SCHOTTKY DIODE

Definition:

The Schottky Diode is an solid state diode having a metal semiconductor juncyion,used in fast
switching applications.

MATERIALS USED IN SCHOTTKY DIODE

Typical metals used are molybdenum,platinum,chromium ,or tungsten and certain
silicides.(eg,palladium silicide and platinum silicide),wheareas the semiconductor would
typically be N type silicon.the metal side acts as the anode, and n type semiconductor acts as a
cathode of the diode.
The symbol of Schottky Diode:

Schottky Diode Working:

 The operation relies on the principal that the electrons in the different material have different
potential energy.
 N-type semiconductors have higher potential energy than electrons of metals
 These diodes are used as rectifier at a single frequency exceeding 300MHz to 20 GHz
 The rectifying action is depends on majority carrier only
 The potential barrier is set with a constant between a metal and semiconductor
 The charge storage problem of PN junction can be minimize or limited in schottky diodes.
RF mixer and detector diode:

The Schottky diode consists of its radio frequency functions owing to its switching speed at the
highest level and top frequency capability. The Schottky barrier diodes come handy for diode
ring mixers with high performance.

Energy band diagram of schottky diode

The energy band diagram of the N-type semiconductor and metal is show
in the figure

The vacuum level is defined as the energy level of electrons that are
outside the material. The work function is defined as the energy required to
move an electron from Fermi level (EF) to vacuum level (E0).

The work function is different for metal and semiconductor. The work
function of a metal is greater than the work function of a semiconductor.
Therefore, the electrons in the n-type semiconductor have high potential
energy than the electrons in the metal.

The energy levels of the metal and semiconductor are different. The Fermi
level at N-type semiconductor side lies above the metal side.
We know that electrons in the higher energy level have more potential
energy than the electrons in the lower energy level. So the electrons in the
N-type semiconductor have more potential energy than the electrons in the
metal.

The energy band diagram of the metal and n-type semiconductor after
contact is shown in the below figure.

When the metal is joined with the n-type semiconductor, a device is created
known as schottky diode. The built-in-voltage (Vbi) for schottky diode is
given by the difference between the work functions of a metal and n-type
semiconductor.

ADVANTAGES OF SCHOTTKY DIODE

  Low junction capacitance.
 Fast reverse recovery time.
 High current density.
 Low forward voltage drop or low turn on voltage.

Disadvantages of schottky diode

 Large reverse saturation current

 higher leakage current
 reverse leakage current
 it has much lower reverse break down current at the range of 50-75V.
 it cannot be used as freewheeling diode .

Applications of schottky diodes

 Schottky diodes are used as general-purpose rectifiers.

 Schottky diodes are used in radio frequency (RF) applications.

 Schottky diodes are widely used in power supplies.

 Schottky diodes are used to detect signals.

 Schottky diodes are used in logic circuits.

 It is widely used in the electronics industry finding many uses as

diode rectifier .

 Their current density and low forward voltage drop mean that less

power is wasted than if ordinary PN junctions are used.

A schottky diode also known as a hot carrier diode is a semiconductor

diode which has a low forward voltage drop and a very fast switching
action. There is a small voltage drop across the diode terminals when
current flows through a diode.
Schottky barrier diode:
The schottky barrier diode is used for its low turn- on voltage; fast
recover time;and low junction capacitance in applications from power
rectification to RF signal applications, and logic.

Basic schottky diode structure:

The schottky barrier diode can be manufactured in a variety of
forms. The most simple is the point contact diode where a metal wire is
pressed against a clean semiconductor surface. This was how the early
cat’s whisker detectors were made, and they were found to be very
unreliable, requiring frequent repositioning of the wire to ensure
satisfactory operation

Conclusions for schottky diode:

Reviewing the IV graphs it is clear that as the current increases, the
linearity of the current density starts to become unstable. This can be
explained due to the possibility of defects in the sample.in most industry
practices , technicians are not present during the manufacturing
fabrication stage and is solely completed by machines. Even through
great care has been taken to ensure that the samples used in this
exercise have been unaffected particles, there is clearly still evidence of
impurities throughout the sample.