Explain briefly how reverse current suddenly increases and the reverse breakdown voltage
Answers
A zener diode is a special type of device designed to operate in the zener breakdown region. Zener diodes acts like normal p-n junction diodes under forward biased condition. When forward biased voltage is applied to the zener diode it allows large amount of electric current and blocks only a small amount of electric current.
Zener diode is heavily doped than the normal p-n junction diode. Hence, it has very thin depletion region. Therefore, zener diodes allow more electric current than the normal p-n junction diodes.
Zener diode allows electric current in forward direction like a normal diode but also allows electric current in the reverse direction if the applied reverse voltage is greater than the zener voltage. Zener diode is always connected in reverse direction because it is specifically designed to work in reverse direction.
Specially if u observe in the case of zener diode, a sudden increase in reverse current happens.
Here the reverse voltage is applied across the diode, a strong electric field is induces into the narrow depletion region there by this strong field pulls some of the valence electrons into conduction band by breaking their covalent bonds. A large number of free electrons are generated like this. There by a sharp rise in current happens....