Diode Turn-On Time Induced Failures in Switching Regulators

Focus:

When switching regulators operate at very high switching frequencies (above 1 MHz), diode turn-on time becomes a potential liability. Though diode turn-on may only take nanoseconds, even that short delay may be enough to produce a transient "overshoot" across the diode that can cause the switching regulator IC to fail. To prevent this, the diode needs to be qualified for the application by measuring its turn-on overshoot voltage using the procedures described here.

What you’ll learn:

• How to measure diode turn-on time to qualify a diode for use with a switching regulator IC
• How to generate pulses with sub-nanosecond rise times

Notes:

Linear Technology Application Note 122

View the Source

Author & Publication:

Jim Williams and David Beebe, Linear Technology, Vendor website, Jan 01 2009

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