Yes. The intended use of a zener diode is to be reverse biased at the breakdown voltage. In this mode, the zener has high slope in the current to voltage curve, making it a good choice for voltage regulation.
The function of a zener diode is for it to act as a voltage regulator in the breakdown region.
It depends on the particular diode. They come in all different values.
avalanche
It has a very sharp reverse breakdown voltage curve and is not damaged by the reverse current, as some normal diodes might be.
A Zener diode doesn't allow almost any current to flow below a certain voltage. Above this voltage (the breakdown voltage), the amount of current that can flow is almost unlimited; meaning that the device acts as an "open" for lower voltages, and as a "short" for higher voltages.
Yes **************************************** Yes they can but there are pitfalls. A normal diode will have a high reverse breakdown voltage. A zener has a relatively low breakdown voltage (its "zener"voltage). If a zener diode is used as a rectifier it must have a zener voltage at least twice the peak of the applied a.c.
After breakdown voltage is reached in a zener diode the current increases drastically.
zener diode is a special type of pn junction diode that work in breakdown region . There are two types of brekdowns in zener i.e avlanche breakdown and zener breakdown depending on the doping concentration. A zener diode in an on state can be considered as a voltage source ,equal to its zener voltage n hence act as an voltage regulator
If the zener diode is in zener breakdown the voltage across the zener diode remains constant regardless of current (for the ideal zener diode). Real zener diodes have parasitic resistance that causes the voltage across the zener diode to increase slightly with increased current, but due to temperature dependant variations in this parasitic resistance as well as temperature dependant variations in the zener breakdown voltage, this change in voltage in real zener diodes cannot be described by a simple linear factor.
The zener diode protects the meter by stabilizing the voltage when it goes in to the breakdown region.
A: A zener is a diode that when connected in the reverse mode current direction it will breakdown to a predetermined voltage any further increasing voltage the breakdown will remain practically the same.
Zener breakdown is the phenomena wherein the Zener diode experiences reverse breakdown at a much lower voltage than a normal diode, which may breakdown in excess of 100 volts, depending on the type. This is useful because the Zener will hold the same voltage after breakdown, regardless of the input voltage, making them excellent for voltage controlled switches and references.
A Zener Diode will continue to show its breakdown characteristics until it gets fried...for example a 5 volt zener will get fried at a breakdown voltage of about 6 volts..this happens because of the large amount of current flowing through the small diode which unfortunately the diode cannot handle.
breakdown condition
This space is for answering "http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_does_voltage_remain_constant_in_the_reverse_breakdown_region_in_a_zener_diode" Why does voltage remain constant in the reverse breakdown region in a zener diode?
The function of a zener diode is for it to act as a voltage regulator in the breakdown region.
A: They are both diodes. The difference lies in the application. A rectifier is used to rectify AC current into pulsating current. The zener diode is used to regulate a voltage source to the zener voltage when connected in the reverse direction. ************************************************************** If you look at the characteristic curves of a rectifier diode and a zener diode, you will see that they are similar, but the reverse curve of the zener has a much sharper bend at what is called the "knee". It is at this point on the zener's curve at which it operates.