Question

. How does the appearance of the diode change when the maximum voltage is above or below the threshold

Answer 1

Answer :

The diode has 2 key resistance change periods, at the breakdown voltage and at the threshold voltage.

Resistance does not change much but after the diode reaches the threshold voltage, resistance just decreases drastically, allowing a great amount of current to rapidly pass through the diode. The threshold voltage is the voltage where the diode has enough voltage to conduct a large amount of current through it. Without this threshold voltage, the diode does not have enough power to conduct current.

Resistance does not change much until the diode reaches the breakdown voltage. As this point, the resistance drastically decreases, allowing a great deal of current to flow through. The breakdown voltage is the voltage which the diode has received the maximum reverse voltage that a diode can withstand. If more voltage is fed above this point, the diode will conduct a large amount of current across its terminals. Diodes are meant to only pass current when forward biased. But if enough reverse voltage is applied to it, its breakdown point, it will also conduct current across its junctions in reverse.