Learning Notebook - David Rostcheck
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A diode is a two-terminal electronic component that conducts current primarily in one direction (asymmetric conductance). It has low (ideally zero) resistance in one direction, and high (ideally infinite) resistance in the other. A diode vacuum tube or thermionic diode is a vacuum tube with two electrodes, a heated cathode and a plate, in which electrons can flow in only one direction, from cathode to plate. A semiconductor diode, the most commonly used type today, is a crystalline piece of semiconductor material with a p–n junction connected to two electrical terminals.[4] Semiconductor diodes were the first semiconductor electronic devices. The discovery of asymmetric electrical conduction across the contact between a crystalline mineral and a metal was made by German physicist Ferdinand Braun in 1874. Today, most diodes are made of silicon, but other semiconducting materials such as gallium arsenide and germanium are also used.[5] Among many uses, diodes are found in rectifiers to convert AC power to DC, demodulation in radio receivers, and can even be used as temperature sensors. A common variant of a diode is a light emitting diode, which is used as electric lighting and status indicators on electronic devices. Diodes may be combined with other components to form logic gates.
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