BOUMERDES UNIVERSITY, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, I.G.E.

E (ex-INELEC)

Zener Diode
Lab experiment No3

Lab report Active Devices I (EE241L-Lab)

Under the supervision of Mr. R.HADOUCH

Mon, 25 Oct 2022

L03, Group 06

Done by:

- BAY Seif-El-Islam

- MELAH Raid Chems Eddine

Introduction:
Zener diodes are semiconductor diodes that operate in the avalanche
breakdown region. When a strong reverse voltage is given to the p-n junction
diode, the free electrons (minority carriers) gather a lot of energy and move faster.
The liberated electrons smash with the atoms at tremendous speeds, knocking off
extra electrons. A high number of free electrons are created as a result of this
continual collision with the atoms. As a result, the electric current in the diode
rapidly rises (avalanche). This abrupt rise in electric current has the potential to
irreversibly ruin a conventional diode. Zener diodes, on the other hand, are unlikely
to be damaged since they are specifically constructed to work in avalanche
breakdown areas.

Objectives:
The purpose of this experiment is to:

- Recognize Zener diodes and distinguish them from rectifying diodes.

- Plot the I-V characteristic of a reverse-biased Zener diode.

- Use the Zener diode in a simple application.

Equipment and components:

- The function generator (FG). - The oscilloscope (or simply the scope).

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- A BNC to BNC cable. - Cable. - T BNC connector. - Y BNC connector.

- Digital Multimeter. - Power supply. - Bread board.

- Two resistors (R=200Ω and R=1KΩ).

- Zener Diode.

Part 1: Zener Diode (1N5232, 5.6V, 500mW) Reverse Characteristics

Connecting the circuit shown below.

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1. For each value of the source voltage VS (0, 2, 4, 4.5, 5, 5.2, 5.4, 5.5, 5.6, 5.7,
5.8, 6, 8, 10). Measuring the voltage across the Zener diode (VZ) and the voltage
across the Resistor (R), calculating the Zener current using the formula: IZ= VR/R.

VS(v) VZ(v) VR(v) IZ(mA)

0 0.01 0.00 0.00
2 2.00 0.00 0.00
4 4.16 0.00 0.00
4.5 4.64 0.02 0.10
5 5.08 0.08 0.40
5.2 5.23 0.13 0.65
5.4 5.40 0.21 1.05
5.5 5.45 0.25 1.25
5.6 5.51 0.30 1.50
5.7 5.57 0.35 1.75
5.8 5.61 0.40 2.00
6 5.70 0.53 2.65
8 6.07 2.22 11.10
10 6.21 4.14 20.70
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2. Plotting my characteristic IZ = f(VZ):

IZ = f(VZ)
25

20

15
IZ(mA)

10

0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

-5
VZ(v)

3. Using this characteristic. Determining the Zener voltage VZ and the Zener
resistance around an operating point.

From the characteristic curve, at point (2.65mA, 5.7v), we get:

VZ = 5,7(v)
𝜟𝜟𝒗𝒗𝒛𝒛 (𝟓𝟓.𝟕𝟕−𝟓𝟓.𝟒𝟒)×
rZ = =  rZ = 187.5Ω
𝜟𝜟𝑰𝑰𝒛𝒛 (𝟐𝟐.𝟔𝟔𝟔𝟔−𝟏𝟏.𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎)×𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏−𝟑𝟑

∆Vz: is the difference in voltage between any two points.

∆Iz: is the difference in current between any two points.

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Part 2: Application

Calibrate the waveform generator, for 16V p-p, 1kHz sine wave, and connecting
the circuit shown below.

1. Sketch the waveform across the Zener diode.

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 o The remark: We observe that the Zener diode behaves like a typical
(rectifying) diode with a forward voltage drop of 0.7 V when forward biased
(VS < 0 V), since it does not conduct until the voltage drop across the diode is
roughly 0.8 V. It behaves like a typical diode but with a different (larger)
forward voltage drop when it is reverse biased (VS > 0 V), as it doesn't
conduct until the voltage drop across it reaches 5.6 V and remains constant.

2. The peak value for each direction is:

V Peak (froward) = 0.8 V

V Peak (reverse) = 5.8V

3. Deducing, from the curve:

- The forward voltage drop: V0 = 0.8 V.

- The nominal Zener voltage: VZ = 5.8 V.

Conclusion:
According to this experiment, a Zener diode functions similarly to a PN
junction diode. It operates just like a typical P-N diode when biased forward, but
when a reverse voltage is given to it, the voltage stays constant over a wide range
of currents. When the voltage rises above a specific threshold, it lets current to
flow normally in both the forward and backward directions. The breakdown
voltage, also referred to as the Zener voltage, is this value

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