COMMODITY SOLUTIONS

Schottky Diodes are Efficient and Affordable

The third generation of Infineon’s thinQ!™ family of SiC Schottky diodes delivers the industry’s lowest capacitance for any given current rating. This key figure of merit allows designers to achieve high levels of efficiency in all types of switching power supplies.



The new devices enhance system efficiency, especially at higher switching frequencies and under low load conditions. This not only reduces energy consumption, it also cuts system cost due to lower cooling requirements. Reliability is correspondingly enhanced because heating effects are reduced.

Infineon believes that its SiC portfolio is the industry’s broadest, including DPAK devices for high power-density surface mount designs and the TO-220 real 2pin versions. Available in versions with blocking voltages of 600V and 1200V, the devices are rated for currents up to 15A.

The new devices build on the company’s existing second generation components, which exhibit a close-to-ideal rectifying characteristic due to their very low values of reverse recovery charge (Q_rr). The third generation diodes offer values of Q_rr as low as 3.2nC.

Infineon thinQ! devices have superior surge current capabilities, giving them highly stable overvoltage characteristics. This allows the use of devices with lower current ratings for a given application, which also leads to significant reductions in bill-of-materials costs.

Power supply designers are increasingly looking to replace bipolar switching components with unipolar devices such as Schottky diodes. However, previous generations of diodes were limited in their blocking voltage capabilities to around 250V.

Newer silicon carbide devices can satisfy the blocking voltage specifications needed at the input of common off-line switched-mode power supply designs, which are in excess of 500V.

Moreover, they exhibit lower on-resistance and lower leakage than traditional diodes, while accommodating higher values of current density. This allows the components themselves to occupy a smaller form factor than was previously the case, giving further opportunity for system miniaturisation.

Features

• Silicon carbide Schottky diodes
• Lowest capacitance for given current rating
• High efficiency at high frequency and low load
• Blocking voltage up to 1200V
• Small size for given application
• Reverse recovery charge as low as 3.2nC
• Superior surge performance
• Stable overvoltage performance
• High reliability and ruggedness
• Lower cost
• TO-220 or DPAK packaging

Applications

• Switched mode power supplies
• LCD power
• Plasma display panels
• Lighting
• UPS
• Solar applications
• Motor drives

For further information, including the Infineon thinQ!™ Product Brief, please click here