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In electronics, the Zener effect (employed most notably in the appropriately named Zener diode) is a type of electrical breakdown, discovered by Clarence Melvin Zener. It occurs in a reverse biased p-n diode when the electric field enables tunneling of electrons from the valence to the conduction band of a semiconductor , leading to numerous ...
A Zener diode is a special type of diode designed to reliably allow current to flow "backwards" (inverted polarity) when a certain set reverse voltage, known as the Zener voltage, is reached. Zener diodes are manufactured with a great variety of Zener voltages and some are even variable.
avalanche diode A diode intended for regular operation in the reverse, avalanche breakdown, mode. Used as a voltage reference, noise source, and in certain classes of microwave oscillator device. average rectified value The average value of an alternating current waveform, taking the absolute value of the waveform. The average value is ...
Electrically, these devices resemble Zener diodes, with the following major differences: They rely on gas ionization, rather than Zener breakdown; The unregulated supply voltage must be 15–20% above the nominal output voltage to ensure that the discharge starts; The output can be higher than nominal if the current through the tube is too low.
Zener diode, a type of electronic diode; Zener effect, a type of electrical breakdown which is employed in a Zener diode; Zener pinning, the influence of a dispersion of fine particles on the movement of low- and high angle grain boundaries through a polycrystalline material; Clarence Zener, the American physicist after whom the diode, effect ...
A higher voltage Zener-like TVS may make the relay open faster than it would with a simple rectifier diode clamp, as R is higher while the voltage rises to the clamp level. A Zener diode connected to ground will protect against positive transients that go over the Zener's breakdown voltage, and will protect against negative transients greater ...
In the Zener diode, the concept of PIV is not applicable. A Zener diode contains a heavily doped p–n junction allowing electrons to tunnel from the valence band of the p-type material to the conduction band of the n-type material, such that the reverse voltage is "clamped" to a known value (called the Zener voltage), and avalanche does not ...
A simple voltage/current regulator can be made from a resistor in series with a diode (or series of diodes). Due to the logarithmic shape of diode V-I curves, the voltage across the diode changes only slightly due to changes in current drawn or changes in the input. When precise voltage control and efficiency are not important, this design may ...