Semiconductor Fundamentals Unit 4 – Diode Wave Shaping and Zener Regulation
Limiter and clamper circuits take advantage of the diode forward bias voltage drop to set the
clipping or clamping voltage level.
A zener diode is designed to operate safely at the reverse breakdown voltage. The symbol for a
zener diode is shown above.
The breakdown voltage of a zener diode is called the zener voltage (VZ). The zener voltage can
be from3V to 200V. At the zener voltage region, the reverse current (zener current) increases
very rapidly for a very slight increase in zener voltage.