effect of temperature on zener & avalanche breakdown
zener breakdown and avalanche breakdown.
The difference between the avalanche diode (which has a reverse breakdown above about 6.2 V) and the Zener is that the channel length of the former exceeds the "mean free path" of the electrons, so there are collisions between them on the way out. The only practical difference is that the two types have temperature coefficients of opposite polarities.
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
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.
breakdown condition
zener breakdown and avalanche breakdown.
Silicon "zener diodes" with a zener voltage rating of 5.6V or higher operate mainly by avalanche breakdown, so both the 6.2V and 24V "zener diodes" are avalanche breakdown type (not zener breakdown type).
Zener breakdown happens at low voltages, whereas avalanche breakdown happens at higher voltages. So diode with 6.2v is having zener breakdown rest is avalanche breakdown in this case.
Avalanche is when you surpass the negative bias voltage threshold and the zener breaks, thermal breakdown would be putting too much current or voltage across the zener and burning it out.
After breakdown voltage is reached in a zener diode the current increases drastically.
A: There is no difference except for a zener its breakdown is known and predictable. Avalanche breakdown is not predictable and usually happens at hi voltage and because of it if the current is not limited it self destroy the device
avalanche
Ther are generally Two types of Breakdown Phenomenons comes into picture. Namely- 1. Avalanche Breakdown 2. Zener Breakdown.
-ve coff of temperature
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.
1. Differentiate Zener breakdown from avalanche breakdown? Zener Breakdown Avalanche breakdown 1.This occurs at junctions which being heavily doped have narrow depletion layers 2. This breakdown voltage sets a very strong electric field across this narrow layer. 3. Here electric field is very strong to rupture the covalent bonds thereby generating electronhole pairs. So even a small increase in reverse voltage is capable of producing large number of current carriers. ie why the junction has a very low resistance. This leads to Zener breakdown. 1. This occurs at junctions which being lightly doped have wide depletion layers. 2. Here electric field is not strong enough to produce Zener breakdown. 3. Her minority carriers collide with semi conductor atoms in the depletion region, which breaks the covalent bonds and electron-hole pairs are generated. Newly generated charge carriers are accelerated by the electric field which results in more collision and generates avalanche of charge carriers. This results in avalanche breakdown.
Zener diodes and ordinary junction diodes are similar, except that zener diodes have additional doping to bring their reverse breakdown voltage into a more usable value, and to allow them to not destructively avalanche when they do conduct in the reverse direction.