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Characteristics of a Silicon Diode

A diode is an electrical component. Most diodes manufactured today are made of silicon. In the past diodes have been made using vacuum tubes. Today these have only niche applications such as in high-end sound equipment. Diodes have two terminals and conduct electricity in only one direction. A semiconductor diode is a diode where the silicon has been doped to create a material with electrical conductivity somewhere between that of a conductor and an insulator.

P-type and N-type Semiconductor
- Modern semiconductor diodes are made from two pieces of silicon semiconductor with doped with different chemicals so they have different properties. These two types are the P-type and the N-type semiconductor. The N-type semiconductor contains large amounts of negative charge carriers (which are called electrons) and the P-type semiconductor contains large amounts of positive charge carriers (which are called holes). The two inputs to the diode (which are called terminals) are attached to one of either the P-type or the N-type semiconductor.
P-N Junction
- Between the P-type and N-type semiconductors there is a crystal. This crystal consists of two layers with a narrow gap between them. This is the PN junction. This area of crystal will conduct electrical current current from the P-type to the N-type semiconductors but not in the opposite direction. This results in the characteristic behavior of the diode in only allowing electrical current to flow in one direction.
Transfer Behaviour
- The transfer behavior of a diode refers to the relationship between the inputs and outputs to the diode. The transfer behavior of a diode is often depicted in the form of a graph. This graph shows how the voltage across the diode relates to the electrical current flowing through the diode.

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