Is diode capable of passing enormous , periodic surge current?

Hello, ....is the ES1G diode capable of passing this current.......it passes this current once every 800ms....

https://i50.tinypic.com/efhsnd.jpg

ES1G diode datasheet.
**broken link removed**


By the Way, its the current from a xenon flash lamp discharge, and the diode would be used in the doubler circuit as follows...
https://i48.tinypic.com/21jp4et.jpg

It is rated at 30A so you would be way over the maximum ratings. I suggest a larger diode. In practice you may find the peak current is considerably lower due to stray inductance and resistance - I guess you are just simulating it.

Keith

The problem with ES1G is that the datasheet specifies the characteristic only up to 10 A. I would prefer a 3 or 5 A standard rectifier diode like 1N5408 in the manufacturer application note. ES1G won't be immediately blown, but I'm not sure about long term reliability.

I would have to assume you mean "pass without permanent
damage".

Even at short pulse widths you have to respect bond wire
fusing and the temperature rise of the die. Below about 1uS
you can consider the temp rise to be adiabatic and then
you have input Joule energy and close-in thermal mass
(silicon only, and probably just a portion of it) pushing
temp rise, and you had better stay well away from the
silicon-aluminum eutectic or you'll spike the junction and
have youself a large version of the "zener zap" trim diode.
You might be able to find bare die dimensions and do the
thermal calcs. I'd be concerned about anything over 300C
for low voltage (<40V) and a high voltage device, maybe
200C (since you can figure your first-order calcs are a
joke and the thermal profile in short-time is quite
nonuniform).

I'd bet that you can safely survive 10X the DC rating at
<10% duty cycle, but further out than that it gets iffy.

Looks like the wrong part for the job , you ought to be using IGBT's

Looks like the wrong part for the job , you ought to be using IGBT's.

Click to expand...

Flash lamp circuit withs diodes or SCRs in the main current path serve their purpose since half a century or so.
Diodes are used for voltage booster circuits, SCRs for intensity control of photo flashes. These classical switch circuits have been later supplemented by IGBT circuits.

For a simple booster circuit, diodes are still useful. Respective circuits have been recently shown in this and same topic threads.

Even at short pulse widths you have to respect bond wire
fusing and the temperature rise of the die. Below about 1uS
you can consider the temp rise to be adiabatic and then
you have input Joule energy and close-in thermal mass

Click to expand...

If we assume, that above a certain current level the diode characteristic is dominated by a series resistance, the pulse handling capability is usually determined by ∫I²t calculations. It applies to the region where pulse widths are shorter than the smallest thermal time constant involved by the chip and interconnection elements.

For some chips, the thermal parameters are given in the datasheet, but even without datasheet information, you can derive some basic properties.

Classical power rectifiers like 1N5408 (a standard 3 A rectifier used as in the below linked application note) have no bond wires, just the chip brazed to the axial leads. The datasheet doesn't specify thermal parameters for short pulses, but the I/V characteric covers a range up to 200A, so the dissipated energy in flash lamp applications can be fairly estimated. https://www.onsemi.com/pub/Collateral/1N5400-D.PDF

Even with sufficient diode power handling, thermal wear at low pulse frequencies can be a problem and more burdensome than constant high chip temperatures.

There are some simple ways to switch hundreds of amps using gas tubes surge arrestors as capacitor dumps to your larger xenon gas tube.


Key Specifications/Special Featuresoptions)
DC breakdown voltage (100V/s): 90V±25%, 150V±20%, 230V +30/-40, 350V±20%, 470V±20%, 600V±20%, 800V±20%
Impulse breakdown voltage (1kV/s):≤700V (2R-90/150) ≤800V (2R-230/350)
Impulse breakdown voltage (1kV/s): ≤900V (2R-470) ≤1,200V (2R-600) ≤1,400V (2R-800)
Impulse discharge current (10/1,000µs): 100A ... (rise/fall time)
Impulse discharge current (8/20µs): 10kA
AC discharge current (50Hz): 10A
Holdover voltage: 80V (2R-150) 135V (2R-230/350/470/600/800)
Insulation resistance: ≥10^9Ohms
Capacitance: ≤2pF
Size: 8 x 6 and 8 x 8mm

you then charge the cap and use an inductive spike to trigger the switch to dump the cap into the Xenon light. With a negative ESR on the gas tube during conduction and voltage drop is low when it extinguishes. becoming an open switch again until triggered. Ideally you trigger enough to switch both the Xenon and gas tube simultaneously so no semiconductor switch is needed.

You waveform is ideal 0/300µS triangle which falls within 10/1,000µs): 100A spec.