Recovery Diode - ASE SRL

A recovery diode is a type of semiconductor diode designed to minimize the reverse recovery time.

Reverse recovery time is the time it takes a diode to return to a blocked condition after the current in the reverse direction has ceased. In conventional diodes, this time can be relatively long, causing power losses and high-frequency switching problems.

Recovery diodes use several techniques to reduce the reverse recovery time, including:

• Gold doping: the addition of gold atoms to the semiconductor material helps create charge carrier traps, which reduce the recombination time and thus the reverse recovery time;
• Schottky junction: this type of diode uses a metal-semiconductor junction instead of a traditional PN junction, which allows faster current flow and shorter reverse recovery time;
• Optimized structure: the junction geometry and device design can be optimized to reduce the reverse recovery time.

The choice of recovery diode type for a particular application depends on several factors, including circuit voltage and current, switching frequency, and desired efficiency.