DIODES

==Diodes== The most common function of a diode is to allow an electric current to pass in one direction (called the diode's forward direction), while blocking current in the opposite direction (the reverse direction). This unidirectional behavior is called rectification, and is used to convert alternating current to direct current. [image:http://i.imgur.com/aGK8m0b.jpg] However, diodes can have more complicated behavior than this simple on–off action, due to their nonlinear current-voltage characteristics. Semiconductor diodes begin conducting electricity only if a certain threshold voltage or cut-in voltage is present in the forward direction (a state in which the diode is said to be forward-biased). [image:http://i.imgur.com/GMFLSX2.jpg]