Operation of Fast Recovery Diode at Low Temperature

Abstract

The present work was mainly concerned itself with improving the reverse recovery times of fast recovery diode applying low temperature during the diode operation. In this concern, the static characteristics of the device have firstly been studied at room temperature to get basic device performance, including DC characteristics (current-voltage characteristics, I-V) and AC characteristics (capacitance-frequency characteristics C-f) of fast recovery diode type FR101, as an example under ascending levels of temperature ranging from 298 k down to 100 k at frequency level of 1MHz. Meanwhile, the diode threshold voltage, junction capacitance, and the reverse recovery parameters including: the reverse recovery times, reverse recovery charge, reverse recovery current are all studied as a function of low temperature. From the results, it was observed that the reverse recovery parameters of fast recovery diode are direct degraded functions of low temperature. Also, the study showed that the reverse recovery phenomenon was observed to be soft at room temperature and changed to abrupt below 273 k.