Question

What is the difference between knee voltage and breakdown voltage?

Answer 1

No, the zener breakdown voltage is the reverse bias breakdown voltage, where current increases very very very quickly for a very small change in reverse bias voltage, and the knee voltage is the point on forward bias voltage/current (described by the shockly diode eqn) where current increases by 50% for a 10% increase

Answer 2

Answer:

The knee voltage, also known as the cut-in voltage, is the forward voltage at which the current through the junction begins to rapidly increase. Break down voltage is the reverse voltage at which a diode's P-N junction breaks down due to a sudden increase in reverse current.

Explanation:

Knee Voltage:

Knee voltage is the forward voltage at which current flow through the PN junction of a diode rapidly increases. In Zener Diodes, the knee voltage is commonly observed.

• In a forward biased PN junction, it is the voltage at which currents begin to flow or increase.

• The depletion layer's width shrinks.

• $0.3$V for Ge and $0.7$V for Si.

Breakdown voltage:

The breakdown voltage is the voltage at which the breakdown process begins. The open gap voltage rises until it creates an ionization path through the dielectric before current can flow. The voltage drops and stabilizes at the working gap level once the current begins to flow.

• It is at this reverse voltage that the junction breaks down and the reverse current rapidly increases.

• The depletion layer's width grows.

• $25$V for Ge and $35$V for Si.