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The Schottky diode (named after German physicist Walter H. Schottky; also known as hot carrier diode) is a semiconductor diode with a low forward voltage drop and a very fast switching action. The cat's-whisker detectors used in the early days of wireless can be considered primitive Schottky diodes.

When current flows through a diode there is a small voltage drop across the diode terminals. A normal silicon diode has a voltage drop between 0.6–1.7 volts,[1] while a Schottky diode voltage drop is between approximately 0.*5–0.*5 volts. This lower voltage drop can provide higher switching speed and better system efficiency.