If one examines the datasheet of a diode such as the Vishay US1G, there is a graph of the typical voltage vs current such as Figure 3 below (with multiple lines for different temperatures):
However, there are very few guaranteed specifications for the forward voltage at any given temperature. Typically, there will be a single value for a single current at 25C:
Since the typical value from the graph is about 0.85-0.90V at 1A, it would imply a tolerance a tolerance of 10-15%.
So my questions are:
- Is a 15% variation in voltage (and other parameters) realistic?
- Would this tolerance this hold for each V-I temperature curve?
- Is 15% also applicable a low currents (e.g. 0.01A in this instance)?
- Are there any parameters that are likely to have tighter and/or looser tolerances?
- Is 15% a reasonable tolerance value to assume between different part numbers (for ordinary diodes) and manufacturers?
Background: I am attempting to calculate min/max voltage requirements for a circuit. A diode is used for reverse voltage protection and thus will affect the limit. Of course, I can choose a different reverse blocking scheme with less of a voltage drop, but that's not the purpose of this question.
