Vietnamese scientists and technicians have mastered the technology to produce Schottky diodes – a device widely used in electric appliances.

Vietnamese scientists and technicians have mastered the technology to produce Schottky diodes – a device widely used in electric appliances.

The Schottky diode, named after German physician Walter H. Schottky, is widely known as a ‘hot carrier diode' with a fast switching action.

The research and development (R&D) centre in Ho Chi Minh City's High Tech Park announced they had recently developed the capacity to manufacture the device for commercial purposes.

The first shipment of locally-made Schottky diodes will be exported to Hong Kong this year, with the first order coming from the Hong Kong Electrical Equipment Company. 

Dr. Duong Minh Tam, vice head of the Ho Chi Minh City High Tech Park management board, said the pilot programme for the diode was launched early last year, with Hong Kong University sending experts to the Ho Chi Minh City-based centre to oversee the development of the technology.

The delegation visited the facility to observe production of the semiconductors and verify the units being made were in accordance with international standards. 

Tam said the Schottky diodes would be used as part of a bridge rectifier or as a freewheeling diode to protect electrical motors and transformers, adding that many countries such as Japan, the Republic of Korea and the US had skipped the production of semiconductors to produce chips. 

There was still a significant demand in the electronics industry for semiconductors, said Tam.

The global market for the diodes is worth around 5 billion USD annually, according to Tam. Vietnam is expected to capture between 2 to 5 percent of the market during the next five years