GERMANIUM DIODES
| Early semiconductor developments used germanium as the commercial,
semiconductor material. Due to its ease of processing and more stable temperature
characteristics, silicon became the semiconductor of choice. And as a consequence of
that, most early germanium semiconductors were replaced with silicon. These were primarily
transistors and diodes.
However, germanium diodes have the advantage of an intrinsically low forward voltage
drop, typically 0.3 volts; this low forward voltage drop results in a low power loss and
more efficient diode, making it superior in many ways to the silicon diode. A silicon
diode forward voltage drop, by comparison, is typically 0.7 volts. This lower voltage drop
with germanium becomes important in very low signal environments (signal detection from
audio to FM frequencies) and in low level logic circuits. As a result germanium diodes are
finding increasing application in low level digital circuits.
With this increased interest, certain general germanium characteristics should be
understood. First and most important is that of an increased leakage current for germanium
at a reverse voltage. This is mitigated to some degree by the fact that in low level
circuits the reverse voltage applied to a germanium diode is also usually very low,
resulting in a low reverse leakage current (leakage current is directly proportional to
reverse voltage). However the leakage current is still larger than with silicon. A
properly designed circuit can lessen this factor. American Microsemiconductor supplies an
improved, low leakage current, germanium diode. |
| |
Fwd Voltage Drop |
Reverse Current |
| |
Peak Inv.
Voltage
PIV |
Max. Aver.
Rectified
Current lo
At 25oC |
Junction Temp.
TJ |
VF |
@ IF |
IR |
@VR |
| Part no. |
Volts |
MA |
Max. oC |
Max. V |
MA |
Max. m
A |
Volts |
| 1N34A |
60 |
50 |
90 |
1.0 |
5.0 |
30 |
10 |
| 1N60 |
50 |
30 |
100 |
1.0 |
5.0 |
40 |
20 |
| 1N100A |
80 |
70 |
90 |
1.0 |
40 |
50 |
50 |
| 1N270 |
100
|
200 |
90 |
1.0 |
200
|
100 |
50 |
| 1N277 |
120 |
100 |
90 |
1.0 |
100 |
250 |
50 |
AMERICAN MICROSEMICONDUCTOR INC is one
of the few suppliers of germanium diodes in the world; we have been supplying these parts
to the largest manufactures in the world over the last 30 years and we continue to be one
of the largest suppliers worldwide. We support this diode and plan to continue to do so
into the distant future.
P. O. Box 104,
133 Kings Road, Madison, New Jersey 07940, Phone: (973) 377-9566, Fax: (973) 377-3078
Questions, Comments, Suggestions - Email To: info@americanmicrosemi.com |
