Schottky Diode: 5 Key Advantages & Disadvantages

Introduction : Schottky diodes are known for low forward voltage drop, fast switching, and low reverse recovery time. They are favored in power supplies, RF circuits and high speed applications.

Schottky diode based circuit working

The schottky diode offers low forward voltage drop and fast switching speed through metal semiconductor junction technology. This is significantly lower compared to PN junction diode.

Following table mentions comparison between schottky and standard silicon diodes with respect to various parameters.

Advantages of Schottky diode

Following are some of the benefits of schottky diode.

1. Schottky diodes have low forward voltage drop (~0.2-0.3V) which is much lower than silicon PN diodes (~0.6-0.7V). Hence less power is lost as heat in the diode when it conducts.
2. Due to metal semiconductor junctions, these diodes offer negligible reverse recovery delays.
3. It has low junction capacitance and hence are ideal for fast switching and high frequency circuits.
4. They can handle relatively high current density (per area).
5. Due to above benefits, they are suitable for RF mixers, detectors, regulators, power supplies and other circuits where high frequency and rapid transitions are required.

Disadvantages of Schottky diode

Following are some of the drawbacks of schottky diode.

1. Schottky diodes tend to have much higher reverse leakage currents (i.e. reverse bias leakage) compared to PN junction diodes. . This leakage increases with temperature and can lead to inefficiency and thermal issues.
2. Their ability to withstand reverse voltage is generally lower. For high voltage application this can be a drawback.
3. As mentioned, it’s behaviour is more strongly impacted by temperature. This can cause performance degradation in hot environments.
4. They are more expensive than simple silicon diodes.

Conclusion: In summar, schottky diodes excel where speed, low forward drop and minimal switching losses matter. But they come with trade-offs such as lower reverse voltage tolerance, higher leakage, cost etc.