1200 V blocking, 15 A forward — the D²PAK power diode for automotive PFC
The STTH1512GY-TR is an STMicroelectronics standard fast-recovery diode rated for 1200 V reverse voltage and 15 A average forward current, housed in a D²PAK (TO-263AB) surface-mount package. The AEC-Q101 qualification and 175°C maximum junction temperature target it for automotive on-board charger PFC stages, DC-DC converter boost diodes, and motor-drive freewheeling clamps where the board temperature runs high and the voltage bus exceeds 800 V.
105 ns trr at 15 A — recovery charge and switching loss
Reverse recovery time is 105 ns at 15 A, which places it in the fast-recovery class for a 1200 V silicon diode. At 50-80 kHz hard switching the recovery charge is low enough to keep the turn-off loss within the D²PAK's thermal budget when the tab is soldered to a 2-3 cm² copper island on a 2 oz board. Above 100 kHz the stored charge starts to dominate — a SiC Schottky would cut the switching loss further, but the STTH1512GY-TR avoids the SiC price premium for most automotive power stages.
Forward drop and leakage at temperature
Maximum forward voltage is 1.9 V at 15 A and 25°C junction. At 150°C the Vf typically drops 10-15% while the reverse leakage rises — the datasheet specifies 15 µA at 1200 V and 25°C, but the leakage doubles roughly every 10°C above 100°C. The 175°C Tj(max) gives headroom for transient overloads, but continuous operation near the 15 A limit at high ambient requires the tab to be thermally coupled to the PCB or a heatsink.
Active production, AEC-Q101 traceability
The AEC-Q101 qualification means the lot is traceable through the production-PPAP documentation that automotive Tier-1 buyers require. The -GY suffix is the automotive-grade variant of the base STTH1512 die; the marking, the test flow, and the temperature cycling limits differ from the commercial-grade STTH1512G.