AN11470 Leadless Schottky diodes in a DC-to-DC step-up converter Rev. 1 22 April 2014 Application note Document information Info Content Keywords Schottky diode, boost converter, LED backlight, current source Abstract This application note discusses the application of DC-to-DC voltage up conversion with focus on the Schottky diode used in the backlight unit of typical mobile devices. Products equipped with a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) such as smartphones, tablet PCs or notebooks need backlight for the illumination. Strings of LEDs are the standard solution for an energy efficient light generation. The LED strings need to be supplied with a defined current. The voltage required for the strings is a multiple of the forward voltage of the LEDs used. The main supply voltage of mobile devices, e.g. from a lithium-ion battery pack, is not high enough to run a current through the LED string. Therefore a voltage booster is required. Requirements for the Schottky diode in this booster with respect to electrical and thermal performance are discussed in detail. NXP Semiconductors Schottky diodes allow to replace diodes in comparably large packages with very small components and enable a further step towards miniaturization without compromising performance.AN11470 NXP Semiconductors Leadless Schottky diodes in a DC-to-DC step-up converter Revision history Rev Date Description 1 20140422 Initial version Contact information For more information, please visit: