Principle of Switching Diodes 2

switching diodes， Conversely, when a reverse bias voltage is applied (the anode connected to the negative terminal and the cathode to the positive terminal), the external electric field enhances the built-in electric field of the depletion region. The depletion region widens, increasing the barrier for charge carriers to cross the junction. Only a very small reverse leakage current, typically in the microampere or even nanoampere range for silicon switching diodes, can flow through the diode. This minuscule current is negligible in most applications, and the diode acts as an open switch, effectively blocking the current flow and entering the “off” state.

The key advantage of switching diodes lies in their ability to switch between these two states extremely quickly. The switching speed is determined by parameters such as the reverse recovery time 。