Diode
hideIn electronics, a diode is a two-terminal device (thermionic diodes may also have one or two ancillary terminals for a heater).
Diodes have two active electrodes between which the signal of interest may flow, and most are used for their unidirectional electric current property. The varicap diode is used as an electrically adjustable capacitor.
The unidirectionality most diodes exhibit is sometimes generically called the rectifying property. The most common function of a diode is to allow an electric current in one direction (called the forward biased condition) and to block the current in the opposite direction (the reverse biased condition). Thus, the diode can be thought of as an electronic version of a check valve.
Real diodes do not display such a perfect on-off directionality but have a more complex non-linear electrical characteristic, which depends on the particular type of diode technology. Diodes also have many other functions in which they are not designed to operate in this on-off manner.
Early diodes included “cat’s whisker” crystals and vacuum tube devices (also called thermionic valves). Today most diodes are made of silicon, but other semiconductors such a germanium are sometimes used.
For more information about Diode, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with diode
Atomtronic transistor and diode could advance quantum computing
Oct 09, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- What if atoms could be used to perform the functions currently the province of electronic devices? The goal of atomtronics is to do just that by creating analogues to the common items found in electronic ...
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(PhysOrg.com) -- As organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) are poised to go mainstream in the near future, scientists continue to explore new twists on the technology. Recently, researchers have fabricated ...
Turning heat to electricity... efficiently
Nov 18, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- In everything from computer processor chips to car engines to electric powerplants, the need to get rid of excess heat creates a major source of inefficiency. But new research points the way ...
Solar Cells with LEDs Provide Inexpensive Lighting
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Of the 1.5 billion people in developing countries who do not have electricity, many rely on kerosene lamps for light after the sun goes down. But now, researchers from Denmark have designed ...
Two Retinal Imaging Display Devices at Prototype Stage
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(PhysOrg.com) -- NEC and Brother are both developing wearable prototype devices that use Retinal Imaging Display (RID) technology to project images directly on the wearer's retina. NEC's gadget is designed ...
Lighter, cheaper, LED light bulbs are starting to enter the marketplace
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Just when you were finally warming up to the idea of swapping out your old light bulbs with compact fluorescent ones, you may soon find a new alternative at your local hardware store.
Researchers create molecular diode
Oct 22, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Recently, at Arizona State University’s Biodesign Institute, N.J. Tao and collaborators have found a way to make a key electrical component on a phenomenally tiny scale. Their single-molecule diode is described ...
Researchers create molecular diode
Oct 13, 2009 |
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Recently, at Arizona State University's Biodesign Institute, N.J. Tao and collaborators have found a way to make a key electrical component on a phenomenally tiny scale. Their single-molecule diode is described ...
Super-thin flexible OLED from Sony
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Sony is showing off prototypes incorporating its super-thin, flexible OLED technology at the CREATEC JAPAN 2009 IT and electronics trade show in Makuhari Messe (Chiba) in Japan.
LG to Launch 15-inch OLED TV
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Sep 01, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- The Korean company, LG Electronics, the second largest television manufacturer in the world, has announced it will launch a 15-inch organic display TV set in early September. The announcement, ...
Ultrathin light-emitting diodes create new classes of lighting and display systems
Aug 20, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A new process for creating ultrathin, ultrasmall inorganic light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and assembling them into large arrays offers new classes of lighting and display systems with interesting ...
A bright idea: Philips lets flat lights out of lab
Jul 22, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Someday, our ceilings and walls might radiate light, illuminating indoor spaces as brightly and evenly as natural daylight.
Organic light-emitting diode screens ready to go mainstream
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It's not yet lights-out for LCD and plasma, but OLED displays are finally ready to begin pushing those technologies out of the limelight.
LG claims world's thinnest LCD-TV panel
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May 19, 2009 |
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South Korea's LG Display said it has developed a liquid crystal display (LCD) television panel that is thinner than a pencil, describing it as the world's slimmest.
Tiny particles make LED light more pleasing
Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials
May 05, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Light-emitting diodes are prime candidates for replacing inefficient incandescent bulbs, but have a few things working against them. They can provide a pleasing warm light or they can be energy-efficient, ...
