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Zener diode - class-XII

Description: zener diode
Number of Questions: 32
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Tags: electronic devices semiconductor electronics: materials, devices and simple circuits physics
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A zener regulated power supply consists of a $9 V $ battery connected in series with a and a zener diode. The zener diode maintains a constant voltage drop of $4V $ The current drawn by the load resistance will be :

  1. $0.025 A$

  2. $0.050 A$

  3. $0.01 A$

  4. $0.015 A$


Correct Option: A

Zener breakdown takes place if:

  1. Doped impurity is low

  2. Doped impurity is high

  3. Less impurity in N-part

  4. Less impurity in P-type


Correct Option: B
Explanation:

 Zener breakdown occurs due to heavily doped diodes.In this process electrons crosses the barrier from 

the valence band of the p-type  to the conduction band of the lightly filled n-type material.

If, a Zener diode ($V _z = 5V$ and $I _z = 10 mA$) is connected in series with a resistance and 20 V is applied across the combination, then the maximum resistance one can use without spoiling zener action is

  1. 20 $k\Omega$

  2. 15 $k\Omega$

  3. 10 $k\Omega$

  4. 1.5 $k\Omega$


Correct Option: C

The main cause of Zener breakdown is

  1. the base semiconductor being germanium.

  2. production of electron-hole pairs due to thermal excitation.

  3. low doping.

  4. high doping.


Correct Option: D
Explanation:

Zener breakdown occurs in heavily doped p-n junctions. The heavy doping makes the depletion layer extremely thin. So that, carriers cannot accelerate enough to cause ionization. Thus, current will increase in reverse bias only due to reverse breakdown voltage.

The main cause of avalanche breakdown is

  1. collision by ionisation.

  2. high doping.

  3. recombination of electrons and holes.

  4. low doping.


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

Avalanche breakdown is caused by impact ionization of electron-hole pairs. A very little current flows under reverse bias conditions and depletion region increases. The electric field in the depletion region of a diode can be very high. Electron/holes that enter the depletion region undergo a tremendous acceleration. As these accelerated carriers collide with the atoms, they can knock electrons from their bonds, creating additional electron/hole pairs and thus additional current. As these secondary carriers are swept into the depletion region, they too are accelerated and the process repeats itself.

The avalanche breakdown in p-n junction is due to

  1. shift of Fermi level.

  2. cumulative effect of conduction band electron.

  3. widening of forbidden gap.

  4. high impurity concentration.


Correct Option: B
Explanation:

The avalanche breakdown in p-n junction is due to cumulative effect of conduction band electron. In reverse bias, due to applied electric field, electrons acquire enough energy to free more electron bound to the atom. The abundant number of electron-hole pairs are created for conduction, this is cumulative effect.

A Zener diode

  1. is a lightly doped junction diode.

  2. heavily doped junction diode.

  3. is either p-type or n-type.

  4. has no p-n junction.


Correct Option: B
Explanation:

The reverse breakdown voltage depends on doping of the diode. Hence, in the Zener diode the heavy doping of its p-n junction is done. The depletion region formed in the diode is very thin ($<1\ m$) and the reverse bias voltage of about $5\ V$ which is less than ordinary diode.

The current flow in a Zener diode is mainly due to

  1. thermally generated charge carriers

  2. minority charge carriers

  3. collision generated charge carriers

  4. ions


Correct Option: C
Explanation:

When the reverse bias breakdown voltage is exceeded, a conventional diode is subject to high current due to avalanche breakdown. Avalanche breakdown occurs in reverse bias when the applied voltage is high enough, the free electron may move fast enough to knock other electrons free, creating more free-electron-hole pairs (i.e., more charge carriers), increasing the current. Thus, the current flow in a Zener diode is mainly due to collision generated charge carriers

Zener diode works on

  1. zero bias

  2. reverse bias

  3. forward bias

  4. infinite bias


Correct Option: B
Explanation:

We know that zener diode works on the reverse bias. When the reverse bias is equal to the break-down voltage, the voltage across the zener remains almost constant and the current increases rapidly.

Zener diode acts as a/an

  1. oscillator

  2. regulator

  3. rectifier

  4. fliter


Correct Option: B
Explanation:

Zener diode is used to supply constant voltage in voltage regulator circuit hence option (b) is correct.

A zener diode can be used as 

  1. oscillator .

  2. voltage regulator.

  3. rectifier.

  4. transformer.


Correct Option: B

At breakdown voltage, the rate of creation of hole-electron pairs is _____  leading to the _______  in current. 

  1. increased, decrease

  2. increased, increase

  3. decreased, increase

  4. decreased, decrease


Correct Option: B
Explanation:

When the reverse voltage across a diode is very large, the valance electrons become free due to applied high electric field and get enough acceleration to make other electrons free, thus create a lot of electron-hole pairs in a short time. As the number of charge carriers increases, current also increases.

Therefore, at breakdown voltage, the rate of creation of hole-electron pairs is increased leading to the increase in current.

Which of these is the best description of a Zener diode ?

  1. It is a constant voltage device.

  2. It operates in the reverse region.

  3. It is a constant current device.

  4. It works in forward region.


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

Zener diode is a p-n junction diode working in the breakdown region. It is used as a voltage regulator/stabilizer to provide a constant voltage from a source whose voltage may fluctuate over a wide range.

Zener-diode is used in.

  1. Amplification

  2. Rectification

  3. Oscillator in producing oscillations

  4. Volatge regulation


Correct Option: D
Explanation:

 A voltage regulator circuit can be designed using a zener diode to maintain a constant DC output voltage across the load in spite of variations in the input voltage or changes in the load current. 

Zener diode is a voltage regulation device.

  1. True

  2. False


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

True. A voltage regulator circuit can be designed using a zener diode to maintain a constant DC output voltage across the load in spite of variations in the input voltage or changes in the load current. 

