Diode

A diode is a two-terminal, one-way electronic component which is usually

made from semiconductor materials such as Germanium, Silicon, and Selenium.
Its two terminals are namely the anode, the positive terminal, and the cathode,
the negative terminal. It has a single function, it is to control the direction of
current flow.

There are two directions, the forward-biased direction and the

reverse-biased direction.
In the forward-biased direction, the current is allowed to pass through
the diode but a certain amount of positive voltage is needed. The required
minimum voltage is called forward voltage drop, 0.7V for Silicon diodes and
0.3V for Germanium diodes. It may vary due to temperature, forward current
flow, and small amount of resistance. For the diode to behave in this direction,
the anode must be connected to the positive of the source and the cathode to
the negative.
While in the reverse-biased direction, the current is blocked to flow
through the diode and high resistance is exhibited. The voltage supplied by the
source is all dropped to the diode but there is a limit how much voltage a diode
can hold. The maximum voltage that a diode can handle is referred as peak
inverse/reverse voltage. However, a very small amount of current can still
pass through the diode. This current is known as reverse saturation current
and is measured in nanoampere (nA). For the diode to behave in this direction,
the cathode must be connected to the positive of the source and the anode to
the negative.
When too much negative voltage is blocked in the diode, lots of reverse
saturation current may flow in reverse direction, from cathode to anode, because
the diodes breakdown voltage and maximum current rating is exceeded. At
this rate, the diode will heat up, melt, and smoke. For instance, a signal diode of
1N4148 is only suited for 200 mA, going beyond this current will result in a
damaged diode.
Diodes can be tested using an ohmmeter set in the highest resistance
range and using the required connections of the two directions. The diode is
good when the ohmmeter shows a relatively low resistance in forward-biased
and a relatively high resistance in reverse-biased. It is open when the needle
does not move. It is leaky when the needle only moves slightly in reverse-

biased. It is shorted when the needle shows a relatively low resistance in

reverse-biased
As for the diode circuit symbol, it is drawn as an arrow, representing the
current flows direction, and a vertical line, representing the cathodes position.