An SCR (silicon controlled rectifier) is a four-layer solid-state semiconductor device that controls the flow of current. It functions like a diode but is turned on by a gate pulse. SCRs are mainly used to control high voltage and power applications like motor control and medium/high AC power operations. The SCR starts conducting when forward biased and a positive gate pulse is applied, allowing current flow until it drops below a threshold. It has three operating modes - forward blocking, reverse blocking, and forward conducting. Common applications of SCRs include AC voltage stabilizers, switches, choppers, inverters, and power control.