Selection guides, application notes and design checks for rectifiers, Schottky diodes, TVS protection, MOSFETs, SiC and IGBTs — written for engineers and sourcing teams.
AEC-Q101 is the automotive qualification standard for discrete semiconductors, and the wording on a datasheet tells the whole story: a part marked qualified has documented qualification evidence, “qualified available” is a supplier phrase meaning the part can be supported for qualification with the report confirmed, and an unstated mark means no claim. This guide explains … Read more
RoHS compliance for a power component means the part stays within the substance limits of the EU directive, and a halogen-free claim adds material-level limits on chlorine and bromine. This guide covers the substances, the halogen-free standard, the claims, and the declaration and audit path that turn a compliance statement into evidence. RoHS and the … Read more
Automotive grade means the part is qualified to the automotive expectation—the AEC-Q101-style stress set and the vehicle temperature range—while commercial grade is qualified to less demanding conditions. The selection is an exposure decision: where the part sits, what it must survive, and what the record must show. The Grade Ladder and What Each Level Buys … Read more
Thermal cycling and power cycling are two reliability tests that age two different parts of a rectifier: thermal cycling stresses the package and solder interfaces, and power cycling stresses the die and the bond wires. This guide covers both mechanisms, how to read the data, and what to request from the supplier. Two Cycling Tests, … Read more
PV module qualification exercises the bypass diodes in hot-spot endurance, thermal cycling, and junction-box tests, and the diode’s device data is the evidence behind the module’s result. This guide covers the IEC context, the tests that matter, and the supplier evidence to request. Module-Level Tests That Exercise Bypass Diodes The module qualification sequence in IEC … Read more
The pulse tests a power line faces are not one test but a landscape: component-level ESD, system-level ESD, mains surge, and automotive transients each have a generator, a waveform, and an energy. This guide maps the landscape, explains each test, and shows how the protection component is chosen for the test that matters. The Pulse … Read more
Counterfeit power semiconductors enter the supply chain through gray-market listings, recycled parts, and forged documents, and the defense is a process: know the entry paths, check the signals, verify with equipment, buy through authorized channels, and react fast when a suspect part appears. This guide covers each step. How Counterfeits Enter the Supply Chain The … Read more
Rectifier failures arrive in four signatures—short, open, leaky, or intermittent—and each signature points to a small set of possible causes: electrical overstress, thermal damage, or assembly defects. This field guide maps each signature to its likely causes and gives a diagnostic order that starts before the part is removed from the board. Four Failure Signatures: … Read more
The TVS’s power class is a pulse-shape statement: 400 W and 600 W are quoted at a defined waveform, and the event’s actual energy decides the right class. This guide covers the waveform conventions, the energy estimate, the decision table, and the derating. TVS Power Ratings Depend on the Pulse Shape The TVS’s power rating … Read more
Schottky thermal runaway is a positive feedback loop: leakage current grows with junction temperature, leakage power heats the junction, and the heating raises leakage further. Whether the loop stops or runs away depends on one comparison—total loss versus the heat the assembly can remove. This article explains the mechanism step by step and the stability … Read more
Rectifier overheating has three root causes—underrated current or duty, a failing thermal interface, or leakage growing with temperature—and a fixed measurement protocol followed by a fault tree finds the right one faster than a part swap. Measure the case temperature at steady state, work through the three branches in order, and the fix is usually … Read more
Field reliability is a design gate, not a lab result: the margin review, the stress-point audit, and the documented design review decide whether a rectifier-based stage survives the field’s duty. This checklist converts the field expectation into checks that can be run at prototype, pre-production, and every change after. Designing for the Field, Not the … Read more
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