Most circuit designers are familiar with DIODE dynamiccharacteristics such as charge storage, voltage dependentcapacitance and reverse recovery time. Less commonlyacknowledged and manufacturer specifi ed is DIODE forwardturn-on time. This parameter describes the timerequired for a DIODE to turn on and clamp at its forwardvoltage drop. Historically, this extremely short time, unitsof nanoseconds, has been so small that user and vendoralike have essentially ignored it. It is rarely discussed andalmost never specifi ed. Recently, switching regulator clockrate and transition time have become faster, making DIODEturn-on time a critical issue. Increased clock rates aremandated to achieve smaller magnetics size; decreasedtransition times somewhat aid overall effi ciency but areprincipally needed to minimize IC heat rise. At clock speedsbeyond about 1MHz, transition time losses are the primarysource of die heating.
A light-emitting DIODE (LED) is a semiconductor device that emits narrow-spectrum incoherent light when forward-biased.The color of the emitted light depends on the chemical composition of the semiconductor material used, and can benear-ultraviolet, visible or infrared. LEDs are more prevalent today than ever before, replacing traditional incandescent andfluorescent bulbs in many lighting applications. Incandescents use a heated filament, are subject to breakage and burnoutand operate at a luminous efficiency of 2% to 4%. Fluorescents are more efficient, at 7% to 12%, but require highdrive voltage and contain mercury, a toxic substance that may be eventually banned in certain countries. LEDs, however,produce light directly through electroluminescence, operate at low voltage and can deliver over 20% luminous efficiency.
