PHYS 3050 Chapter Notes -Diode, Light-Emitting Diode, Lab Report
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Table of contents: background, aim, apparatus, analysis, observations and calculations 3. 4. 6 the light emitting diode (led) 11: sources of error 14, conclusion 14, references 14. In electronics, a diode is an electronic device that restricts current flow chiefly to one direction. The term usually refers to a semiconductor diode, the most common type today, which is a crystal of semiconductor connected to two electrical terminals, a p-n junction. The most common function of a diode is to allow an electric current in one direction (called the forward direction) while blocking current in the opposite direction (the reverse direction). Thus, the diode can be thought of as an electronic version of a check valve. This unidirectional behaviour is called rectification, and is used to convert alternating current to direct current, and remove modulation from radio signals in radio receivers. Leds are pn junction devices that radiate energy primarily as light instead of as heat: aim.