The Schottky diode (named after German physicist Walter H. Schottky) is a semiconductor diode with a low forward voltage drop. A typical application is discharge-protection for solar cells connected to lead-acid batteries. While standard silicon diodes have a forward voltage drop of about 0.6 volts, Schottky diodes have a drop of only about 0.2 volts.

A Schottky diode uses a metal-semiconductor junction as a Schottky barrier (instead of a semiconductor-semiconductor junction as in conventional diodes). This Schottky barrier results in both very fast switching times and low forward voltage drop.

External references

• The Metal-Semiconductor Junction. Schottky Diode.