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What is difference between silicon and germanium diode?
A Silicon Diode is a semiconductor that has both positive and negative charge polarity and can allow an electrical current to flow in one direction whilst restricting another. A Germanium Diode works in the same way but has a low forward voltage which results in it being a low power loss and an efficient diode.
What is the voltage of germanium diode?
In a small silicon diode operating at its rated currents, the voltage drop is about 0.6 to 0.7 volts. The value is different for other diode types—Schottky diodes can be rated as low as 0.2 V, germanium diodes 0.25 to 0.3 V, and red or blue light-emitting diodes (LEDs) can have values of 1.4 V and 4.0 V respectively.
What are the uses germanium diodes?
2) These devices were primarily transistors and diodes. However, germanium diodes have the advantage of an intrinsically low forward voltage drop, typically 0.3 volts; this low forward voltage drop results in a low power loss and more efficient diode, making it superior in many ways to the silicon diode.
What happens when diode is zero biased?
When a diode is Zero Biased no external energy source is applied and a natural Potential Barrier is developed across a depletion layer which is approximately 0.5 to 0.7v for silicon diodes and approximately 0.3 of a volt for germanium diodes.
Do germanium diodes go bad?
Diodes are semiconductor devices that conduct current in one direction only, and are commonly made from silicon or germanium. Although diodes rarely fail, it can happen if they are exposed to voltage or current above their rated limits.
Where can I find germanium diode?
Germanium diodes (like 1N34A) are hard to find in usual large distributors such as Digikey, Mouser, Newark, Farnell or RS, they are mostly found in specialised audio and guitar pedal boutiques since their use is more and more reduced to audio distortion in fuzz pedals.
What is the best diode for Crystal Radio?
For crystal a radio, you need a good quality germanium diode, which will provide a nice strong signal. The best diodes that provide the strongest and clearest signal were vintage ones that had been recycled out of old radios.
What does a germanium look like?
Germanium looks like a metal. It has a bright, shiny, silvery color. But it is brittle and breaks apart rather easily, which metals normally do not do. It has a melting point of 937.4°C (1,719°F) and a boiling point of 2,830°C (5,130°F).
What is germanium crystal?
Description (From Recipaedia) Germanium crystal is a crystal of pure electronic-grade germanium. It is a semiconductor and can be used to make electronic logic gates.