What is a voltage regulator diode? How to match it with LED light-emitting diodes

What is a Zener diode?

When a diode has current breakdown, as long as the breakdown current has not reached the current required for avalanche breakdown, the diode is not damaged, and the reverse voltage of the diode is fixed at a specific value. When the reverse voltage applied to both ends of the diode disappears, the diode will automatically recover and will not be damaged. This kind of breakdown is called Zener breakdown. People use this characteristic of diode Zener breakdown to make voltage-stabilizing diodes.

This diode is a semiconductor device with very high resistance until the critical reverse breakdown voltage. At this critical breakdown point, the reverse resistance is reduced to a very small value. In this low resistance area, the current increases while the voltage remains constant. Zener diodes are graded according to the breakdown voltage. Because of this characteristic, Zener diodes are mainly used as voltage stabilizers or voltage reference components. Due to its volt-ampere characteristics, Zener diodes can be connected in series for use at higher voltages, and more stable voltages can be obtained by connecting in series.

Zener diodes differ from germanium diodes in that if the reverse voltage, sometimes referred to as "bias", is increased to a certain value, a small change in bias will cause a significant increase in current. The voltage that causes this effect is called the "breakdown" voltage or "Zener" voltage. For example, the breakdown voltage of the 2DW7 tube is between 5.8 and 6.5V, and the maximum current is 30mA.

What are the main applications of Zener diodes?

1. Surge protection
2. Overvoltage protection in TV
3. Arc suppression
4. Series voltage regulation

Zener diodes can also be used in LED light-emitting diodes. For example, when making high-power LEDs, we can connect a Zener diode in parallel to resist ESD, or connect a Zener diode in series to help stabilize the voltage and prevent the LED components from being damaged by current.