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Zener breakdown is found to occur at electric field intensity of about 3 × 10 7 V/m. [1] Zener breakdown occurs in heavily doped junctions (p-type semiconductor moderately doped and n-type heavily doped), which produces a narrow depletion region. [2] The avalanche breakdown occurs in lightly doped junctions, which produce a wider depletion region.
Zener and avalanche diodes, regardless of breakdown voltage, are usually marketed under the umbrella term of "Zener diode". Under 5.6 V, where the Zener effect dominates, the IV curve near breakdown is much more rounded, which calls for more care in choosing its biasing conditions.
These diodes can indefinitely sustain a moderate level of current during breakdown. The voltage at which the breakdown occurs is called the breakdown voltage . There is a hysteresis effect; once avalanche breakdown has occurred, the material will continue to conduct even if the voltage across it drops below the breakdown voltage.
Both of these breakdown processes are non-destructive and are reversible, as long as the amount of current flowing does not reach levels that cause the semiconductor material to overheat and cause thermal damage. This effect is used to advantage in Zener diode regulator circuits. Zener diodes have a low breakdown voltage. A standard value for ...
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 ...
Zener can refer to: . 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
Breakdown voltage is a characteristic of an insulator that defines the maximum voltage difference that can be applied across the material before the insulator conducts. In solid insulating materials, this usually [citation needed] creates a weakened path within the material by creating permanent molecular or physical changes by the sudden current.
Electrical breakdown in an electric discharge showing the ribbon-like plasma filaments from a Tesla coil.. In electronics, electrical breakdown or dielectric breakdown is a process that occurs when an electrically insulating material (a dielectric), subjected to a high enough voltage, suddenly becomes a conductor and current flows through it.