Semiconductor diode

Tweet

A diode is an electrical device allowing current to move through it in one direction with far greater ease than in the other. The most common type of diode in modern circuit design is the semiconductor diode, although other diode technologies exist. Semiconductor diodes are symbolized in schematic diagrams as such:

Permitted direction of electron flow

When placed in a simple battery-lamp circuit, the diode will either allow or prevent current through the lamp, depending on the polarity of the applied voltag Current permitted -Diode is forward-biased



Current prohibited -Diode is reverse-biased




When the polarity of the battery is such that electrons are allowed to flow through the diode, the diode is said to be forward-biased. Conversely, when the battery is "backward" and the diode blocks current, the diode is said to be reverse-biased. A diode may be thought of as a kind of switch: "closed" when forward-biased and "open" when reverse-biased.

For silicon diodes, the typical forward voltage is 0.7 volts, nominal. For germanium diodes, the forward voltage is only 0.3 volts. The chemical constituency of the P-N junction comprising the diode accounts for its nominal forward voltage figure, which is why silicon and germanium diodes have such different forward voltages. Forward voltage drop remains approximately equal for a wide range of diode currents, meaning that diode voltage drop not like that of a resistor or even a normal (closed) switch. For most purposes of circuit analysis, it may be assumed that the voltage drop across a conducting diode remains constant at the nominal figure and is not related to the amount of current going through it.

A diode's maximum reverse-bias voltage rating is known as the Peak Inverse Voltage, or PIV, and may be obtained from the manufacturer. Like forward voltage, the PIV rating of a diode varies with temperature, except that PIV increases with increased temperature and decreases as the diode becomes cooler exactly opposite that of forward voltage.

Typically, the PIV rating of a generic "rectifier" diode is at least 50 volts at room temperature.
Diodes with PIV ratings in the many thousands of volts are available for modest prices.


REVIEW:

A diode is an electrical component acting as a one-way valve for current.

When voltage is applied across a diode in such a way that the diode allows current, the diode is said to be forward-biased.

When voltage is applied across a diode in such a way that the diode prohibits current, the diode is said to be reverse-biased.

The voltage dropped across a conducting, forward-biased diode is called the forward voltage.
Forward voltage for a diode varies only slightly for changes in forward current and temperature, and is fixed principally by the chemical composition of the P-N junction.

Silicon diodes have a forward voltage of approximately 0.7 volts.

Germanium diodes have a forward voltage of approximately 0.3 volts.

The maximum reverse-bias voltage that a diode can withstand without "breaking down" is called the Peak Inverse Voltage, or PIV rating.