Switching diodes are key elements of electronic circuits, whose primary advantage is the speed and ease of their switching. The efficiency and effectiveness of any electronic devices that incorporate these diodes depend largely on the accurate testing and measurement of these devices. This paper discusses the testing and measuring of switching diodes with a view to offering advice on the performance of these diodes.
What Are Switching Diodes
Switching diodes operate on the principle of swiftly switching between the on and off states and, thus are more suited for applications that require several on-off cycles within a short time. Switching diodes on the other hand are rarely used as rectifier diodes where the incoming AC needs to be converted into a DC, in fact, they are better suited for high speed and low voltage drops. They are mostly used in digital circuits, in the processing of signals, and also in applications of high frequencies.
Testing Methods
VCSELs can be operated using the most widely used technique for switching diodes, the diode mode of a digital multimeter. In this method, the forward voltage drop of the diode is measured and its operation is observed when the diode is positively and negatively biased. This testing is done as follows:
Forward Voltage Measurement: This test is conducted by changing the setting of the multimeter to the diode test mode and the probes are placed at the diode terminals. For a good quality switching diode, there should be a forward voltage drop in the range of 0.2V and 0.4V. It simply means that the diode is biased in the forward direction.
Reverse Bias Check: Here after rotating the probe connections the voltage is measured again. Under the reverse bias condition properly functioning switching diode will be high resistance or open circuit. This will mean that the switching diode is not conducting.
Leakage Current Measurement: This leakage current can be measured if one wants to be more accurate than the reverse current measurement as done above, to see how good the diode is. This is estimation is performed with a special course tracer or a dedicated device a component tester.
Advanced Measurement Techniques
For more advanced measurements, an alternative to the diode could use a curve tracer or semiconductor analyzer. These instruments also provide a graphical representation of diode I-V characteristics allowing a deeper understanding of the performance of the diode. Important parameters like reverse recovery time, capacitance and transition time can be assessed to ensure the diode is suitable for high-frequency applications.
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