To address the efficiency of a rectifier, one thing to look at is the trade-off between forward voltage and reverse current, translating into conduction losses and reverse losses, respectively. This Figure shows the trade-off for Schottky, Silicon Germanium, and Fast Recovery rectifiers. For Schottky rectifiers, the choice of Schottky metal determines the trade-off, and the designer can move along the blue curve. A low leakage Schottky rectifier will have a leakage current of down to about 100 nA. On the other hand, a typical Fast Recovery rectifier has a forward voltage of about 0.9 V, and a leakage current in the nano-amp range. As mentioned in the introduction, Silicon Germanium rectifiers combine the best of both worlds in the sense that they offer a low leakage current (and a thermal stability) comparable to a Fast Recovery rectifier in combination with a low forward voltage comparable to a low leakage Schottky rectifier. The result is a reduction of conduction losses by around 20% compared to the Fast Recovery rectifier. An engineer considering a Silicon Germanium rectifier for their design can translate this into efficiency gains based on duty cycles. One remark on switching: The Silicon Germanium rectifier shows a fast and soft switching behavior comparable to a Schottky rectifier and is therefore fit for use in high-speed switching applications.