What do you call a non-Schottky diode?

[adx]

To differentiate them from Schottkys? Rather than just call them "diode".

I've been know to call them "silicon" diodes which is as wrong as the above (or even wronger), I think from a shortening of "silicon junction" (which is probably correct, if long).

PN junction (or p-n junction or just PN) diode is convenient if a bit technical (I'd never call a a Schottky a "hot carrier" diode, unless in some RF field (as in, workplace) or back in the 70s). Wikipedia has p-n junction pointing to 'ordinary' diodes on its Schottky page.

[Gyro]

Diode is fine, Schottky is a qualifier. You could always say signal diode or rectifier diode if you feel it's too short I suppose.

[rsjsouza]

Indeed. The pre-Schottky solid state diodes were called either "Germanium diode", "Silicon diode", "Selenium diode (or rectifier)" and so on. This is a costumary way to name them.

Coming even a bit further back, the diodes from the vacuum tube era were qualified by their function: rectifier diode, damper diode, detector diode and so on.

[adx]

Hmm, maybe I was a bit hard on myself calling "silicon" (or nothing) wrong after all those years - perhaps "all silicon"?! (Or whatever it is made of.)

I hadn't thought about the historical aspect(s). Except for the 70s. Perhaps I have become too fearful of ambiguity as I hurtle towards antiquity. Which is rather ironic.

There's also PIN diodes, which is a counterexample to my hot carrier example. Once a mate set fire to the carrier of my bike at a party, and when I got home (~5km) it was still on fire! (He'll know who he is.) I was actually down there today, and the charred remains of the plastic left a black scrape against the freshly (few years ago) painted concrete walls that I leaned it on. I felt a small shard of guilt circle my heart until the orbital dynamics slingshotted it off at a great rate of kiloknots (slingschotted?). I digress.

Cool, I'll stick with "silicon" or "" I think.

[tggzzz]

To differentiate them from Schottkys? Rather than just call them "diode".

I've been know to call them "silicon" diodes which is as wrong as the above (or even wronger), I think from a shortening of "silicon junction" (which is probably correct, if long).

PN junction (or p-n junction or just PN) diode is convenient if a bit technical (I'd never call a a Schottky a "hot carrier" diode, unless in some RF field (as in, workplace) or back in the 70s). Wikipedia has p-n junction pointing to 'ordinary' diodes on its Schottky page.

Diode, optionally plus material.

Unless, that is, it is a Gunn, IMPATT, PIN, photo, tunnel, zener, noise, varactor, snap, MIM diode

Now, which types have I forgotten about

[nfmax]

Try a semiconductor junction diode, to distinguish them from the metal-semiconductor junction of the Schottky diode

[themadhippy]

Ask the diode what it identifys as

[magic]

PN diode.

Or, if just "silicon diode" bothers you, make it an "ordinary silicon diode".

[Benta]

Yep, PN diode.

[MrAl]

Hello,

I would think "regular silicon diode" would be ok, but most often we have to qualify the type anyway because of the application it will be used in.
For example, you would not use a rectifier diode in a switching converter, and you would not use a high speed diode or zero recovery diode in a mains line rectifier.  That's because of the cost vs switching speed.  Rectifier diodes are relatively slow because they only have to work at 50 or 60Hz and possibly rarely at 400Hz.

Actually, it's almost always better to specify the part number, such as 1N4004 or 1N5402, etc., or 1N5817, etc.  That reduces the error of getting the wrong part.  I've seen cases where someone tried to use a 1N4001 diode for a switching converter, which is a big no-no.

[coppercone2]

or say fast diode, low leakage diode, stable diode

[David Hess]

On my parts drawers I mark them schottky, silicon (low leakage non-gold doped), switching (gold doped), avalanche, zener, etc., but I also have germanium 1N270s to be distinguished.

[nali]

Diode, optionally plus material.

Unless, that is, it is a Gunn, IMPATT, PIN, photo, tunnel, zener, noise, varactor, snap, MIM diode

Now, which types have I forgotten about

Galena
(I suspect you might just be old enough )

[T3sl4co1l]

"PN" or "PN junction". A bit ungainly, but specific, so worth using when that specificity is required. When context allows, "junction diode" or "diode".  Or "it" when pronouns will even suffice.

Tim

[Psi]

I classify diodes as.
- Silicon
- Schottky
- Germanium
- Zener
- Fast  (This is just a bin for any special/ultra fast diodes that i bought for DCDC stuff)

I also have a bin for bridge rectifiers, mainly because they are physically large, so it makes more sense to store them together.

[adx]

I have 4 parts drawers marked 1N4004, 1N5819, 1N4148 and BAT85, into which anything can go as long as it's not confusing (ie, a Zener). Another for bridges, another for "SR"s (Schottky rectifiers aka SMPS diodes), and some random round ball types I pulled from some old band printer board I gas torched apart once. EPROMs near the 1N4148s in hindsight possibly because they're glass and you can see the chips inside.

The extent of my nomenclature accuracy is probably calling them "diode" and "BAT", along with various colleagues who would say the same things. 'The wider experience' doesn't seem to be much different!

I think my recent surprise problem with "silicon" is that most semiconductor diodes are made of that (except LEDs maybe), and similarly for "junction" (unless it has a vacuum, or mercury perhaps). "PN" has a nice alignment with "PIN". "Ordinary" sounds a bit potentially insulting and could make said diode feel upset, assuming the electrical ReLU function gives it enough AI smarts to feel slighted.

I think I'm happiest knowing that "not knowing" is kind of universal. So not only do I not need to remember anything, I can forget and be hypothetically happy I don't know!

[David Hess]

I am currently in the process of renewing my parts cabinets.  Shown below are three generations of labeling going back more then 30 years.  The oldest are hand written using a technical pen and india ink, the next oldest are drawn in AutoCAD, and the newest are made in Libreoffice Calc.

I have 1N458 and FDH300 diodes on order which will be marked silicon, and the 1N4149 will be changed to switching.  I will likely change some of the others to silicon rectifier and schottky rectifier.

[tggzzz]

Diode, optionally plus material.

Unless, that is, it is a Gunn, IMPATT, PIN, photo, tunnel, zener, noise, varactor, snap, MIM diode

Now, which types have I forgotten about

Galena
(I suspect you might just be old enough )

...selenium, crystal...

[CatalinaWOW]

The Galena diodes were point contact diodes, as were some early germanium diodes.  I don't remember anyone doing point contact silicon diodes.

Since the vast majority of diodes encountered over the last 50 years are silicon junction diodes, with schottky a distant second, I find diode a valid shorthand.  When another type is discussed add appropriate qualifiers.

[TimFox]

The 1N21 series of radar detector diodes are silicon point-contact devices.

[Circlotron]

Could a Schottky diode be made using germanium? And if so, would it have an even lower forward voltage drop than a normal germanium diode?

[MLXXXp]

Unless, that is, it is a Gunn, IMPATT, PIN, photo, tunnel, zener, noise, varactor, snap, MIM diode

Now, which types have I forgotten about

Light emitting.

[T3sl4co1l]

Could a Schottky diode be made using germanium? And if so, would it have an even lower forward voltage drop than a normal germanium diode?

Yes. Depending on how a whisker diode is made, it may happen.  Though I think they way they made e.g. 1N34 was by fusing the whisker in place, with attendant doping effect (driven by plating applied to the whisker..?), which made a PN junction, just a very small (and fast) one.

Tim

[MrAl]

Hello,

You could make your own point contact diode with a rusty piece of steel sheet metal and a sewing pin.  The pin is mounted with an insulator and so the pins point pressure can be adjusted as it contacts the rusty steel.  The pin becomes one terminal and the rusty steel the other terminal of the diode.  When the pressure is right, it acts like a diode and can be used to demodulate AM radio signals to receive radio frequency transmissions.
You may also have to adjust the position where the pins point contacts the rusty metal so it touches it in a 'good' spot where the rust is just right.

[David Hess]

Could a Schottky diode be made using germanium? And if so, would it have an even lower forward voltage drop than a normal germanium diode?

I remember someone making, or at least announcing, germanium Schottky rectifiers after the MOSFET power semiconductor revolution, but synchronous rectification ended up being a better solution.  I suspect the higher leakage and lower operating temperature of a germanium Schottky diode would be too limiting.