Diode and Its Application

special purpose diode

 Zener Diode
• a diode that breaks down at a specific voltage when it is reverse biased.
• can maintain the voltage at its breakdown voltage as long as the supply
voltage is bove this value
• if forward biased it behaves like an ordinary silicon diode

reverse bias
Ø reverse biased with a voltage less than V Z it blocks the current, like an
ordinary silicon diode.
Ø reverse bias voltage reaches VZ the voltage is limited to around this value,
but it canconduct very large currents.
 Working of Zener Diode

N P

The Zener diode is employed in input voltage has to be higher

reverse biasing. than the Zener voltage

resistor value that suitable for

current to flow hrough the Zener
Characteristic of Zener Diode

IZK : knee current

VZ : voltage across the diode at the test current IZT

rZ : incremental (dynamic) resistance at Q

 V  rz  I

• A zener diode is heavily doped to reduced the breakdown voltage creates a

very thin depletion region.
• An intense electric field exists within the depletion region. Near the zener
breakdown voltage (Vz), the field is intense enough to pull electrons from their
valence bands and create current.
Model for the Zener diode:
VZ =VZ0 + rZIZ
example 1:Calculate the zener impedance.

VZ 50mV
ZZ    10
I Z 5mV
 ZENER DIODE: current and power dissipated

A voltage regulator circuit provides a nearly constant voltage to a load from a variable source.

Rs V = RL/ (RL+RS) xVS  VZ (operate in BR)

IL= VL/RL = Vz/RL
VO = -VD Series current
IS = (Vs - Vz)/Rs
Zener current
IS = IZ + IL
IZ = IS - IL

Zener Power
PZ = VZIZ
Given: Vs = 15 V, RS = 100  and IZM = 25 mA, VZ= 5V and RL =700 . Calculate the zener current
and power

V = RL/ (RL+RS) xVS  VZ (operate in BR) Zener current

= (700 / 800) x 15 = 13.125 V IZ = IS - IL
IL= VL/RL = Vz/RL =0.1 A - 0.007
= 5/700 =0.093 A
= 0.007 A
Zener Power
Series current PZ = VZIZ
IS = (Vs - Vz)/Rs =5 x 0.093
= 15 -5 /100 =0.465 W
= 0.1 A
 ZENER DIODE: VOLTAGE REGULATOR CIRCUITS
Rs
1. The zener diode holds the voltage constant regardless of the current
2. The load resistor sees a constant voltage regardless of the current
3. The remainder of VS drops across Rs
4. Vs  VZ : operating in breakdown region; use as voltage regulator
5. Variables: Vz, Rs and RL

Given: Vs = 15 V, RS = 100  and IZM = 25 mA, VD= 5V. Calculate the minimum and maximum RL.

V = (RL / RS + RL) xVS =VZ ILmin = VZ / RLmax Series current

IS = (Vs - Vz)/Rs
IS = (Vs - Vz)/Rs = 15 -5 /100
RLmin = (RS VZ) / (VS-VZ) =IZM + ILmin = 0.1 A
ILmin= IS - IZM
=(100 x 5) /(15 - 5) ILmin= IS - IZM = 0.1 - 0.025
= 0.075 A
= 50  ILmin = VZ / RLmax
RLmax = 5/0.075
= 66.7
 example 2
Given:
(i) VZ = 15 V at IZ = 17 mA, IZK = 0.25 mA, and ZZ = 14 .

(ii) The maximum power dissipation is 1 W.

145 
 Example

(Q1) calculate VOUT at IZK and IZM

At IZM:
At IZK:
IZM = PD(max)/VZ
VOUT = VZ - (IZ) x ZZ
= 1 W / 15 V
= 15 V - (IZ - IZK) x ZZ
= 0.0667 A
= 15 V - (16.75 mA)(14 )
= 14.76 V
For IZM: VOUT = VZ + (IZ) x ZZ
= 15 V + (IZM - IZ)ZZ
= 15 V + (49.7 mA)(14 )
= 15.7 V
 Example
Given:
(i) VZ = 15 V at IZ = 17 mA, IZK = 0.25 mA, and ZZ = 14 .
(ii) The maximum power dissipation is 1 W.

