What is a Diode Zener full explaination, symbol, working

Welcome, visitors and followers of the Electron Tips Blog, In today’s lesson, we will learn about the most important element in the field of electricity and electronics in particular, which is the Zener diode. So what is a Zener diode? How does a zener diode work? What is the function of a zener diode in electronic circuits? What is the difference between a normal diode and a Zener diode? We will answer all of these questions in detail in this educational topic, Without introduction, let us go to a brief definition of the zener diode element.

Definition of Zener diode :

The Zener diode is an electronic component that belongs to the semiconductor family, It is made of silicon or geranium, The Diode Zener allows electrical current to pass through only one side, like a regular diode, However, the Zener diode has the ability to stabilize the voltage at a certain value when the breakdown voltage is exceeded, despite the increase in voltage.

The Zener diode element passes only the voltage recorded on it in the datasheet, so the zener diode element is widely used as a voltage regulator or to protect devices, or rather electronic elements, from damage and combustion.

Zener diode symbol:

The symbol of a zener diode is somewhat similar to the symbol of a normal diode, except that the zener diode contains a special symbol that enables us to distinguish it from a normal diode.

Zener diode symbol

Zener diode function:

The importance of the zener diode is evident in protecting electronic circuits from excessive voltage. This is done by choosing the type of zener diode that we need. For example, we have an electronic component that operates at a voltage of 5 volts.

We choose a zener diode that outputs a voltage of 5 volts. In this way, we will provide protection for this electronic component, Thanks to the presence of a zener diode that passes a voltage of 5 volts, even if the voltage increases, the zener diode will not pass more than that.

Note :

The zener diode does not operate at an electrical voltage lower than the voltage recorded in its datasheet, so this aspect must be taken into account when choosing any zener diode and ensuring that it is available at the voltage it operates on.

How to know the value of a zener diode:

To know the value of the zener diode voltage, we install a 1 kilo ohm resistor on the anode end (the positive end of the zener diode), and we connect the digital multimeter in parallel with both the electrical resistance and the zener diode, then we connect them to an electrical voltage source, preferably a power supply, as we can gradually increase the electrical voltage, When a certain electrical voltage on the digital multimeter device stabilizes despite the increase in the electrical voltage in the power supply, that is the value of the zener diode, this is the best way to know the value of the zener diode.

Diagram of circuit

Uses of zener diode:

The Zener diode has many uses, some of which are:

Zener diodes are often used as voltage regulators in electronic circuits and devices.

The Zener diode has an important role in protecting electrical devices and systems, as it stabilizes voltages, making it a necessary compound for protection against overvoltage.

Zener diodes are often used in electrical charger circuits, as well as battery charge controllers and monitors.