistor.
In AC circuits, SCR or triac relays inherently switch off at the points of AC zero cross when there is zero load current. The circuit will never be interrupted in the middle of a sine wave peak, preventing the large transient voltages that would otherwise occur due to the sudden collapse of the magnetic field around the inductance.