High efficiency Schottky Diodes

This product manual describes the advantages realized by using high efficiency Schottky diodes in various applications.
The main advantage of using high-efficiency Schottky diodes is reduced leakage current at high temperatures. The reduction in leakage current results in a significant increase in efficiency. In addition, the leakage current is lower than traditional standard Schottky diodes, which can be used in higher temperature environments.

Lower leakage current
Fig 1 shows the relative improvement in leakage current I_R achieved by the new high-efficiency Schottky technology. Comparisons are made with industry typical Schottky diodes using conventional processes. Clearly, such a dramatic improvement can have a major impact on the efficiency of many circuit applications.

Typical leakage currents for various standard Schottky diodes are shown in Fig 1. Data taken from actual testing of each device at 125-°C. Comparisons can be made between 100-volt devices. It shows that the high-temperature leakage current of the sk series is lower than 0.05-mA, while the high-temperature leakage current of the traditional standard Schottky is about 5-mA.

Thermal runaway
Because the leakage current of the traditional Schottky diode is high at high temperature, the reverse power loss of the traditional Schottky diode (belonging to MS contact) is high under high temperature operation, and the Schottky will decrease rapidly due to the temperature. Performance,cannot be easily thermal runaway (Thermal runaway) in a higher temperature system, causing components to burn out.
Why thermal runaway can be an issue
Thermal runaway starts with heat generated by the leakage current of the rectifier. When not managed, this heat causes the junction temperature to rise faster than the thermal system can remove it. Once the heat rises above a critical temperature, the system becomes thermally unstable and the device can fail. This generally occurs when the reverse power losses generated within the diode exceed the
power dissipated by the package.
Ultra Low IR Schottky Barrier Diodes
The SK series provides ultra-low IR ideal for use in high temperature environments, reducing concerns about thermal runaway while contributing to high reliability even in applications exposed to high temperatures such as automotive systems, industrial equipment, and various
power supplies.