An improved gated thyristor that utilizes less silicon area than IGBT, BIPOLARs or MOSFETs sized for the same application is provided. Embodiments of the inventive thyristor have a lower gate charge, and a lower forward drop for a given current density. Embodiments of the thyristor once triggered have a latch structure that does not have the same Cgd or Ceb capacitor that must be charged from the gate, and therefore the gated thyristor is cheaper to produce, and requires a smaller gate driver, and takes up less space than standard solutions. Embodiments of the inventive thyristor provide a faster turn off speed than the typical >600 ns using a modified MCT structure which results in the improved tail current turn off profile (