• P-N Junction Diode

• The P-N junction diode is also known as rectifier diodes. These diodes are used for the rectification process and are made up of
semiconductor material. P-N junction diode includes two layers of semiconductors. One layer of the semiconductor material is
doped with P-type material and the other layer with N-type material. The combination of these both P and N-type layers form a
junction known as the P-N junction. Hence, the name P-N junction diode.
• P-N junction diode allows the current to flow in the forward direction and blocks the flow of current in the reverse direction. 
• Light Emitting Diode (LED)
• When an electric current between the electrodes passes through this diode, light is produced. In other words, light is generated
when a sufficient amount of forwarding current passes through it. In many diodes, this light generated is not visible as they are
frequency levels that do not allow visibility. LEDs are available in different colours. There are tricolour LEDs that can emit three
colours at a time. Light colour depends on the energy gap of the semiconductor used.
• Laser Diode
• It is a different type of diode as it produces coherent light. It is highly used in CD drives, DVDs and laser devices. These are costly
when compared to LEDs and are cheaper when compared to other laser generators. Limited life is the only drawback of these
diodes.
• Zener Diode
• it can provide a stable reference voltage. These are operated in reverse bias and break down on the arrival of a certain voltage.
If current passing through the resistor is limited, a stable voltage is generated.  Zener diodes are widely used in power supplies
to provide a reference voltage.
• Schottky Diode
• It has a lower forward voltage than other silicon PN junction diodes. The drop will be seen where there is low current and at
that stage, voltage ranges between 0.15 and 0.4 volts. These are constructed differently in order to obtain that
performance. Schottky diodes are highly used in rectifier applications.
• Photodiode
• A photo-diode can identify even a small amount of current flow resulting from the light. These are very helpful in the detection
of the light. This is a reverse bias diode and used in solar cells and photometers. They are even used to generate electricity.
• Varactor diode –It has a variable capacitance
• Tunnel diode
 LEDs

• Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) emit light when a forward bias is

applied.
• Typically, LEDs are made of III-V semiconductors.
• An LED emits light of a specific wavelength (e.g., red, green,
yellow, blue).
• White LEDs combine individual LEDs that emit the three
primary colors (red,green, blue) or use a phosphor material to
convert monochromatic light from a blue or UV LED to broad-
spectrum white light.
• Semiconductor lasers are essentially light-emitting diodes
with structural modifications that establish conditions for
coherent light.
 Varactor diode
• It is also known as varicap or voltage variable capacitor.
• In a pn junction the depletion region act as a dielectric
medium or insulator.
• P and N material act as two plates of capacitor
• Hence all PN junction possess junction capacitance
• When PN junction is reversed biased width of depletion
region increases and this decreases the junction
capacitances
• A varactor is a specially manufactured pn junction with
suitable impurity concentration and operated under
reverse bias so as to produce to junction C=𝞮A/d
 Varactor diode
• C=𝞮A/d
• 𝞮 = the permittivity of depletion region .
• A= area of junction, D = width of depletion of
region
 Application of varactor diode
• Used in TV receiver ,FM receiver , automobile
radios.
• Tunnel diode is used in high speed
switch ,microwave oscillator, relaxation
oscillator ,converter ,mixer
 Tunnel Diode
• a type of semiconductor diode that has
effectively “negative resistance” due to the
quantum mechanical effect called tunneling.
• Tunnel diodes have a heavily doped pn
junction that is about 10 nm wide.
• In forward biasing, the immediate
conduction occurs in the diode because of
heavy doping.
 Working
• Under normal forward bias operation, as voltage begins to increase, electrons at first
tunnel through the very narrow P-N junction barrier and fill electron states in the
conduction band on the N-side which become aligned with empty valence band hole
states on the P-side of the P-N junction. The current in a diode reach its maximum
value IP when the Vp voltage applied across it.
• As voltage increases further, these states become increasingly misaligned, and the
current drops. This is called negative resistance because
current decreases with increasing voltage. And it decreases until it reaches their
minimum value. This minimum value of current is called the valley current I v
• As voltage increases beyond a fixed transition point, the diode begins to operate as a
normal diode, where electrons travel by conduction across the P-N junction, and no
longer by tunneling through the P–N junction barrier.
• Under reverse bias, filled states on the P-side become increasingly aligned with empty
states on the N-side, and electrons now tunnel through the P-N junction barrier in
reverse direction. It acts like fast diode in reverse bias and can be used as a rectifier.
Tunnel Diode
 Tunnel diode applications
• Oscillator Circuits:
Tunnel diodes can be used as high frequency oscillators as the transition
between the high electrical conductivity is very rapid. They can be used to
create oscillation as high as 5Gz.
• Used in Microwave Circuits:
Normal diode transistors do not perform well in microwave operation. So,
for microwave generators and amplifiers tunnel diode are used. In
microwave waves and satellite communication equipments they were used
widely.
• Tunnel diodes are resistant to the effects of magnetic fields, high
temperature and radioactivity. That’s why these can be used in modern
military equipment. These are used in nuclear magnetic resonance
machine also. But the most important field of its use satellite
communication equipments.
Oscillator circuit using tunnel diode