Transient Voltage Suppressor

(TVS)
A form of Zener diode designed to protect sensitive devices from transient voltage spikes by
clamping them—in other words, diverting the
energy to ground. A TVS can absorb as much as
30,000 volts from a lightning strike or static discharge. Typically the Zener diode is incorporated
in a network of other diodes in a surface-mount
integrated circuit chip.
Zener diodes can also be used in circuits to handle electrostatic discharge (ESD), which can occur
when a person unknowingly accumulates an
electrostatic potential and then grounds it by
touching an electronic device.
Schottky Diode
This type has a low junction capacitance, enabling faster switching than comparable generic
silicon diodes. It also imposes a lower forward
voltage drop, which can be desirable in lowvoltage applications, and allows less power dissipation
when a diode is necessary to control
current flow. The Schottky diode is fabricated
with a semiconductor-to-metal junction, and
tends to be slightly more expensive than generic
silicon diodes with similar voltage and current
specifications.
Varactor Diode
Also known as a varicap, this type of diode has
variable capacitance controlled by reverse voltage. While other diodes may exhibit this same
phenomenon, the varactor is specifically designed to exploit it at very high frequencies. The
voltage expands or contracts the depletion region in the junction between the P and N regions,
which can be thought of as analogous to moving
the plates of a capacitor nearer together or farther apart.

Because the capacitance of a varactor has a low

maximum of about 100pF, its uses are limited. It
is used extensively in RF applications where its
voltage-controlled variable capacitance provides a uniquely useful way to control the frequency of an
oscillator circuit. In almost all radio, cellular, and wireless receivers, a varactor
controls a phase-locked loop oscillator. In ham
radio receivers, it can be used to adjust the tuning
of a filter that tracks an incoming radio frequency.
A varactor is always reverse-biased below its
breakdown voltage, so that there is no direct
conduction. The voltage that controls a varactor
must be absolutely free from random fluctuations that would affect its resonant frequency.
Tunnel Diode, Gunn Diode, PIN
Diode
Mostly used in very high frequency or microwave
applications, where ordinary diodes are unacceptable because they have insufficiently high
switching speeds.
Diode Array
Two or more diodes may be encapsulated in a
single DIP or (more commonly) surface-mount
integrated circuit chip. The internal configuration and the pinouts of the chip will vary from
one device to another. Diode arrays may be used
for termination of data lines to reduce reflection
noise.
Bridge Rectifier
Although this is a diode array, it is commonly indexed in parts catalogues under the term bridge
rectifier. Numerous through-hole versions are
available with ratings as high as 25A, some designed for single-phase input while others process
three-phase AC. Screw-terminal components can rectify more than 1,000 volts at 1,000
amps. The package does not usually include any
provision for smoothing or filtering the output.
See “Rectification” (page 227) for more information
on the behavior of a bridge rectifier.
Values
A manufacturer’s datasheet for a typical generic
diode should define the following values, using
abbreviations that may include those in the following list.
• Maximum sustained forward current: If or Io
or IOmax
• Forward voltage (the voltage drop imposed
by the diode): Vf
• Peak inverse DC voltage (may be referred to
as maximum blocking voltage or breakdown
voltage): Piv or Vdc or Vbr
• Maximum reverse current (also referred to as
leakage): Ir
Datasheets may include additional values when
the diode is used with alternating current, and
will also include information on peak forward
surge current and acceptable operating temperatures.
A typical signal diode is the 1N4148 (included at
the bottom of Figure 26-3), which is limited to
about 300mA forward current while imposing a
voltage drop of about 1V. The component can
tolerate a 75V peak inverse voltage. These values
may vary slightly among different manufacturers.
Rectifier diodes in the 1N4001/1N4002/1N4003
series have a maximum forward current of 1A
and will impose a voltage drop of slightly more
than 1V. They can withstand 50V to 1,000V of inverse voltage, depending on the component.
Here again, the values may vary slightly among
different manufacturers.
Zener diodes have a different specification, as
they are used with reverse bias as voltageregulating devices rather than rectification devices.
Manufacturers’ data sheets are likely to contain the following terminology:
• Zener voltage (the potential at which the diode begins to allow reverse current flow
when it is reverse-biased, similar to breakdown voltage): Vz
• Zener impedance or dynamic resistance (the
effective resistance of the diode, specified
when it is reverse-biased at the Zener voltage): Zz

