@StefanCK Semiconductor diodes have an area parameter, which by default is set to AREA=1e12, this corresponds to a 1um x 1um device. (Don't ask me why it is scaled as 1e12 instead of 1e-12 or just 1, considering the SCALE setting in skywater). Anyway if you need -say- a 100um2 device you need to set area=1e14. 5mA for a 1um2 diode is a super -high current that will probably destroy the diode. for such small devices you should probably not be going any higher than 30uA or something like that. If you want current in the range of several mA you need to scale up the area.

I'm trying to make an analog design with power delivery work, and i need a few mAs on the output side through a diode. I set the diode area at 400e12 meaning 20x20 the original "size", so I'm understanding 20um by 20um, and confirmed with magic. The problem is the diodes start conducting at best at 0.6 V, but I know schottkies start at 0.4 V and I'm told by my advisor that there are diodes in silicon that start even lower. So my question i guess is, is the pw2nd_11v0 the best diode in terms of forward voltage drop, or is there a better alternative with sky130, because I can't find it in xschem. There are a few more in sky130 device list but I can't get the models to work, for example diode_rf_parasitic_xxxx is not the same in the device list and in the *.model.spice files in the directories of the pdk. There are more diode *.model.spice files for esd fets but they are not available in magic. I'm thinking they are used for FET calculations and the eight diode models are all that is available.

I think 0.6V turn on voltage is quite normal for cmos processes. These diodes are mostly modelled to simulate their parasitic effects in reverse biasing. In some cases using these diodes in a circuit must be done carefully to avoid substrate injection and triggering latch-up. Can't you use a

nfet_20v0_zvt

device in diode connection ?