Introduction (Diodes) : In electronics, a diode is a two-terminal electronic component with asymmetric conductance, it has low (ideally zero) resistance

to current flow in one direction, and high (ideally infinite) resistance in the other. A semiconductor diode, the most common type today, is a crystalline piece of semiconductor material with a pn junction connected to two electrical terminals. A vacuum tube diode is a vacuum tube with two electrodes, a plate (anode) and a heated cathode. The most common function of a diode is to allow an electric current to pass in one direction (called the diode's forward direction), while blocking current in the opposite direction (the reverse direction). Thus, the diode can be viewed as an electronic version of a check valve. This unidirectional behavior is called rectification, and is used to convert alternating current to direct current, including extraction of modulation from radio signals in radio receiversthese diodes are forms of rectifiers. However, diodes can have more complicated behavior than this simple onoff action. Semiconductor diodes begin conducting electricity only if a certain threshold voltage or cut-in voltage is present in the forward direction (a state in which the diode is said to be forwardbiased). The voltage drop across a forward-biased diode varies only a little with the current, and is a function of temperature; this effect can be used as a temperature sensor or voltage reference. Semiconductor diodes' nonlinear currentvoltage characteristic can be tailored by varying the semiconductor materials and doping, introducing impurities into the materials. These are exploited in special-purpose diodes that perform many different functions. For example, diodes are used to regulate voltage (Zener diodes), to protect circuits from high voltage surges (avalanche diodes), to electronically tune radio and TV receivers (varactor diodes), to generate radio frequency oscillations (tunnel diodes, Gunn diodes, IMPATT diodes), and to produce light (light emitting diodes). Tunnel diodes exhibit negative resistance, which makes them useful in some types of circuits. Diodes were the first semiconductor electronic devices. The discovery of crystals' rectifying abilities was made by German physicist Ferdinand Braun in 1874. The first semiconductor diodes, called cat's whisker diodes, developed around 1906, were made of mineral crystals such as galena. Today most diodes are made of silicon, but other semiconductors such as germanium are sometimes used. Barrier Potential. The electric field formed in the depletion region acts as a barrier. External energy must be applied to get the electrons to move across the barrier of the electric field. The potential difference required to move the electrons through the electric field is called the barrier potential. Barrier potential of a PN junction depends on the type of semiconductor material, amount of doping and temperature. This is approximately 0.7V for silicon and 0.3V for germanium. Diode Characteristics A diode is simply a pn junction, but its applications are extensive in electronic circuits. Three important characteristics of a diode are: Forward voltage drop Forward Bias, about .7 volts

 Reverse voltage drop. Depletion layer widens, usually the applied voltage Reverse breakdown voltage. Reverse voltage drop that will force current flow and in most cases destroy the diode. Current versus voltage Graph:

Diode Elements: A diode has two leads connected to the external circuit. Since a diode behaves differently depending upon forward or reverse bias, it is critical to be able to distinguish the leads. The anode connects to the p-type material, the cathode to the n-type material Ideal Diodes: In an ideal diode, current flows freely through the device when forward biased, having no resistance. In an ideal diode, there would be no voltage drop across it when forward biased. All of the source voltage would be dropped across circuit resistors. In an ideal diode, when reverse biased, it would have infinite resistance, causing zero current flow. of the diode. In a practical diode, there is very little forward current until the barrier voltage is reached. When reverse biased, only a small amount of current flows as long as the reverse voltage is less than the breakdown voltage of the device. Parallel circuit of diode:

Series circuit of diode: