DIODE

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What is DIODE
A diode is a semiconductor device that essentially
acts as a one-way switch for current. It allows
current to flow easily in one direction, but severely
restricts current from flowing in the opposite
direction.

Diodes are also known as rectifiers because they

change alternating current (ac) into pulsating direct
current (dc). Diodes are rated according to their
type, voltage, and current capacity.
Diodes have polarity, determined by
an anode (positive lead) and cathode (negative
lead). Most diodes allow current to flow only when
positive voltage is applied to the anode. A variety of
diode configurations are displayed in this graphic:
When a diode allows current flow, it is forward-
biased. When a diode is reverse-biased, it acts as
an insulator and does not permit current to flow.
Digital multimeter's diode test
Diode produces a small voltage between the test
leads enough to forward-bias a diode junction.
Normal voltage drop is 0.5 V to 0.8 V. The forward-
biased resistance of a good diode should range
from 1000 ohms to 10 ohms. When reverse-biased,
a digital multimeter's display will read OL (which
indicates very high resistance).
Characteristics of Diode
The following are the characteristics of the diode:
 Forward-biased diode
 Reverse-biased diode
 Zero biased diode
Forward-biased Diode
There is a small drop of voltage across the diode when the diode is
forward-biased and the current is conducting. For silicon diodes, the
forward voltage is 690mV and for germanium, 300mV is the forward
voltage. The potential energy across the p-type material is positive and
across the n-type material, the potential energy is negative.
Reverse-biased Diode
A diode is said to be reverse-biased when the battery’s voltage is
dropped completely. For silicon diodes, the reverse current is -20μA
and for germanium, -50μA is the reverse current. The potential energy
across the p-type material is negative and across the n-type material,
the potential energy is positive.
Zero-biased Diode
When the diode is zero-biased, the voltage potential across the diode is
zero.
Diode Applications
 Diodes as a rectifier
 Diodes in the clipping circuit
 Diodes in clamping circuits
 Diodes in logical gates
 Diodes in reverse current protection
What is Rectifier?
A rectifier is an electronic device that converts an alternating current
into a direct current by using one or more P-N junction diodes. A diode
behaves as a one-way valve that allows current to flow in a single
direction. This process is known as rectification.
Different Types of Rectifier
Rectifiers are mainly classified into two types as:
1.Uncontrolled Rectifier
2.Controlled Rectifier
Uncontrolled Rectifiers
The type of rectifier whose voltage cannot be controlled is known as
an uncontrolled rectifier. Uncontrolled rectifiers are further divided as
follows:
Half Wave Rectifier
Full Wave Rectifier

The type of rectifier that converts only the half cycle of the alternating
current into the direct current is known as a half-wave rectifier.
Likewise, a full-wave rectifier converts both positive and negative half
cycles of the AC.
Controlled Rectifiers
A type of rectifier whose voltage can be varied is known as the
controlled rectifier. We use SCRs, MOSFETs and IGBTs to make an
uncontrolled rectifier a controlled one. These rectifiers are preferred
over their uncontrolled counterparts. There are two types of controlled
rectifiers, and they are Half Wave Controlled Rectifier and Full Wave
Controlled Rectifier. Half-wave controlled rectifier has the same
design as the half-wave uncontrolled rectifier except we replace the
diode with an SCR.
SCR -> silicon controlled rectifier
MOSFETs -> metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor
IGBTs -> Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor
Half Wave Rectifier Circuit
A half-wave rectifier is the simplest form of the rectifier and requires
only one diode for the construction of a halfwave rectifier circuit.
A halfwave rectifier circuit consists of three main components as
follows:
 A diode
 A transformer
 A resistive load
Working of Half Wave Rectifier
In this section, let us understand how a half-wave rectifier transforms
AC into DC.
1.A high AC voltage is applied to the primary side of the step-down
transformer. The obtained secondary low voltage is applied to the
diode.
2.The diode is forward biased during the positive half cycle of the AC
voltage and reverse biased during the negative half cycle.
3.The final output voltage waveform is as shown in the figure below:
Full Wave Rectifiers
A full wave rectifier is defined as a rectifier that converts the complete
cycle of alternating current into pulsating DC.
Unlike halfwave rectifiers that utilize only the halfwave of the input AC
cycle, full wave rectifiers utilize the full cycle. The lower efficiency of
the half wave rectifier can be overcome by the full wave rectifier.
The circuit of the full wave rectifier consists of a step-down transformer and two
diodes that are connected and centre tapped. The output voltage is obtained across
the connected load resistor.
Working of Full Wave Rectifier
The input AC supplied to the full wave rectifier is very high. The step-
down transformer in the rectifier circuit converts the high voltage AC
into low voltage AC. The anode of the centre tapped diodes is
connected to the transformer’s secondary winding and connected to
the load resistor. During the positive half cycle of the alternating
current, the top half of the secondary winding becomes positive while
the second half of the secondary winding becomes negative.
During the positive half cycle, diode D1 is forward biased as it is
connected to the top of the secondary winding while diode D 2 is
reverse biased as it is connected to the bottom of the secondary
winding. Due to this, diode D1 will conduct acting as a short circuit and
D2 will not conduct acting as an open circuit
During the negative half cycle, the diode D1 is reverse biased and the
diode D2 is forward biased because the top half of the secondary circuit
becomes negative and the bottom half of the circuit becomes positive.
Thus in a full wave rectifiers, DC voltage is obtained for both positive
and negative half cycle.
Bridge rectifier
We can define bridge rectifiers as a type of full-wave rectifier that uses
four or more diodes in a bridge circuit configuration to efficiently
convert alternating (AC) current to a direct (DC) current.
Working
When an AC signal is applied across the bridge rectifier, terminal A
becomes positive during the positive half cycle while terminal B
becomes negative. This results in diodes D1 and D3 becoming forward
biased while D2 and D4 becoming reverse biased.
The current flow during the positive half-cycle is shown in the figure
below:
During the negative half-cycle, terminal B becomes positive while
terminal A becomes negative. This causes diodes D2 and D4 to become
forward biased and diode D1 and D3 to be reverse biased.
The current flow during the negative half cycle is shown in the figure
below:
Thus, a bridge rectifier allows electric current during both positive and
negative half cycles of the input AC signal.
The output waveforms of the bridge rectifier are shown in the below
figure.
END