Diodes & Rectifiers

A semiconductor device which passes current in the forward direction (from anode to cathode), and blocks current in the opposite direction.

A semiconductor device that, above a certain reverse voltage(the zener value) has a sudden rise in current. If forward biased, the diode is an ordinary rectifier. When reverse biased, it exhibits a sharp break in its current-voltage graph. Voltage across the diode remains essentially constant for any further increase of reverse current.