The interface at which p-type silicon and n-type silicon make contact with each other. At this coupling point, free electrons (n-type) and holes (p-type) cancel each other and form a "depletion zone" ...

The Zener diode is similar to a general-purpose signal diode which consists of a silicon PN junction. It is a special kind of diode in which current is allowed to flow in the forward direction in the ...

What is a P-N Junction? A p-n junction is a fundamental building block of modern electronics, formed by joining together two types of semiconductor materials: p-type (positive) and n-type (negative).

Find a downloadable version of this story in pdf format at the end of the story. Silicon Schottky diodes are used in power applications because of their low forward voltage drop, which allows lower ...

Last week we covered diodes, specifically thermionic and PN junction diodes. But oh, there are more; and they’re special! One of the the most commonly used ‘specialty’ diode would have to be the metal ...

After lying dormant in research laboratories for decades, silicon carbide (SiC) is beginning to realize its potential as a substrate material. “[Transistor inventor William B.] Shockley called it the ...

A physicist has made the best ever p-n junction diode from a carbon nanotube. The current-voltage characteristics of the device exhibit an "ideality factor" of one, which is the maximum possible value ...

PN-junction diodes often have a dropout voltageof approximately 1.2V for silicon power diodes.That voltage drop causes power diodes to dissipate considerablepower, resulting in a loss of efficiency in ...