Silicon diodes are 'world's fastest'

17th March 2015

Siobhan O'Gorman

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A series of 150V silicon diodes, claimed to be the fastest in the world, has been introduced by Power Integrations. According to the company, the Qspeed–based LQA150 diodes have the lowest junction capacitance and reverse recovery charge on the market, which are respectively 60% and 40% lower than trench Schottky devices.

This combination of features facilitates high-frequency operation, so that small and inexpensive magnetic components may be used while maintaining maximum efficiency. The devices’ outstanding EMI performance means that the need for snubber capacitors is also reduced or even eliminated, further improving efficiency and reducing cost.

Available from 10A to 40A in common-cathode configuration, the 150V diodes target applications in DC/DC converters and output rectifiers for hard switching or soft switching. The LQA150 devices are immediately available in DPAK, D2PAK and TO-220 packages, priced from $0.33 to $0.96 each and sold in 10,000 quantities.

Klaus Pietrczak, Product Marketing Director, Power Integrations, commented: “Our tests show that these devices are the fastest switching silicon diodes in the market with the lowest switching losses. They exceed the performance of the best trench Schottky diodes by at least a factor of two, which is particularly beneficial for applications with high switching frequencies.”