Which of the following is an advantage of using a Schottky diode in an RF switching circuit rather than a standard silicon diode? [G6A06]
A. Lower capacitance
B. Lower inductance
C. Longer switching times
D. Higher breakdown voltage
First off, we need to know the difference between a Schottky diode and a standard silicon diode. To start, they have a much lower breakdown voltage than a regular diode, which makes them generally better in high speed applications.
Since they aren’t capable of storing as much electric potential, and therefore electric charge, (which is the definition of a capacitor,) we can deduce that it would also have a A. Lower capacitance than a standard silicon diode. This could make it quite useful in high frequency RF applications.