INSTRUGTION MANUAL

FOR
VOLTAGE STABILIZATION CHARACTERISTIC OF ZENER DIODE
(wrTH BU|LT rN RESTSTANCE LOAD)
MODEL NO. GME 542D & ME 542P

'MARS' made Zener Diode Characteristics Apparatus has been designed to study the voltage stabilization application
of a zener diode.

The Instrument comprises of the following built in parts:-

1 One continuously variable DC power supply of 0-30V.

2. Two meters to measure Input & Output voltages are provided on the front panel.

3. One series resistance &.Two zener diode of 8.2V & 5.1V has been provided on front panel.

4 Different type of load resistances selectable using band switch are also provided on the front panel.

THEORY

Arectifier with appropriate filter serves as a good source of DC output. However, the major disadvantage of such a
power supply is that the output voltage changes with the variations in the input voltage or load. Thus if the input
voltage increases, the DC output voltage of the rectifier also increases. Similarty, if the load current increases, the
output voltage falls due to the voltage drop in the rectifying element, filter chokes, transformer winding etc. In many

electronic applications, it is desired that the output voltage should remain constant regardless of the variations in
the input voltage or load. In order to ensure this, a voJtage stabilising device, called voltage stabilser is used.
Several stabilising circuits have been designed but only Zener Diode as a voltage stabilizer will be discussed.

When the reverse bias on a crystal diode is increased, a critical voltage, called breakdown voltage is
reached where the reverse current increases sharply to a high value. The breakdown region is the knee of the
reverse characteristics. The satisfactory explanation of this breakdown of the junction was first given by the
American scientist C. Zener. Therefore, the breakdown voltage is sometimes called, zenervoltage and the sudden
increase in current is known as Zener current.

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 The breakdown or Zener voltage depends upon the amount of doping. lf the diode is heavily doped,
reverse voltage on
depletion layer will be thin and consequenfly the breakdown of the junction will occur at a lower
the other hand, a lighfly doped diode has a higher breakdown voltage. when an ordinary crystal
diode is properly

doped so that it has a sharp breakdown voltage, it is called Zener Diode.

A properly doped crystal diodewhich has a sharp breakdown voltage is known as a Zener Diode.

Zener Diode is just like an ordinary diode except that the bar is turned into Z-shape' The following
points may be noted about the zener diode:

(i) A zener diode is like an ordinary diode except that it is properly doped so as to have a sharp
breakdown voltage.

o A zener diode is always reverse connected i.e. it is always reverse biased.

(i) A zener diode has sharp breakdown voltage, called zener voltage Vz.

(v) When foruvard biased, its characteristics are just those of ordinary diode.

As long
(v) The zener diode is not immediately burnt just because it has entered the breakdown region.
as the externalcircuit connected to the diode limits the diode currentto less than
burn ouf value, the

diode will not burn out.

,i/hen the reverse voltage across a zener diode exceeds the breakdown voltage Vz, the current increases very
In this region, the curve is almost vertical. lt means that voltage across zener
diode is constant at Vz even
slprpty.
may be represented by
tfiough the cunent through it changes. Th'erefore, in the breakdown region, an ideal zener
a baftery of voltage Vz.

PROCEDURE

Uake allthe Connections as shown

Rs
r Fg (1a).

30v
Srctrh ON the instrument using ON/
FF taggle switch.
FIG (1a)
voltage in small
Se€d trre bad resistance 1oke across output through band switch, increase the input
:cs and everytime note down the outputvoltage'

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Note down the observations in Table (1).

Plot the graph between input voltage & output voltage as shown in Fig.
(1b)'

Y
ul
c,
J
o
1.
F
D 2.
cF
.t.
f
o 4.
5.
INPUT VOLTAGE
FIG ({b)

Keep the input voltage at 30 Volts.

Select 50O Resistance across the output & note down the output voltage'

Table (2)'
Repeat step 7 for other values of load resistances .Note down the observations in

(2a).
Plot a graph between butput voltage & load resistance as shown in Fig.

Y sR. LOAD OUTPUT

tu
C, NO. RESISTANCE VOLTAGE
{
5 1.
o
2.
F
t4 3.
4.
F
D 5.
o
T,
LOAD RESISTANGE X
FIG (2a)

STANDARDACCESSORIES

Four Interconnectable and Five singlepoint (4mm) PStchcords for lnterconnections.

hsfruction Manual (DOC 542D).

E:\ABSOLUTE\0180\S42VOLTAGESTABILIZATIONCHARACTERIS]ICOFZENERDIODE

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