Clearing TPM, did not ask for BitLocker Recovery key on system restart

Hi guys,

I know I had been overwhelming here with all my BitLocker and TPM related questions, but hopefully this should be my final concerns.

I have BitLocker full encryption enabled on my HDD.

1. Recently, I had this issue when going to the TPM.msc console and noticed under Status that the TPM is ready for use with reduced functionality This had been resolved by Clearing the TPM in the TPM.MSC console directly. Source: View status, clear, or troubleshoot the TPM (Windows 10) | Microsoft Docs

2. Here is my concern. How come after clearing the TPM and after restarting my laptop, BitLocker did NOT prompt me for my Recovery key? That seemed to be very odd. So in other words, looks like Clearing the TPM did not actually clear the BitLocker Recover key. I dont know.

So by Clearing the TPM, BitLocker will not loose the keys?
It seemed so after Clearing the TPM and rebooting my machine, BitLocker did not ask for a Recovery key.

I also checked to ensure that the key was still intact, and yes it is, by performing the manage-bde C: -protectors -get -type RecoveryPassword command.

In addition, I also checked manage-bde -status and all indicators are fine.

I haven't been able to figure out exactly what MS means by "reduced functionality."

What caused the TPM to enter the "reduced functionality" state? I assume it must have been "ready" in the past otherwise you wouldn't be able to enable Bitlocker.

Well, this all started when I was checking if my TPM was made either from Infineon or by some other vendor due to the recent Infineon TPM chip security vulnerability so this got my attention.

Anyways, maybe someone has other inputs on this.
As long as the status indicated that my HDD is encrypted, I am not worried.

One other final question.
In case I need to reinstall Windows 10, do I need to Clear the TPM before doing so or its not needed?