A board can carry a large TVS at its power entry and still fail ESD tests, because the two threats are different jobs. The TVS guards the line-to-ground energy of a surge — the big pulse that comes in through the mains or a connector — while electrostatic discharge strikes at a different scale and … Read more
“Automotive grade” is one of the most misused phrases in component buying. It does not mean better quality in general, it does not mean the part is more accurate, and it does not describe a single test. It describes a qualification programme: a set of stress tests, and a traceability chain that connects a shipped … 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. Last updated: October 11, 2026 The Grade Ladder … 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. Last updated: October … 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. Last updated: October … 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. Last updated: October 11, 2026 Module-Level Tests That Exercise Bypass Diodes The … 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. Last updated: … 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. Last updated: October 11, 2026 How Counterfeits … 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. Last updated: October … 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. Last updated: October 11, 2026 What a Real Family Publishes Side by … 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
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
Send the topology, current and voltage class. Good-Ark sales and application engineering will confirm the closest device, package and qualification status.