What is Avalanche Breakdown?
- Avalanche breakdown is the phenomenon in which a high electric field is produced by applying high voltage across the diode which in turn increases the resultant current.
- It occurs in lightly doped junctions.
- Its depletion layer is thick.
- The electric field produced is weak.
Difference Between Zener Breakdown and Avalanche Breakdown
The difference between Zener breakdown and Avalanche breakdown is a very important topic to study in semiconductors. When a diode is reverse-biased with an increase in voltage the reverse current also increases. This phenomenon is called breakdown. When the PN diode is reverse biased, a breakdown occurs called PN junction breakdown. Both Zener and avalanche breakdowns are the phenomena for PN junction breakdown. Zener breakdown is the breakdown in which free electrons generate reverse saturation current resulting in breakdown. Avalanche breakdown is breakdown due to increased resultant current produced by a high electric field obtained by applying a high reverse voltage across the diode.
In this article, you will learn about Zener breakdown, Avalanche Breakdown, and the difference between these two.
Table of Content
- What is Zener Breakdown?
- What is Avalanche Breakdown?
- What is the Difference between Zener Breakdown and Avalanche Breakdown?
- Tabular Difference Between Zener Breakdown and Avalanche Breakdown
- Similarities Between Zener Breakdown and Avalanche Breakdown