We all know that laser diodes are used in many scenes in daily life. Many people will confuse laser diodes with Shocky diodes. So are they really the same thing? What are the main differences?

Laser diode is actually a semiconductor device that can directly convert electric energy into laser. You can think of it as an "upgraded version" of LED, except that LED emits ordinary light, while laser diode emits laser with particularly strong directivity and high coherence. We often see it in optical communication, laser ranging, bar code scanning and even medical beauty equipment.

As for Shockey diode, it is characterized by fast response speed and low forward voltage, so it often appears in power supply, switching circuit and radio frequency circuit, and is used for rectification, detection and protection circuit. It does not emit light, nor does it produce laser, but it is just an element for current control.

From the structural point of view, the laser diode is a PN junction structure, which relies on carrier recombination to emit light; Shocky diode is the contact surface between metal and semiconductor, that is, metal-semiconductor junction, and its principle is completely different. One depends on the light, and the other depends on the speed.

Laser diodes focus on "light emission" and are optoelectronic devices; Shocky diode focuses on "rectification" and is a pure electronic device. One emits light, the other conducts electricity, and the working field is completely different.