Complete Electronics Self-Teaching Guide with Projects

Summary

Semiconductor diodes are used extensively in modern electronic circuits. Following are the main advantages of semiconductor diodes:

• They are small.
• They are rugged and reliable if properly used. You must remember that excessive reverse voltage or excessive forward current could damage or destroy the diode.
• Diodes are easy to use because there are only two connections to make.
• They are inexpensive.
• They can be used in all types of electronic circuits, from simple DC controls to radio and TV circuits.
• They can be made to handle a wide range of voltage and power requirements.
• Specialized diodes (which have not been covered here) can perform particular functions, which no other components can handle.
• Finally, as you see in Chapter 3, “Introduction to the Transistor,” diodes are an integral part of transistors.

All the many uses of semiconductor diodes are based on the fact they conduct in one direction only. Diodes are often used for the following:

• Protecting circuit components from voltage spikes
• Converting AC to DC
• Protecting sensitive components from high-voltage spikes
• Building high-speed switches
• Rectifying radio frequency signals