different types of Diodes
All PostsAnalog ElectronicsElectronicsEmbedded System

Different Types Of Diodes, Function, Applications, Diode Types

Posted on by Chetan Shidling

Hello guys, welcome back to my blog. In this article, I will discuss different types of diodes, the function of each diode, the applications of all devices, and here in this article, I will be sharing just short information about diodes.

If you have any doubts related to electrical, electronics, and computer science, then ask questions. You can also catch me on Instagram – CS Electrical & Electronics And Chetan Shidling. 

Also read:

Different Types Of Diodes

The diode has two terminals and it allows the transfer of current in only one direction. The diode is used to rectify waveforms within power supplies. These are made with semiconductors like silicon or germanium.

The different types of diodes are:

  1. Light-emitting diode.
  2. photodiodes
  3. Zener diode.
  4. Pin diode.
  5. Backward diode.
  6. Barritt diode.
  7. Gunn diode.
  8. Laser diode.
  9. PN Junction Diode.
  10. Schottky Diode
  11. Step recovery diode.
  12. Tunnel diode
  13. Varactor diode.

Now let’s discuss one by one about Different Types Of Diodes, Functions, Applications.

01. Light Emitting Diode

LED is one of the most standard types of diode. If the diode is connected in forwarding bias, then current flows through the junction and it generates light. LEDs will not be having filament to burn, that’s why they last much longer than conventional bulbs. LEDs are instant on like halogen lamps.

Applications Of LED

  1. LED bulbs are used at homes and industries.
  2. Used in mobile phones to display messages.
  3. Used in traffic light signal.
  4. Used as bulbs in motorcycles and cars.

02. Photodiode

This will be used to detect light and converts light into current or voltage based on the mode of operation. When light Strikes a PN junction it creates electrons and holes. Photodiodes operate under reverse bias conditions. When a small number of current flows, resulting From the light can be noticed. This can also be used to protect electricity.

Application Of Photodiode

  1. Used in charge a couple of devices.
  2. It is used in photomultiplier tubes.
  3. Used in smoke detectors and compact disc players.
  4. It is used to measure the intensity of light exactly.
  5. Widely used in numerous medical applications.

03. Zener Diode

It is used to provide a stable reference voltage. Normally, Zener diodes work under reverse bias conditions. When a particular voltage is reached, it breaks down. If the current is limited by a resistor, then it activates a stable voltage to be generated.

Applications Of Zener Diode

  1. It is widely used in shunt and voltage regulators.
  2. Use to protect over voltage.

04. Pin Diode

A PIN diode is the alternation of the PN Junction Diode. The area between the two regions, namely intrinsic semiconductors, will not be having doping. Pin diode converts the optical signal into an electrical signal. It has mainly three layers. That is the P-type layer, intrinsic layer, N-type layer. The working principle of the pin diode is exactly similar to the normal diode.

Applications Of Pin Diode

  1. Used as high voltage rectifies.
  2. It is used as an ideal radiofrequency Switch.
  3. Used as a photodetector to convert the light into current.

05. Backward Diode

This can be also called a Back diode. It is a PN junction diode which is similar to a tunnel diode in its functionality. It is not widely used.

06. Barritt Diode

Barritt stands for barrier injection transit-time diode. This die or will be used in microwave signal generation. This can be used in a burglar alarm where it creates a simple microwave signal with a comparatively low noise level. The operation frequency range is 4GHz to 8GHz. It works on the principle of thermionic emission.

The output power will be just a few mill watts. This makes less noise. It has a narrow bandwidth.

Applications Of Barritt Diode

  1. Used in mixers.
  2. It is used in oscillators.
  3. Use in small-signal amplifiers.

07. Gunn Diode

Gunn diode has two terminals that exhibit non-linear current and voltage characteristics. It allows the current in only One Direction at which its resistance is low during forwarding bias. This is also called a transferred electronic device.

Applications Of Gunn Diode

It is used as gun oscillators just to generate frequencies that range from 100mW 5GHz to 1W 35GHz.

  1. Used as sensors to detect trespassers.
  2. It is used as an efficient microwave generator.
  3. Used indoor opening sensors.
  4. It is used for remote vibration detectors.

08. Laser Diode

This is not similar to LED because it generates coherent light. These are having a partial life. We’re having mainly three types of laser pointers i.e. red laser pointers, blue laser pointers, green laser pointers, key-chain laser pointers.

Applications Of Laser Diode

  1. Used in skin and laser treatments.
  2. It is used for cutting and welding materials.
  3. Used in laser printers, barcode scanners.
  4. It is used in Fibre Optic Communication.
  5. Used in DVD’S, CD drives and in laser light pointers for PPT’s.

09. PN Junction Diode

This is the most essential building block of the electronic device. This is a 2 terminal device that is formed where one side of the Diode is made with p-type and another side it’s doped with N-type material. This is the root of semiconductor diodes. There will be 3 possible biasing conditions and two operating regions for the typical PN junction diode. They are zero bias, forward bias, and reverse bias.

When we applied voltage across the PN junction diode then electrons diffuse to the P side holes diffuse to n side and they combine with each other. That’s why the acceptor atom will be near to p-type and the donor atom will be near to n side is left unutilized. The electronic field will be generated by these charge carriers. This opposes further diffusion. Thus the region which doesn’t move is called the depletion region.

Applications Of PN Junction Diode

  1. Used for the rectification process.
  2. It is used as a clipper.
  3. Used as switches.
  4. It is used in detector and demodulator.

10. Schottky Diode

This dial has a lower forward old age drop compared to ordinary silicon PN junction diodes. At low currents, the voltage drop may be between 0.15 and 0.4 volts. To attain this performance, Schottky diodes are designed in different ways compared to normal diodes. These are having high efficiency, low forward voltage drop, low capacitance, low profile surface mount Package.

Applications Of Schottky Diode

  1. Used in rectifier application.
  2. This can be used in voltage clamping applications.
  3. Used in stand-alone photovoltaic systems to prevent batteries from discharging.

11. Step Recovery Diode

It is a type of microwave diode which is used to generate pulses at very high frequencies. This diode always depends on another diode that has a high turn-off characteristic for the operation.

12. Tunnel Diode

The tunnel diode is the PN junction that exhibits negative resistance. It can be also called an Eskari diode and this is a highly doped semiconductor and has capable of very fast operation. It is made up of germanium materials.

Applications Of Tunnel Diode

  1. Used as an ultra-high-speed switch
  2. It is used as a logic memory storage device.
  3. Used as a microwave oscillator due to small capacitance and negative resistance.
  4. It is used as a relaxation oscillator circuit.

13. Varactor Diode

This is one kind of semiconductor microwave solid-state device. Even though the outcome of variable capacitance can be shown by using normal PN junction diodes, Varactor diodes are chosen for giving the desired capacitance, since these are special types of diodes.

Applications Of Varactor Diode

  1. Used in voltage-controlled oscillators.
  2. It is used in RF filters.

I hope this article may help you all a lot. Thank you for reading.

About The Author

Chetan Shidling

Automotive | Technical Blogger | Engineer | Content Creator

See author's posts

Share Now