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Questions and Answers
What type of material are diodes, transistors, and integrated circuits made of?
What type of material are diodes, transistors, and integrated circuits made of?
- Conductors
- Insulators
- Semiconductors (correct)
- Superconductors
What happens to electrons in the valence band when they receive some energy?
What happens to electrons in the valence band when they receive some energy?
- They become tightly bound to the atom
- They become superconductors
- They move to the conduction band
- They break free from the atom (correct)
Which component can be used as a variable resistance to vary the current in a heating element?
Which component can be used as a variable resistance to vary the current in a heating element?
- Resistor
- Transistor (correct)
- Integrated circuit
- Diode
What type of energy do free electrons in a semiconductor make up?
What type of energy do free electrons in a semiconductor make up?
What are semiconductor devices known for in terms of power consumption and efficiency?
What are semiconductor devices known for in terms of power consumption and efficiency?
What has replaced thermionic valves in electronic equipment?
What has replaced thermionic valves in electronic equipment?
Which group of the Periodic table do semiconductors belong to?
Which group of the Periodic table do semiconductors belong to?
What type of material is created by doping with Group 5 material?
What type of material is created by doping with Group 5 material?
What happens when two different semiconductor materials are brought together?
What happens when two different semiconductor materials are brought together?
How does barrier potential change with increasing junction temperature?
How does barrier potential change with increasing junction temperature?
What does forward bias allow in a diode?
What does forward bias allow in a diode?
What happens once the diode is conducting?
What happens once the diode is conducting?
Which of the following is a unique characteristic of semiconductive materials like silicon and germanium?
Which of the following is a unique characteristic of semiconductive materials like silicon and germanium?
What is the primary advantage of solid-state components over thermionic valves?
What is the primary advantage of solid-state components over thermionic valves?
What is the main reason for the suitability of semiconductors in portable electronic equipment?
What is the main reason for the suitability of semiconductors in portable electronic equipment?
What is a significant limitation of semiconductor devices mentioned in the text?
What is a significant limitation of semiconductor devices mentioned in the text?
What is the primary reason for the mass production of semiconductor components?
What is the primary reason for the mass production of semiconductor components?
What is the most sophisticated type of semiconductor device mentioned in the text?
What is the most sophisticated type of semiconductor device mentioned in the text?
What is the approximate internal barrier voltage for a silicon diode?
What is the approximate internal barrier voltage for a silicon diode?
At what reverse bias voltage does the reverse current suddenly increase for a germanium diode?
At what reverse bias voltage does the reverse current suddenly increase for a germanium diode?
What happens when the reverse bias voltage becomes strong enough for a diode?
What happens when the reverse bias voltage becomes strong enough for a diode?
What is the typical breakdown voltage for most rectifier diodes?
What is the typical breakdown voltage for most rectifier diodes?
At what forward bias voltage does the forward current through a germanium diode increase rapidly?
At what forward bias voltage does the forward current through a germanium diode increase rapidly?
How does the reverse current for a silicon diode compare to that of a germanium diode?
How does the reverse current for a silicon diode compare to that of a germanium diode?
What is the typical forward bias voltage drop for silicon diodes?
What is the typical forward bias voltage drop for silicon diodes?
What determines the forward bias current (IF) in a diode, following Ohm's law?
What determines the forward bias current (IF) in a diode, following Ohm's law?
What happens when the voltage overcomes the barrier potential in a diode?
What happens when the voltage overcomes the barrier potential in a diode?
What effect does reverse bias have on the depletion region in a diode?
What effect does reverse bias have on the depletion region in a diode?
What happens under high reverse voltage in a diode?
What happens under high reverse voltage in a diode?
What do diode characteristic curves show?
What do diode characteristic curves show?
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Study Notes
Diode Operation and Characteristics
- Diodes have a low but finite resistance value, causing a forward bias voltage drop approximately equal to the barrier potential of 0.3V for germanium diodes and 0.7V for silicon diodes.
- The forward bias current (IF) in a diode is determined by the applied DC bias (V), forward voltage drop (VF), and external resistance (R), following Ohm's law.
- When the voltage overcomes the barrier potential, the external source provides electrons with enough energy to cross the junction and combine with the P region holes.
- Reverse bias prevents current flow across the P-N junction, widening the depletion region until the potential difference equals the external bias voltage.
- Under reverse bias, a small reverse saturation current flows, but increasing the reverse bias can cause breakdown, leading to a sudden increase in reverse current.
- A diode's breakdown voltage is stable over a wide range of reverse currents, making it useful as a voltage reference source.
- The depletion region effectively acts as an insulator under reverse bias, forming a depletion region capacitance that varies with the reverse biased voltage.
- The breakdown voltage depends on the width of the depletion region, and at the breakdown point, the junction offers almost zero resistance.
- At high reverse voltage, the kinetic energy of minority carriers can cause avalanche breakdown, leading to a large current and the breakdown of the crystal structure.
- The cathode is typically marked on the diode, and the current conventionally flows from the anode to the cathode.
- Diodes are commonly used as rectifiers to convert AC to DC.
- Diode characteristic curves show the relationship between diode current and voltage, with the forward biased condition represented in the upper right quadrant of the graph.
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Test your knowledge of diode operation and characteristics with this quiz. Explore topics such as forward and reverse bias, breakdown voltage, diode current-voltage relationship, and practical applications of diodes.
