Difference Between P-N Junction Diode and Zener Diode

The major difference between PN junction and the Zener diode is that the PN junction diode allows current to pass only in the forward direction, whereas the Zener diode allows the current to flow both in the forward and the reversed direction.

1. What is the difference between a regular diode and a zener diode?
2. What is the difference between normal pn junction diode and tunnel diode?
3. What are the major applications of pn junction and zener diodes?
4. Why zener diode is used in reverse bias?
5. Can zener diode be used as rectifier?
6. How do zener diodes work?
7. What are the advantages of tunnel diode?
8. What is the main use of tunnel diode?
9. What is Zener diode and its characteristics?
10. What is the current through zener diode?
11. What are the applications of PN diode?

What is the difference between a regular diode and a zener diode?

A diode is a semiconductor device which conducts in one direction only. A Zener diode is a semiconductor device which conducts in forward biased as well as reversed biased. A normal diode if operated in reversed biased will get destroyed.

What is the difference between normal pn junction diode and tunnel diode?

Unlike the ordinary p-n junction diode, the difference in energy levels is very high in tunnel diode. Because of this high difference in energy levels, the conduction band of the n-type material overlaps with the valence band of the p-type material. ... Thus, electric current is produced in tunnel diode.

What are the major applications of pn junction and zener diodes?

Zener diodes are used for voltage regulation, as reference elements, surge suppressors, and in switching applications and clipper circuits. The load voltage equals breakdown voltage VZ of the diode. The series resistor limits the current through the diode and drops the excess voltage when the diode is conducting.

Why zener diode is used in reverse bias?

When the Zener diode is reverse biased the junction potential increases. ... As the breakdown voltage is high this will provide high voltage handling capacity. As the reverse voltage is increased, the reverse current increases drastically at a certain reverse voltage.

Can zener diode be used as rectifier?

Unlike the normal p-n junction diode, a Zener diode has a low peak inverse voltage. This is an undesirable property for the rectifier circuit. This is the reason why Zener diodes are not used for rectification purpose but are mostly used in applications that require voltage regulation.

How do zener diodes work?

The Zener diode operates just like the normal diode when in the forward-bias mode, and has a turn-on voltage of between 0.3 and 0.7 V. ... As the reverse voltage increases to the predetermined breakdown voltage (Vz), a current starts flowing through the diode.

What are the advantages of tunnel diode?

Advantages of Tunnel Diode

• Low cost.
• Low noise.
• Ease of operation.
• High speed.
• Low power.
• Insensitive to nuclear radiations.

What is the main use of tunnel diode?

Tunnel diode can be used as a switch, amplifier, and oscillator. Since it shows a fast response, it is used as high frequency component. Tunnel diode acts as logic memory storage device. They are used in oscillator circuits, and in FM receivers.

What is Zener diode and its characteristics?

A Zener diode operates just like a normal diode when it is forward-biased. However, when connected in reverse biased mode, a small leakage current flows through the diode. As the reverse voltage increases to the predetermined breakdown voltage (Vz), current starts flowing through the diode.

What is the current through zener diode?

As we see that the resistance R2 and Zener diodes are connected in parallel so the voltage across them is equal, so the potential difference across R2 is also 10 Volts. Potential difference across R2=10. Let, Potential difference acrossR1beV1. Therefore, current through Zener diodes would be 3.3mA.

What are the applications of PN diode?

This action of p-n junction diode enables us to use it as a rectifier.

• Diodes are used in clamping circuits for DC restoration.
• Diodes are used in clipping circuits for wave shaping.
• Diodes are used in voltage multipliers.
• Diodes are used as switch in digital logic circuits used in computers.