Special-Purpose Diodes: Dr. Amnach Khawne
Special-Purpose Diodes: Dr. Amnach Khawne
Special-Purpose Diodes: Dr. Amnach Khawne
SPECIAL-PURPOSE DIODES
Dr. Amnach Khawne
3–1 THE ZENER DIODE
A major application for zener diodes is as a type of
voltage regulator for providing stable reference
voltages for use in power supplies,
voltmeters, and other instruments.
A zener diode is a silicon pn junction device
that is designed for operation in the reverse- Clarence Melvin
breakdown region. The breakdown voltage of a Zener (December 1, 1905 – July
15, 1993) was
zener diode is set by carefully controlling the the American physicist who first
doping level during manufacture described the property concerning
the breakdown of electrical
insulators.[1] These findings were
later exploited by Bell Labs in the
development of the Zener diode,
which was duly named after him.
Symbol
General zener diode V-I characteristic
As RL is decreased, the load current, IL, increases and IZ decreases. The zener diode
continues to regulate the voltage until IZ reaches its minimum value IZK, At this point
the load current is maximum, and a full-load condition exists.
Example 3-6
Three-terminal voltage regulators
To achieve better regulation and provide for greater
variations in load current, the zener diode is combined
as a key element with other circuit components to
create a 3-terminal linear voltage regulator.
Three-terminal voltage regulators that were introduced
in Chapter 2 are IC devices that use the zener to
provide a reference voltage for an internal amplifier.
Zener Limiter
In addition to voltage regulation applications,
zener diodes can be used in ac applications to
limit voltage swings to desired levels.
Example 3-8
3–3 THE VARACTOR DIODE
Varactor diode operation
The junction capacitance of
diodes varies with the amount
of reverse bias.
These devices are commonly
used in communication
systems. Varactor diodes are
also referred to as varicaps or
tuning diodes.
A varactor is a diode that
always operates in reverse bias
and is doped to maximize the
inherent capacitance of the
depletion region.
Varactor diode capacitance varies with
reverse voltage.
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OLED technology
Symbol
The PIN Diode
The pin diode consists of heavily doped p and n
regions separated by an intrinsic (i) region.
When reverse-biased, the pin diode acts like a
nearly constant capacitance.
When forward-biased, it acts like a current-
controlled variable resistance.
The pin diode applications
The pin diode is used as a dc-controlled microwave
switch operated by rapid changes in bias or as a
modulating device .A pin diode can also be used in
attenuator applications because its resistance can be
controlled by the amount of current.
The Tunnel Diode
The tunnel diode exhibits a
special characteristic known
as negative resistance. This
feature makes it useful in
oscillator and microwave
amplifier applications.
3–6 TROUBLESHOOTING
http://webpage.pace.edu/ms16182p/troubleshooting/projector.html
A Zener-Regulated DC Power Supply
. open
zener
faulty or
wrong zener.