(Q2) Calculate the value of R that should be used

R for the maximum zener current that occurs when there is no load

R = (VIN - VOUT) ÷ IZM

= (24 V - 15.7 V) ÷ 66.7 mA 145 

= 124 
 example
(Q3) Determine the minimum value of RL that can be used
minimum load resistance (maximum load current), the zener current is minimum

IT = VIN - VOUT / R
= (24 V - 14.76 V) /145
= 0.0637 A 145 

IL = IT - IZK
= 0.0637 A - 0.00025A
= 0.06345A

RL(min) = VOUT/IL=14.76 V/0.06345A

= 233 
 Example 3

VZ = 6.8 V at Iz = 5 mA, rz=20Ω, IZK = 0.2 mA

Calculate VO w/o load and w/ V+ at its nominal value

VZ =VZ0 + rZIZ
VZ0 = (6.8 - 0.1) V
= 6.7 V

V +  VZ 0
IZ  I 
R  rz
1 0 - 6 .7
  6 .3 5 m A
0 .5  0 .0 2

VO  V Z 0  I Z rz
 6.7  6.35  0.02  6.83 V
 Zener Limiter

input

positive half
reverse biased Vz

output
 Zener Limiter

• three basic ways the limiting action of a zener

diode can be used
forward biased
• During the negative alternation, the zener acts
as a forward-biased diode and limits the negative
voltage to -0.7V as in part (A).

• When the zener is turned around, as in part (B),

the negative peak is limited by zener action and
the positive voltage is limited to +0.7V.
• Two back-to-back zeners limit both peaks to the
zener voltage ± 0.7V as shown in part (C)
Varactor Diodes
A varactor diode is best explained as a variable capacitor. Think of the depletion region a variable dielectric. The
diode is placed in reverse bias. The dielectric is “adjusted” by bias changes.
The varactor diode can be useful in filter circuits as the adjustable component.
Optical Diodes - The Light-Emitting Diode (LED)

Ø Optoelectronics is the technology that combines optics and electronics.

Ø This field includes many devices based on the action of a pn junction.
Ø Examples of optoelectronic devices are light-emitting diodes (LEDs),
photodiodes, optocouplers, and laser diodes.
Ø semiconductor material such as gallium arsenide(GaAs), gallium arsenide
phosphide(GaAsP) or Gallium Phosphide(GaP).
Ø these materials exhibit the property of releasing energy in the form of
radiation
Ø have a direct band gap. This means a direct recombination is seen between
electrons and holes and the emitted energy emerges in the form of light.
Ø LED emits the energy in the form of photons
 Electroluminescence in LED

Ø free electrons are in the conduction band with higher energy than the holes in the valence band. The difference in energy
between the electrons and the holes corresponds to the energy of visible light.

Ø When recombination takes place, the recombining electrons release energy in the form of photons. The emitted light tends to be
monochromatic (one color) that depends on the band gap (and other factors). A large exposed surface area on one layer of the
semiconductive material permits the photons to be emitted as visible light.
 Current Limiting Resistor

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Optical Diodes - The Photodiode
Reverse biased generates hole-electron pairs holes move to anode and
electrons move to cathode
Optical Diodes - The Photodiode
• The photo diode is a semiconductor p-n junction device whose
region of operation is limited to the reverse biased region.
• A photodiode is a type of light detector that converts light into
voltage or current, based on the mode of operation of the device.

• It is operated in reverse biased mode only. It converts light energy

into electrical energy. When the ordinary diode is reverse biased the
reverse current starts increasing with reverse voltage.

• The junction of Photodiode is illuminated by the light source, the

photons strike the junction surface. The photons impart their enrgy
in the form of light to the junction. Due to which electrons from
valence band get the energy to jump into the conduction band and
contribute to current.

• The current which flows in photodiode before light rays are incident on
it is called dark current. As leakage current flows in the conventional
diode, similarly the dark current flows in the photodiode.
 The Photodiode: operation mode
It operates in two modes that are Photoconductive and Photovoltaic.

PhotoConductive: When the Photo diode operates in reverse biased mode it is called
Photoconductive mode. In this, the current flowing in diode varies linearly with the intensity of
light incident on it. In order to turn-off the diode, it should be provided with forward voltage.

PhotoVoltaic: When the diode is operated without reverse biased it is said to be operated in
photovoltaic mode. When the reverse biased is removed, the charge carriers are swept across
the junction. The barrier potential is negative on N-side and positive on P-side.