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SOME IMPORTANT AND INTERESTING TOPICS

AC & DC

An interesting difference between AC and DC involves the amount of energy it can carry. Each battery is
designed to produce only one voltage, and that voltage of DC cannot travel very far until it begins to lose
energy. AC voltage from a generator in a power plant can be bumped up or down in strength by another
mechanism, called a transformer. Transformers are located on the electrical pole on the street, not at the power
plant. They change very high voltage into a lower voltage appropriate for home appliances, like lamps and
refrigerators. AC can even be changed to DC by an adapter, such as that used to power the battery on a
laptop.

ACTIVE COMPONENTS

The components which produce the energy in the form of current or voltage are called as active
components. Example: transistors etc,.

PASSIVE COMPONENTS

The components which store the energy in the form of current or voltage are called as passive
components. example: inductors, resistors, capacitors etc,.
TOPIC : VOLTAGE STABILIZER USING ZENER DIODE

INTRODUCTION :

Normally we use voltage stabilizers to provide a constant voltage from a d.c source across a load. Zener diode can
be used as a voltage regulator.
A properly doped crystal diode, which has a sharp break down voltage, is known as zener diode. It is operated
always under reverse bias condition in the breakdown region.
Zener breakdown takes place in very thin junctions. When both P and n regions are heavily doped, the depletion
layer becomes very narrow. In a very thin depletion layer, the electric field across the depletion layer becomes as
high as 107 Vm-1 with only small applied voltage. An electric field of such a high magnitude exerts a large force on
the valence electrons of the atoms in the depletion layer. Consequently, covalent bonds are broken and as large
number of electron-hole pairs are produced. These carriers are then accelerated by the applied voltage. Hence the
reverse current increases rapidly. This process by which covalent bonds in the depletion region are directly broken by
the strong electric field is called zener breakdown and the reverse voltage at which breakdown takes place is called
zener voltage (Vz).

By the careful adjustment of the doping, the characteristic beyond the breakdown voltage is obtained almost vertical.
In other words, in this region the reverse voltage across the diode remains almost constant for a large variation of
reverse current. So the zener diode can be used as a voltage stabilizer. Therefore it is interesting to find the variation
of output voltage on different input voltage in a voltage stabilizer.

AIM
To construct a voltage stabilizer and to study its characteristics.
METHOD OF STUDY
Connections are made as shown in figure.

Picture-1
R is the current limiting resistor, which keeps the current through zener diode within the permissible limit and RL is
the load across which we get the regulated output. To make this connection, an external d.c source, a Rheostat, two
voltmeters, a Zener diode, a Resistor and a key are needed.
The input (dc) voltage is applied to the zener diode.So that the diode is reverse biased.The voltage across RL will be
always Vz, the zener voltage of the diode provided, the input voltage does not go below Vz, the zener voltage.
Measurement of output voltage for different input voltages across the zener diode is taken.

COLLETED DATA
The output voltages across the zener diode for different input voltages are given below:
Zener voltage = 6 V
Resistance of the resistor= 330 ?

Table-1

From the above observation we could understand that the voltage across RL(Load) will be always Vz (here ˜6V) the
zener voltage of the diode provided the input voltage does not go below Vz,the zener voltage. If input voltage is less
than that of zener voltage, the output shows same voltage as in the input. But if input voltage is greater than that of
Zener voltage, the output gives only zener voltage. So zener diode can be used as a voltage regulator to provide a
constant voltage from a d.c source across a load RL.

? Suppose the input voltage Vi increases beyond Vz. Since the zener is in the breakdown region. The voltage across
the zener diode and hence the output voltage across the load remains constant as Vz. The excess voltage, Vi-Vz. is
dropped across the current limiting resistor R. if I is the current from the sources.
Vi- Vz = IR
To put it in another way, as Vi increases beyond Vz, I = IL + IZ increases. The zener will conduct the increase of
current in I while the load current IL remains constant. Hence the output voltage across RL= I L X RL remains
constant irrespective of the change in the input voltage Vi.

? Suppose the load resistance RL changes.then also the output voltage remains constant at Vz.

In the case if the load Rl increases, there is a decrease in the source current I at constant VI
It can be shown that the load current. IL decreases and the decreases is due to the decrease in the total current I and
the increase in the zener current Iz. Thus the voltage across the load remains constant as VZ.

CONCLUSION

Voltage stabilizers (zener diodes) can be used as a voltage regulator to provide a constant voltage from a d..c source
across a load RL.
By using voltage stabilizers, we can save our electrical equipments to a large extent. Because whenever the input
voltage in the circuit increases, by thundering, short circuiting or by any other way, zener diode give only its zener
voltage to the appliance as output voltage. Otherwise the appliances will burn out due to high voltage.

SUGGESTIONS

• Zener diode must be reverse biased.

• The depletion layer must be kept very thin.
• Zener diode must connect parallel to the load.
• By using voltage stabilizers in electrical appliances, we can save them to a large extent from thundering, short
circuiting etc;-

REFERENCES

Fundamentals of PHYSICS CLASS XII BY Was Publication.

Practical Physics class XI & XII by sunil A Pillai – An Anamika Publication.
NCERT Text of class XII.
Plus two physics by Xavier and Roy.