1200 V / 10 A SiC Schottky — the switching-loss killer
The STPSC10H12B2-TR is a 1200 V, 10 A silicon carbide Schottky diode from STMicroelectronics, housed in a DPAK HV surface-mount package. Its defining characteristic is zero reverse recovery time — the SiC Schottky barrier eliminates the stored-charge tail that plagues silicon ultrafast diodes, so turn-off losses are essentially capacitive only. This makes it the right fit for hard-switched topologies running above 100 kHz where silicon recovery losses would dominate the thermal budget.
The datasheet lists reverse recovery time as 0 ns, and the part carries a "No Recovery Time > 500 mA (Io)" speed classification. In a continuous-conduction-mode PFC stage, a silicon ultrafast diode might dissipate several watts in recovery losses alone at 200 kHz; this SiC part drops that term to near zero. The remaining loss is conduction (Vf × Iavg) and the capacitive discharge from the junction capacitance, which is 725 pF at 0 V bias. That capacitance figure matters for the snubber design — it sets the minimum RC damping needed to suppress ringing at the switch node.
175 °C junction — thermal headroom in tight enclosures
The 175 °C max allows the diode to run hotter than a typical 150 °C silicon part, which translates to a smaller heatsink or higher output power in a given thermal envelope. Reverse leakage at rated voltage is 60 µA at 1200 V, typical for SiC technology; note that leakage rises exponentially with temperature, so at 175 °C junction the standby loss contribution must be checked against the application's no-load spec.
ST lists the product status as Active. The part is also available in Cut Tape for prototyping.
Package and footprint — DPAK HV
The package is TO-252-3 (DPak, 2 leads plus tab), specifically the DPAK HV variant. The package is rated for the full 175 °C junction temperature, so the solder joint must use a high-temperature alloy if the tab runs above 150 °C.