CameraIcon
CameraIcon
SearchIcon
MyQuestionIcon
MyQuestionIcon
2
You visited us 2 times! Enjoying our articles? Unlock Full Access!
Question

Why can zener diode work properly after breakdown voltage while the normal diode cannot?

Open in App
Solution

Dear Student
Zener diode is specially designed to work in the reverse bias. It is made from highly doped P and N type semiconductors. In this way, it cannot be damaged by a reverse-biased heavy current.
When a diode is heavily doped, the depletion layer will be narrow. In the reverse bias, when the voltage across the diode is increased, the electric field across the junction becomes very intense. When this field is about 3×107V/m, electrons are pulled from the covalent bonds. A large number of electron-hole pairs are thus produced and the reverse current sharply increases. This effect is known as Zener effect.
A normal diode if operated in reversed biased will get destroyed. Thus, a normal PN junction diode is considered as a unidirectional device.

Regards

flag
Suggest Corrections
thumbs-up
0
Join BYJU'S Learning Program
similar_icon
Related Videos
thumbnail
lock
PHYSICS
Watch in App
Join BYJU'S Learning Program
CrossIcon