The document discusses different types of diodes and their uses. PN junction diodes allow current to flow in one direction while blocking it in the other. Zener diodes are designed to operate under reverse breakdown conditions and have a specific reverse breakdown voltage. Schottky diodes have very fast switching times, making them suitable for digital circuits. Shockley diodes have four layers instead of the typical two layers and are used to control power delivery. Light-emitting diodes emit different wavelengths of light depending on their bandgap and are used in devices like stoplights. Photodiodes can detect light in either photoconductive or photovoltaic mode and are used in devices like CD players and solar panels.
The document discusses different types of diodes and their uses. PN junction diodes allow current to flow in one direction while blocking it in the other. Zener diodes are designed to operate under reverse breakdown conditions and have a specific reverse breakdown voltage. Schottky diodes have very fast switching times, making them suitable for digital circuits. Shockley diodes have four layers instead of the typical two layers and are used to control power delivery. Light-emitting diodes emit different wavelengths of light depending on their bandgap and are used in devices like stoplights. Photodiodes can detect light in either photoconductive or photovoltaic mode and are used in devices like CD players and solar panels.
The document discusses different types of diodes and their uses. PN junction diodes allow current to flow in one direction while blocking it in the other. Zener diodes are designed to operate under reverse breakdown conditions and have a specific reverse breakdown voltage. Schottky diodes have very fast switching times, making them suitable for digital circuits. Shockley diodes have four layers instead of the typical two layers and are used to control power delivery. Light-emitting diodes emit different wavelengths of light depending on their bandgap and are used in devices like stoplights. Photodiodes can detect light in either photoconductive or photovoltaic mode and are used in devices like CD players and solar panels.
The document discusses different types of diodes and their uses. PN junction diodes allow current to flow in one direction while blocking it in the other. Zener diodes are designed to operate under reverse breakdown conditions and have a specific reverse breakdown voltage. Schottky diodes have very fast switching times, making them suitable for digital circuits. Shockley diodes have four layers instead of the typical two layers and are used to control power delivery. Light-emitting diodes emit different wavelengths of light depending on their bandgap and are used in devices like stoplights. Photodiodes can detect light in either photoconductive or photovoltaic mode and are used in devices like CD players and solar panels.
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Types of Diodes and Their Uses
PN Junction Diodes:
Are used to allow current to flow in one direction
while blocking current flow in the opposite direction. The pn junction diode is the typical diode that has been used in the previous circuits.
Schematic Symbol for a PN
Junction Diode
Zener Diodes:
Representative Structure for
a PN Junction Diode
Are specifically designed to operate under reverse
breakdown conditions. These diodes have a very accurate and specific reverse breakdown voltage.
K Schematic Symbol for a Zener Diode
Kristin Ackerson, Virginia Tech EE
Spring 2002
Types of Diodes and Their Uses
Schottky Diodes:
These diodes are designed to have a very fast
switching time which makes them a great diode for digital circuit applications. They are very common in computers because of their ability to be switched K on and off so quickly.
Schematic Symbol for a
Schottky Diode
Shockley Diodes:
The Shockley diode is a four-layer diode while other
diodes are normally made with only two layers. These types of diodes are generally used to control the average power delivered to a load.
Schematic Symbol for a
four-layer Shockley Diode Kristin Ackerson, Virginia Tech EE Spring 2002
Types of Diodes and Their Uses
Light-Emitting Diodes:
Light-emitting diodes are designed with a very large
bandgap so movement of carriers across their depletion region emits photons of light energy. Lower bandgap LEDs (Light-Emitting Diodes) emit infrared radiation, while LEDs with higher bandgap energy emit visible light. Many stop lights are now starting to use LEDs because they are extremely bright and last longer than regular bulbs for a relatively low cost.
The arrows in the LED
representation indicate emitted light.
Schematic Symbol for a
Light-Emitting Diode
Kristin Ackerson, Virginia Tech EE
Spring 2002
Types of Diodes and Their Uses
While LEDs emit light, Photodiodes are sensitive to received light. They are constructed so their pn junction can be exposed to the outside through a clear window or lens.
Photodiodes:
K In Photoconductive mode the saturation current
Schematic Symbols for
Photodiodes
increases in proportion to the intensity of the
received light. This type of diode is used in CD players.
In Photovoltaic mode, when the pn junction is
exposed to a certain wavelength of light, the diode generates voltage and can be used as an energy source. This type of diode is used in the production of solar power.
Kristin Ackerson, Virginia Tech EE
Spring 2002
Sources Dailey, Denton. Electronic Devices and Circuits, Discrete and Integrated. Prentice Hall, New Jersey: 2001. (pp 2-37, 752-753) 2
Figure 1.10. The diode transconductance curve, pg. 7
Figure 1.15. Determination of the average forward resistance of a diode, pg 11
3
Example from pages 13-14
Liou, J.J. and Yuan, J.S. Semiconductor Device Physics and Simulation. Plenum Press, New York: 1998. Neamen, Donald. Semiconductor Physics & Devices. Basic Principles. McGraw-Hill, Boston: 1997. (pp 1-15, 211-234) 1
Figure 6.2. The space charge region, the electric field, and the forces acting on the charged carriers, pg 213.
