A Schottky barrier diode is a semiconductor diode formed by a semiconductor layer and a metal contact that provides a nonlinear rectification characteristic. Hot carriers (electrons for N-type materials or holes for P-type materials) are emitted from the Schottky barrier of the semiconductor and move to the metal coating that is the diode base. Majority carriers predominate, but there is essentially no injection or storage of minority carriers to limit switching speeds. These diodes are also called hot-carrier or Schottky diodes.
Schottky-clamped transistors used in some transistor-transistor logic (TTL) IC families include Schottky barrier diodes to prevent transistor saturation, thereby speeding up transistor switching. Also, the gates of gallium-arsenide MESFET transistors are actually Schottky barrier diodes.
