GopalKrishna Advanced Rural Research Foundation
GARRF Virtual Engineering & Electronics Laboratory
KALAM ZERO RESEARCH FUNDING LAB
EXPERIMENT 10 SEMICONDUCTOR DIODE RECTIFIER VIRTUAL LAB
KALAM ZERO RESEARCH FUNDING LAB
A semiconductor diode is one of the fundamental building blocks of electronics. It permits current to flow predominantly in one direction and is widely used in rectifiers, protection circuits, signal processing, switching and power electronics.
A diode is formed by joining p-type and n-type semiconductor regions. The junction creates a depletion region and a built-in potential barrier.
For a typical silicon diode, noticeable forward conduction begins around approximately 0.6ā0.7 V, although the exact value depends on current, temperature and device construction.
The equation demonstrates the exponential nature of diode conduction in forward bias.
A half-wave rectifier allows one half-cycle of the AC waveform to reach the load.
A bridge rectifier uses four diodes so that both half-cycles produce the same polarity across the load.
A capacitor connected across the load charges near the peaks of the rectified waveform and discharges between peaks, reducing the ripple voltage.
Observe the rapid increase in forward current after the knee region and the very small reverse current in the simplified model.
Change between half-wave, bridge and capacitor-filter modes to observe how the output waveform changes.
Adjust the controls and click ADD OBSERVATION to record a virtual measurement.
| Trial | Mode | Vin | VD | ID | Vout |
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Need help understanding this experiment? Ask CHITTI for guidance.
"What is a semiconductor diode?"
"Explain forward bias and reverse bias."
"What is the knee voltage?"
"Explain a half-wave rectifier."
"Why does a bridge rectifier use four diodes?"
"Why is a capacitor used after a rectifier?"
Can you find a combination of load resistance and capacitor value that produces a relatively smooth DC output while keeping the ripple small?
This is a virtual experiment. In a physical laboratory, use properly rated diodes, resistors, capacitors and transformers. Observe capacitor polarity and maximum voltage ratings. Never connect experimental circuits directly to mains voltage.