A Findchips sourcing spotlight
Some parts draw attention because they are new. The SS14 Schottky draws attention because it’s everywhere. However, this ubiquity hides a sourcing problem. A BOM line saying only “SS14” tells purchasing what to buy in the loosest possible sense, but tells the design team almost nothing about what will arrive on the reel.
Join us as we break down the variants of this part, so you can decide which one best fits your design.
SS14 at a Glance
- The SS14 is an industry type number, not a manufacturer part number.
- Multiple manufacturers produce electrically similar but not identical SS14 devices.
- Reverse leakage, surge rating, and qualification differ by supplier.
- Specify the complete manufacturer ordering number on the BOM.
- Compare manufacturers, inventory, and pricing on Findchips.
SS14 Schottky Rectifier Overview
The SS14 is a 40 V, 1 A silicon Schottky barrier rectifier supplied by dozens of manufacturers in the DO-214AC (SMA) package. It is an industry type designation rather than a unique manufacturer part number.
Here are the full specs:
- Reverse voltage of 40 volts, with 1 amp average rectified forward current.
- Forward voltage of roughly 0.5 volts maximum at the full 1 amp rating, falling toward 0.2 volts at light load. That is about half the drop of a standard silicon PN rectifier, which is the entire reason the part exists.
- Peak surge current in the region of 30 amps, covering inrush and hot plug events.
- A guard ring across the metal semiconductor junction for stress protection.
- Operating junction temperature up to 125 °C, with the cold end published as either 55 °C or 65 °C below zero, depending on whose datasheet you are reading.
Important: Check which suppliers are stocking against this type number today. Search SS14 listings on Findchips.
Where It Fits
Four sockets account for most SS14 usage:
- Output rectification in small switching supplies, where the low forward drop converts directly into efficiency and lower heat.
- Freewheeling and flyback clamping across inductive loads, catching the reverse spike when a switch opens.
- Reverse polarity protection on DC inputs, where the Schottky drop costs less headroom than a PN junction would.
- Power path selection between a wall adapter and a battery.
The SS14 is almost never the interesting part of the circuit. It is the component nobody revisits once the design works, which is exactly why a quiet supplier substitution can go unnoticed until a field return lands.
Sourcing more than one line of the power stage? Search Schottky rectifiers across distributors on Findchips
What You’re Actually Sourcing
There is no single owner of the SS14. onsemi, Taiwan Semiconductor, Vishay, Diodes Incorporated, Comchip, Rectron, KEC, STMicroelectronics and a long tail of regional suppliers all ship parts carrying that marking. Three things diverge behind it.
Reverse leakage is the specification that separates suppliers and the one almost nobody checks on a commodity line. Schottky diodes leak by design, in the region of a milliamp at room temperature for this class, and leakage climbs steeply as the junction heats. In a mains powered supply nobody notices. In a battery design with a standby budget measured in microamps, a swap that looks identical on forward voltage can quietly multiply idle current.
Thermal and surge ceilings differ between suppliers on the same type number. A derating analysis built against one datasheet does not automatically carry across to another.
Qualification tier varies as well. Some SS14 class parts carry AEC-Q101 automotive qualification and some do not, and on the open market both trade under the same four characters at very different prices.
Put the full manufacturer ordering number on the BOM, and treat a supplier change as a requalification rather than a drop in.
Worth Considering: Confirm which manufacturer is actually behind a listing before you price it. Compare SS14 offers by manufacturer on Findchips
Choosing Within the Family: Voltage and Current Headroom
Running a Schottky close to its reverse voltage rating is a well-known failure path. Where the layout is uncertain or the switching node is noisy, the SS16 raises the ceiling to 60 volts in the same footprint for very little extra cost.
The family is arranged so that stepping up voltage or current is a straightforward substitution.
| Part | Reverse voltage | Forward current | Package | When to choose it | Check availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SS12 | 20 V | 1 A | SMA (DO-214AC) | Low-voltage rails where every millivolt of drop counts | Check SS12 |
| SS13 | 30 V | 1 A | SMA (DO-214AC) | Modest margin on 5 V and 12 V class rails | Check SS13 |
| SS14 | 40 V | 1 A | SMA (DO-214AC) | The default choice for 12 V class designs | Check SS14 |
| SS16 | 60 V | 1 A | SMA (DO-214AC) | Same footprint, extra headroom for noisy switching nodes | Check SS16 |
| SS34 | 40 V | 3 A | SMC (DO-214AB) | Same voltage, higher current, larger footprint | Check SS34 |
| 1N5819 | 40 V | 1 A | DO-41 | The through-hole equivalent for legacy and prototype boards | Check 1N5819 |
Next step: Price the headroom before you commit to a footprint. Compare the SS1x Schottky family on Findchips
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between the SS14 and the 1N5819?
Both are 40-volt, 1-amp Schottky rectifiers filling the same electrical role. The SS14 is the surface mount version in DO-214AC (SMA) and the 1N5819 is the through hole version in DO-41. Choose on footprint, not on performance.
Is the SS14 a single manufacturer part?
No. SS14 is an industry type number produced by many suppliers. Specify the full manufacturer ordering number on the BOM so that engineering and purchasing are describing the same component.
When should I use an SS16 instead of an SS14?
Whenever the reverse voltage on the node, including switching spikes and transients, approaches 40 volts. The SS16 lifts the ceiling to 60 volts in the same package, which is almost always cheaper than diagnosing an intermittent field failure.
Are all SS14 diodes interchangeable?
No. Devices marked SS14 share a 40 V, 1 A headline rating, but reverse leakage, surge rating and qualification tier vary between manufacturers. Treat a supplier change as a requalification rather than a drop in replacement.
The Bottom Line
The SS14 is one of the most widely stocked rectifiers in electronics, and that is both the attraction and the catch. For engineers, it is a well-understood part with decades of application history behind it, provided the reverse voltage margin is honest and the leakage is checked at temperature rather than on the front page of a datasheet.
For buyers, the discipline is specificity. The four characters SS14 identify a rating, not a supplier, and the gap between two listings at a similar headline price can be a qualification tier, a thermal ceiling, or a leakage figure that nobody discovers until the product is in the field.
Before you go: Start from the exact manufacturer ordering number your design calls out. Search SS14 listings for live distributor stock on Findchips