What Is A Zener Diode What Is Its Use

It has low ideally zero resistance in one direction and high ideally infinite resistance in the other. A zener diode is a type of diode that allows current to flow in the conventional manner from its anode to its cathode ie.

Zener Diode Power Rating Exceeded Electrical Engineering

Scavenger S Blog Zener Diode And Linear Voltage Regulation

Applications Of Zener Diodes Voltage Regulator Meter

The diode consists of a special heavily doped p n junction designed to conduct in the reverse direction when a certain specified voltage is reached.

What is a zener diode what is its use. Clarence zener is the scientist who discovered this electrical property and the device is named. This circuit provides safety for the equipment connected at the terminals. When the voltage across the terminals is reversed and the potential reaches the zener voltage or knee the junction will breakdown and current will flow in the reverse direction a desired characteristic.

The characteristics of a junction diode demonstrate that it is designed largely for operating in the forward direction. But when it is reverse biased above a certain voltage known as zener breakdown voltage or zener voltage or avalanche point or zener knee voltage the voltage remains constant for a wide range of current. From the i v characteristics curve above we can see that the zener diode has a region in its reverse bias characteristics of almost a constant negative voltage regardless of the value of the current flowing through the diode.

This article shows how to connect a zener diode in a circuit for voltage regulation so that so it acts as a voltage regulator. A diode is a two terminal electronic component that conducts current primarily in one direction asymmetric conductance. As a rough rule of thumb this can be around 5 to 10 ma for a typical leaded 400 mw device.

Over voltage protection is done by using zener diodes because there is current flowing through the diode after the reverse bias voltage exceeds a certain voltage. A diode vacuum tube or thermionic diode is a vacuum tube with two electrodes a heated cathode and a plate in which electrons can flow in only one direction from. Zener diode is a general purpose diode which behaves like a normal diode when forward biased.

A zener diode is a silicon semiconductor device that permits current to flow in either a forward or reverse direction. When the anode is positive with respect to the cathode. A normal p n junction diode is usually fabricated by adjusting the p type and n type semiconductors on a single semiconductor crystal.

The diodes anode connects to the negative supply. The current izm of a zener diode is the maximum current that can flow through a zener diode at its rated voltage vz. Applying a large amount of forward bias causes greater forward current with a small value of forward voltage.

We have discussed the application of zener diode as voltage regulator and now we will discuss the other two points. The zener diode is used in its reverse bias or reverse breakdown mode ie. Zener diodes are normal pn junction diodes operating in a reverse biased condition.

Typically there is also a minimum current required for the operation of the diode. Working of the zener diode is similar to a pn junction diode in forward biased condition but the uniqueness lies in the fact that it can also conduct when it is connected in reverse bias above its threshold breakdown voltage.