 If the series resistance decreases in an unloaded zener regulator, the zener current

  1. Decreases

  2. Stays the same

  3. Increases

  4. Equals the voltage divided by the resistance


Correct Option: C
Explanation:

current increases as the resistance decreases, as zener current is inversely proportional to the series resistance

Zener diodes with breakdown voltage ranging over 2V- 200 V are commercially available. Breakdown voltage of a zener diode

  1. Increases with increasing doping concentration

  2. Decreases with increasing doping concentration

  3. Does not depend on doping concentration

  4. May increases or decreases with increasing doping concentration


Correct Option: B
Explanation:

For Zener Diodes, the breakdown voltage decreases with increasing doping concentration.

The load voltage is approximately constant when a zener diode is

  1. Forward-biased

  2. Reverse-biased

  3. Operating in the breakdown region

  4. Unbiased


Correct Option: C
Explanation:

The zener voltage will be a constant only when it is operating in the breakdown region

A zener diode is specified as having a breakdown voltage of $9.1 V$, with a maximum power dissipation of $364 \ mW$. What is the maximum current the diode can handle? 

  1. $40 \ mA$

  2. $60 \ mA$

  3. $50 \ mA$

  4. $45 \ mA$


Correct Option: B

In a zener regulated power supply of a zener diode with $V _z$ = 6V is used for regulation. The load current is to be 4 mA and the unregulated input is 10 V. The value of series resistor $R _s$ is

  1. less than $ 5 \ \Omega$

  2. Infinite

  3. greater than 100 $\Omega$

  4. zero


Correct Option: C

If the revers bias voltage applied  to a p-n junction diode is increased, its barrier capacitance would:

  1. increase

  2. decrease

  3. remain constant

  4. first increase then decrease


Correct Option: A

In a zener diode, break down occurs in reverse bias due to

  1. Impact ionisation

  2. Internal field emission

  3. High doping concentration

  4. All of these


Correct Option: D

Two capacitors each having capacitance C and breakdown voltage V are joined in series. The capacitance and the breakdown voltage of the combination will be 

  1. 2 C and 2 V

  2. C/2 and V/2

  3. 2 C and V/2

  4. C/2 and 2 V.


Correct Option: D
Explanation:

We know that the charge on a capacitor is 
$\begin{array}{l} Q=CV \\ C\propto \dfrac { 1 }{ V }  \\ in\, \, series\, \, combination \\ { C _{ net } }=\dfrac { { { C _{ 1 } }{ C _{ 2 } } } }{ { { C _{ 1 } }+{ C _{ 2 } } } }  \\ Hence, \\ { C _{ eq } }=\dfrac { C }{ 2 }  \\ { V _{ combination } }=2V \end{array}$

$\therefore$ option $D$ is correct.

What is the order of the reverse saturation current before breakdown in a Zener diode

  1. ampere

  2. milli-ampere

  3. it depends on the applied voltage

  4. micro-ampere


Correct Option: C

The number of minority carriers crossing the junction of a diode depends primarily on the :

  1. concentration of doping impurities

  2. magnitude of potential barrier

  3. magnitude of the forward bias voltage

  4. rate of thermal generation of electron-hole pair


Correct Option: C

Select and write the correct option from the options given in each question:
Optical Detector is:

  1. Diode Laser

  2. Laser

  3. LED

  4. Photo Diode


Correct Option: D

Which of the following is/are true regarding  breakdown voltage of Zener diode?

  1. If the reverse bias voltage across a p-n junction diode is increased, at a particular voltage the reverse current suddenly decreases to a large value

  2. The holes in the n-side and the conduction electrons in the p-side are accelerated due to the reverse bias voltage.

  3. The voltage at which the rate of creation of hole-electron pairs is increased leading to the increased current is called avalanche breakdown

  4. None of the above


Correct Option: B
Explanation:

Consider applying an external voltage to the junction with the the negative terminal connected to the P type material and the positive terminal connected to the N type material. For the P-N junction this would require injecting electrons into the P type material. These electrons would recombine with holes and therefore further deplete the majority charge carriers in the P type semiconductor. 


Also removing electrons from the N type material would obviously cause further depletion the free electrons (the majority charge carriers in the N type semiconductor). This causes a widening of the depletion layer and an increase in the charge at the junction which reinforces the barrier voltage to oppose the applied voltage. The net result is that when the P-N junction is reversed biased it blocks current flow.

Which of the following semi-conducting devices is used as voltage regulator?

  1. Zener diode

  2. LASER diode

  3. Photo diode

  4. Solar cell


Correct Option: A
Explanation:

Zener diode is used as a voltage regulator device because the voltage across the zener diode in reverse bias is constant after reaching certain value i.e. breakdown voltage.

What is true about the breakdown voltage in a zener diode?

  1. It decreases when current increases.

  2. It destroys the diode.

  3. It equals the current times the resistance.

  4. It is approximately constant.


Correct Option: D
Explanation:

As the current in the zener diode increases, the voltage across the diode remains constant. This voltage will be equal to the zener breakdown voltage

When the source voltage increases in a zener regulator, which of these currents remains approximately constant?

  1. Series current

  2. Zener current

  3. Load current

  4. Total current


Correct Option: C
Explanation:

The load current is independent of the source voltage variations and hence remains a constant

If the load resistance decreases in a zener regulator, the zener current

  1. Decreases

  2. Stays the same

  3. Increases

  4. Equals the source voltage divided by the series resistance


Correct Option: C
Explanation:

The load current is given by $I _L=\dfrac{V _z}{R _L}$ and the zener current is given by $I _z=I _s-I _L$. Thus, if the load resistance decreases, load current increases. This in turn will reduce the zener current 

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