In this study, a physics-based model for the fast p-i-n diode is proposed. The model is based on the 1-D Fourier-based solution of ambipolar diffusion equation (ADE) implemented in MATLAB and Simulink. The physical characteristics of fast diode design concepts such as local lifetime control (LLC), emitter control (EMCON) and deep field stop are taken into account. Based on these fast diode design concepts, the ADE is solved for all injection levels instead of high-level injection only as usually done. The variation of high-level lifetime due to local lifetime control is also included in the solution. With the deep field stop layer taken into consideration, the depletion behavior in the N-base during reverse recovery is redescribed. Some physical effects such as avalanche generation and carrier recombination in the depletion region are also taken into account. To be self contained, a parameter extraction method is proposed to extract all the parameters of the model. In the end, the static and reverse recovery experiments for a commercial EMCON diode and a LLC diode are used to validate the proposed model. The simulation results are compared with experiment results and good agreement is obtained. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.