Zener Diode

By- Nakul
Tekade,
Shubham
Rakshe.
 A properly doped crystal diode which has a
sharp breakdown voltage is known as Zener
Diode .
 It is a p-n junction semiconductor device
designed to operate in the reverse breakdown
region and is always reverse connected, i.e.it
is always reverse biased.
 The breakdown or zener voltage depends upon
the amount of doping:
1) If the diode is heavily
doped, depletion layer will be thin and
consequently the breakdown of the junction
will occur at a lower reverse voltage.
2) On the other hand, a lightly doped diode
has a higher breakdown voltage.
V-I
V-I CHARACTERISTICS
CHARACTERISTICS
  When forward biased
voltage is applied to
the zener diode, it
works like a normal
diode.
 However, when
reverse biased voltage
is applied to the zener
diode, it works in
different manner.
 When reverse biased voltage is applied to a
zener diode, it allows only a small amount of
leakage current until the voltage is less than
zener voltage. 
 When reverse biased voltage applied to the
zener diode reaches zener voltage, it starts
allowing large amount of electric current.
 At this point, a small increase in reverse voltage
will rapidly increases the electric current.
 Because of this sudden rise in electric current,
breakdown occurs called zener breakdown.
 However, zener diode exhibits a controlled
breakdown that does damage the device.
 Zener Breakdown

 The zener breakdown occurs in heavily doped p-n

junction diodes because of their narrow depletion
region. When reverse biased voltage applied to the
diode is increased, the narrow depletion region
generates strong electric field.
 Zener breakdown occurs at low reverse
voltage whereas avalanche breakdown
occurs at high reverse voltage.
 Zener breakdown occurs in zener
diodes because they have very thin
depletion region. 
 Breakdown region is the normal
operating region for a zener diode.
 Zener breakdown occurs in zener
diodes with zener voltage (Vz) less than
6V.
 Advantages Applications
 It is normally used as
 Power voltage reference
dissipation  Zener diodes are used in
capacity is voltage stabilizers or shunt
regulators.
very high  Zener diodes are used in
 High accuracy switching operations
 Small size  Zener diodes are used in
clipping and clamping
 Low cost circuits.
 Zener diodes are used in
various protection circuits.