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4 months ago in Power Electronics By Neethi

Is it beneficial to run power diodes hot for efficiency?

A PN junction's forward voltage drops as temperature rises—so does running a diode hot actually improve efficiency?

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By Shreya K Answered 1 month ago

Not really the trade-offs bite back. While V_f decreases slightly, reducing conduction loss, reverse recovery losses spike with temperature, leakage current (I_R) skyrockets, and reliability plummets. For Schottky diodes, V_f drops only a little but I_R rises exponentially. The net effect is rarely positive. Design for efficient cooling to maintain a moderate, stable temperature. Don't chase a tiny V_f drop at the cost of everything else. Cool is controlled. Hot is hazardous.

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