• Maximum or admissible Zener current (or

reverse current): Iz or Izm
• Maximum or total power dissipation: Pd or Ptot
Zener voltage may be defined within a minimum
and maximum range, or as a simple maximum
value.
Limits on forward current are often not specified,
as the component is not intended to be forwardbiased.
How to Use it
Rectification
A rectifier diode, as its name implies, is commonly
used to rectify alternating current—that is, to
turn AC into DC. A half-wave rectifier uses a single
diode to block one-half of the AC sinewave. The
basic circuit for a half-wave rectifier is shown in
Figure 26-8. At top, the diode allows current to
circulate counter-clockwise through the load. At
bottom, the diode blocks current that attempts
to circulate clockwise. Although the output has
“gaps” between the pulses, it is usable for simple
tasks such as lighting an LED, and with the addition of a smoothing capacitor, can power the coil
of a DC relay.
A full-wave bridge rectifier employs four diodes
to provide a more efficient output, usually filtered and smoothed with appropriate capacitors. The
basic circuit is shown in Figure 26-9. A
comparison of input and output waveforms for
half-wave and full-wave rectifiers appears in
Figure 26-10.
Discrete components are seldom used for this
purpose, as off-the-shelf bridge rectifiers are
available in a single integrated package. Rectifier
diodes as discrete components are more likely to
be used to suppress back-EMF pulses, as described below.
An old but widely used design for a full-wave
bridge rectifier is shown in Figure 26-11. This unit
measured approximately 2” × 2” × 1.5” and was section corresponding with the functionality of
one modern diode. Figure 26-12 shows relatively
modern rectifier packages, the one on the left
rated at 20A continuous at 800V RMS, the one on
the right rated 4A continuous at 200V RMS. In
Figure 26-13, the one on the left is rated 4A continuous at 50V RMS, whereas the one on the right
is rated 1.5A at 200V RMS.
DC output from rectifier packages is usually supplied via the outermost pins, while the two pins
near the center receive AC current. The positive
DC pin may be longer than the other three, and
is usually marked with a + symbol.
Full-wave bridge rectifiers are also available in
surface-mount format. The one in Figure 26-14 is
rated for half an amp continuous current.
Back-EMF Suppression
A relay coil, motor, or other device with significant inductance will typically create a spike of
voltage when it is turned on or off. This EMF can be shunted through a rectifier diode to safeguard
other components in the circuit. A diode in this
configuration may be referred to as a protection
diode, a clamp diode, or transient suppressor.

Voltage Selection
A diode is sensitive to the relative voltage between its anode and cathode terminals. In other
words, if the cathode is at 9V relative to the
ground in the circuit, and the anode is at 12V, the
3V difference will easily exceed the threshold
voltage, and the diode will pass current. (Actual
tolerable values will depend on the forward voltage capability of the diode.) If the voltages are
reversed, the diode will block the current.

This attribute can be used to make a device

choose automatically between an AC adapter
and a 9V battery. The schematic is shown in
Figure 26-16. When an AC adapter that delivers
12VDC is plugged into a wall outlet, the adapter
competes with the battery to provide power to
a voltage regulator. The battery delivers 9VDC
through the lower diode to the cathode side of
the upper diode, but the AC adapter trumps it
with 12VDC through the upper diode. Consequently, the battery ceases to power the circuit
until the AC adapter is unplugged, at which point
the battery takes over, and the upper diode now
prevents the battery from trying to pass any current back through the AC adapter.
The voltage regulator in this schematic accepts
either 12VDC or 9VDC and converts it to 5VDC.
(In the case of 12VDC, the regulator will waste
more power, which will be dissipated as waste
heat.)