Which communication brands widely use high-end diodes in their devices?

一, Technological breakthroughs of international communication brands
1. Huawei: Revolution of Silicon Carbide Diodes in 5G Base Stations
Huawei has replaced traditional silicon-based devices with silicon carbide (SiC) Schottky diodes in its Massive MIMO antenna design, achieving a significant increase in power synthesis efficiency. For example, a certain model of base station increases the single channel output power from 40W to 64W by matching SiC ultrafast recovery diode (UFRD), and the system efficiency reaches 48%, which is 6 percentage points higher than the traditional solution. This breakthrough is attributed to the wide bandgap characteristics of SiC materials, which have a breakdown electric field strength 10 times that of silicon, a 70% reduction in on resistance, and a significant reduction in switching losses and thermal dissipation.
In the power module of the base station, Huawei adopts a collaborative design of GaN HEMT and SiC diode, which enables the efficiency of the 48V communication power supply to exceed 96%. By optimizing the reverse recovery characteristics of the diode (Qrr reduced from 50nC to 5nC), combined with microchannel cooling technology, the device power density reaches 1kW/L, and the diode junction temperature remains stable below 85 ℃, meeting the high-density deployment requirements of 5G base stations.
2. Ericsson: Integration of high-frequency diodes in RF front-end
Ericsson widely applies Super Junction technology diodes in RF front-end modules, achieving electric field homogenization by alternately arranging P/N columns, reducing the conduction voltage drop (Vf) of 600V SiC Schottky diodes from 1.7V to 1.1V. In millimeter wave communication (24-100GHz) scenarios, its self-developed Trench MOSFET structure diode reduces the conduction resistance to 0.5m Ω· cm ² and shortens the reverse recovery time to 5ns, meeting the high-speed switching requirements of 5G NR (New Radio) for RF signals.
In addition, Ericsson uses PIN diodes with beam lead packaging in satellite communication equipment to achieve a 0.5ns level response speed for antenna switching circuits. This device reduces the signal overshoot voltage from 5V to 0.5V by eliminating the encapsulated inductance (Lpar<0.5nH), significantly improving system stability.
3. Nokia: Innovative photodiodes in optical transmission modules
Nokia uses the Sako Micro SL9302 silicon PIN photodiode in its 400G/800G optical transmission module to achieve a breakthrough in optical signal reception sensitivity. This device improves the responsivity to 0.9A/W (@ 1550nm) and reduces the dark current to 0.1nA by optimizing the thickness of the I-layer, supporting relay free transmission over 100km. In coherent optical communication systems, the 3dB bandwidth of SL9302 reaches 30GHz, meeting the requirements of PAM4 modulation format for high-speed signal detection.
二, Domestic substitution practice of domestic communication brands
1. ZTE: Synchronous rectification technology in optical modules
ZTE Corporation has replaced traditional diodes with domestically produced N-type MOSFETs in its 5G front-end optical modules, achieving a leap in synchronous rectification efficiency. For example, its 25G optical module dynamically adjusts the MOSFET conduction angle, increasing the power conversion efficiency from 85% to 94%, and saving up to 1.2 million kWh of electricity per module per year. This technology reduces power consumption by 60% by eliminating the fixed voltage drop (Vf ≈ 0.7V) of the diode, while also reducing the difficulty of thermal design.
In the field of base station power supply, ZTE has collaborated with Suzhou Gude to develop SiC SBD rectifier diodes, which reduce the forward voltage drop (Vf=0.3V) by 80% compared to traditional fast recovery diodes and shorten the reverse recovery time (trr=10ns) by 70%. The device remains stable within the temperature range of -40 ℃ to+125 ℃, meeting the stringent reliability standards of communication equipment.
2. FiberHome Communication: TVS diode protection in data centers
FiberHome Communications uses Littelfuse unidirectional TVS diodes (such as SMAJ5.0A) in its data center switches to achieve electrostatic protection for 10/1000Base-T Ethernet ports. By optimizing the PN junction structure, the response time of this device is shortened to 1ps, the clamping voltage accuracy is controlled at ± 5%, and it can withstand 30kV air discharge and 15kV contact discharge, meeting the IEC 61000-4-5 standard.
In the 400G data center optical module, FiberHome collaborated with Vishay to develop a low parasitic capacitance TVS diode (Cj=0.5pF), which reduces signal attenuation to below 0.1dB and supports lossless transmission of PAM4 signals. This device reduces PCB space occupation by 60% by adopting surface mount (SMD) packaging, which meets the high-density deployment requirements of data centers.
3. Jingxin Communication: Selection of high-frequency diodes in small base stations
Jingxin Communication widely uses high-frequency diodes such as 1N4148 and SS14 to achieve signal detection and rectification in its 5G small base stations. For example, 1N4148 achieves -40dBm sensitivity detection in the 2.4GHz Wi Fi 6E frequency band with its 8ns reverse recovery time and 4pF junction capacitance; The SS14 Schottky diode has a forward voltage drop of 0.3V and a reverse voltage drop of 40V, meeting the low voltage and high current power supply needs of small base stations.
In millimeter wave small base stations, Jingxin has introduced BAP64-03 RF diodes. By optimizing the thickness of the epitaxial layer, the insertion loss of 10Gbps signals is controlled within 0.5dB, and the phase noise is reduced to -160dBc/Hz, meeting the strict requirements of 5G NR for RF performance.