Lab Report 2

Course Code: EEE 1302

Course Title: Electronic Circuits I Lab

Experiment No: 02
Experiment Name: Characteristics of Zener Diode

Submitted By:
Name: Nusrat Jannat Tithy
ID: 223014116
Section: 04

Submitted to:
Name: Atik Jawad
Senior Lecturer,
Dept. of EEE.
University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB).

Date of Submission: 05/02/2024

 Experiment Name: Characteristics of Zener Diode

Objectives:

i) To Obtain the Reverse Bias characteristics of a Zener diode.

ii) Determine the Zener Break down Voltage from the Characteristics.

Apparatus required:

i. A Zener diode of Breakdown voltage 6.2V

ii. A DC voltage supplier 0 – 30 volts
iii. Bread board
iv. 1kΩ resistor
v. D.C Ammeters 0–200mA
vi. D.C Volt meters 0–2V, 0–20V Each
vii. Connecting wires

Theory:

Zener diode is a heavily doped PN junction diode. Due to heavily doped, its
depletion layer is very thin and is order of micrometer. The forward bias
characteristic of Zener diode is same as the normal PN junction diode but in reverse
bias it has different characteristic. The relation between I-V is almost linear in this
case Vz = Vz0 + Izrz , where rz is the dynamic resistance of the Zener at the operating
point. Initially, a negligible constant current flow through the Zener diode in its
reverse bias but at certain voltage, the current becomes abruptly large. This voltage
is called as Zener voltage. This sudden and sharp increase in Zener current is called
as Zener breakdown. After the breakdown voltage, the current increases widely
even for a small change in voltage.
The symbol for Zener diode is represented as below

However, there is no appreciable change in voltage. So, when we plot the graph, we
should get a curve very near to x-axis and almost parallel to it for quite sometime.
After the Zener potential Vz there will be a sudden change and the graph will
become exponential.
Circuit Diagram:

Figure no: 01
Procedure:
1. Connected the Circuit as per the Circuit Diagram shown in figure no 01.
2. Switched on the Regulated Power Supply and slowly increased the source voltage. we
Increased the Diode Current in steps of 2mA and noted down the corresponding voltage
across the Zener Diode under Reverse Bias condition as per table given below.
3. Took the readings until a Diode Current of 20mA.
4. Then we plotted the graph (VR versus I) on the graph sheet in the 3rd quadrant as in
Figure no 2.
5. From the graph found out the Dynamic Reverse Bias resistance of the diode.

a. Rz= ………..(1)
∆
b. Rac = = …………(2)
∆

6. Finally Observed and noted down the break down Voltage of the diode.

Data table:
Number of reading Voltmeter reading Ammeter reading
VR (Volts) IR (mA)
1 2 4.90
2 4 4.93
3 6 4.94
4 8 4.95
5 10 4.96
6 12 4.97
7 14 4.98
8 16 4.98
9 18 4.99
10 20 5.00
Graph:

Figure no 02: V-I characteristic of Zener diode

Calculation:
There, V1= 4.9V V2= 5V
I1= 2mA I2= 20mA

= 5.5 * 10^-3 ꭥ
.
Now, Rac= =
∗ ∗ ^

Again, Vz= 4.955V Iz= 9mA

= 550.56 ꭥ
.
Now, Rz = =
∗

Result:
The V-I characteristic of Zener diode indicates that characteristic of Zener diode in reverse bias,
a negligible constant current flow through the Zener diode but the current becomes abruptly large
at certain voltage. This voltage is called as Zener voltage. This Zener breakdown. Here the value
of Rz is 550.56 ohm and Rac is 4.6154 ohm.

Figure no 3&4 : experimental circuit

Discussion:

The experiment was all about understanding how a Zener diode works when we put a reverse
voltage across it. We wanted to figure out its Zener voltage and how its resistance changes. We
did this by slowly increasing the reverse voltage and watching how much current flowed through
the diode. We noticed that there was hardly any current until we hit the Zener voltage, and then
suddenly it shot up. Drawing a graph helped us see this behavior clearly. From our experiment,
we found the Zener voltage was 4.955V, and the resistance was about 550.56 ohms.

We should keep in mind the precautions while doing the experiment. The precautions are quite
similar to that taken in a normal diode
•Excessive flow of current may damage the diode
•Current for sufficiently long time may change the characteristics
•Zener diodes are used in voltage regulation in circuits because even when, a large current flows
through, their voltage does not change appreciably.

Questions and Answers:

1.How will you determine the I-V characteristics of a zener diode?

Ans: To determine the current-voltage (I-V) characteristics of a Zener diode, you apply a reverse
bias voltage across the diode and measure the resulting current flow. As the reverse voltage
increases, the current remains low until the Zener voltage is reached. At the Zener voltage, the
diode experiences Zener breakdown, and the current increases sharply. Plotting the reverse
voltage against the current gives the I-V characteristic curve of the Zener diode.

2.Draw the equivalent circuit of an ideal Zener in the breakdown region.

Ans

In the breakdown region, an ideal Zener diode can be represented by an equivalent circuit
comprising a constant voltage source (Vz) in series with a small dynamic resistance (Rz). This
model simplifies the behavior of the Zener diode, where Vz represents the Zener voltage and Rz
represents the dynamic resistance
3. Explain how Zener diode maintains constant voltage across the load.

Ans: When a Zener diode is reverse-biased and connected across a load resistor (RL), it
operates in the breakdown region. The Zener diode regulates the voltage across the load by
adjusting its current flow. As the input voltage changes, the Zener diode modulates its current
to ensure a nearly constant voltage (equal to the Zener voltage) across the load resistor. This
dynamic regulation mechanism stabilizes the voltage across the load, making Zener diodes
valuable for voltage regulation purposes.