Electronic
Electronic
Department of Engineering
Computer Engineering
Introduction
Zener diodes is specially designed to have low reverse breakdown voltage. Zener diode has a
reverse bias characteristic with almost constant negative voltage as long as the diode current
remains between the breakdown current Iz(min) and the maximum current rating Iz(max). Zener
diode is mainly used as a voltage regulator, which keeps the voltage across the load constant
even if the source voltage changes or has some ripples. Zener diode will continue to regulate the
voltage until the diode current falls below the minimum Iz(min) value.
+V 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Vzd 1 2 3 4.67 4.8 4.8 4.9 4.9 4.96 5 5 5 5.1
Izd 0 0 0.1 0.3 1.5 5.2 9.8 14.1 18.3 2.3 27.6 31.8 36.4
+V 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Vzd 4 4.6 4.8 4.8 4.9 4.96 5 5.07
R2+R3=1KΩ
Vzd 2.1 2.9 3.4 3.9 4.4 4.7 4.8 4.9
R2+R3=220Ω
Voltage Regulation % 26.75% 10.22% 5.63% 5.63% 3.47% 2.22% 1.40% 0%
(1 kΩ)
Voltage Regulation % 90.48% 58.62% 41.18% 23.08% 11.36% 5.53% 4.17% 3.47%
(200 Ω)
- VR % (1 kΩ)=((V12V−Vx)/Vx)×100
- VR % (220 Ω)=((V1k-V220)/V220)x100
3. The curve of the voltage with 1kΩ load and with 220Ω load
4. find the zener current (Iz) in mA :
Is =50mA
IL=2.5mA
At the zener diode node
IZ=Is-IL =50-2.5=47.5mA
6. Which of the following voltages represents the breakdown voltage for the zener diode
used in the experiment.
D 5V why? Because the Zener diode begins to regulate around 4.7V to 5V
Conclusion
In this experiment, the reverse bias characteristics of a Zener diode were analyzed to
understand its voltage regulation behavior. The Zener diode maintained a nearly
constant output voltage of approximately 5V once the input voltage exceeded the Zener
breakdown threshold, confirming its role as a voltage regulator. As demonstrated
through various load conditions (1kΩ and 220Ω), the Zener diode effectively regulated
voltage under light loads, while regulation was less precise under heavier loads due to
increased current draw. The I-V characteristic curve confirmed the sharp increase in
current at the breakdown voltage, a defining feature of Zener diodes. Overall, the
experiment successfully validated the use of Zener diodes in reverse bias for voltage
stabilization in electronic circuits.