Published by: Zaya
Published date: 26 Jun 2021
A Zener diode is a silicon semiconductor device that permits current to flow in either a forward or reverse direction. The diode consists of a special, heavily doped p-n junction, designed to conduct in the reverse direction when a certain specified voltage is reached. It has a well-defined reverse-breakdown voltage, at which it starts conducting current, and continues operating continuously in the reverse-bias mode without getting damaged. Additionally, the voltage drop across the diode remains constant over a wide range of voltages, a feature that makes Zener diodes suitable for use in voltage regulation.
The Zener diode operates just like the normal diode when in the forward-bias mode, and has a turn-on voltage of between 0.3 and 0.7 V. However when connected in the reverse mode, which is usual in most of its applications, a small leakage current may flow. As the reverse voltage increases to the predetermined breakdown voltage (Vz), a current starts flowing through the diode. The current increases to a maximum, which is determined by the series resistor, after which it stabilizes and remains constant over a wide range of applied voltage.
The breakdown is either due to the Zener breakdown effect that occurs below 5.5 V, or impact ionization that occurs above 5.5 V. Both mechanisms result in the same behavior and do not require different circuitry; however, each mechanism has a different temperature coefficient.
The Zener effect has a negative temperature coefficient while the impact effect experiences a positive coefficient. The two temperature effects are almost equal at 5.5 V and cancel out each other to make the Zener diodes rated at around 5.5 V the most stable over a wide range of temperature conditions.