UNIVERSITY OF WEST ATTICA
SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING
DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER ENGINEERING AND INFORMATICS

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Electronics

Diode

Vasileios Evangelos Athanasiou
Student ID: 19390005

GitHub · LinkedIn

Supervisor: Eleni Tsalera, Laboratory Teaching Staff

UNIWA Profile

Co-supervisor: Michalis Diamantopoulos, Lecturer in Applications

UNIWA Profile

Athens, November 2022

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Project Overview

This project was completed for the Department of Information and Computer Engineering at the University of West Attica (UNIWA). It examines the electrical characteristics and operating behavior of silicon crystal diodes and Zener diodes under different biasing conditions.

The analysis is conducted through:

• Theoretical calculations
• Software simulations
• Experimental laboratory measurements

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Table of Contents

Section	Folder / File	Description
1	assign/	Assignment material
1.1	assign/Exercise-3rd-Diode.pdf	Assignment description (English)
1.2	assign/Άσκηση-3η-Δίοδος.pdf	Assignment description (Greek)
2	components/	Lab components and equipment images
3	diode/ForwardDiode/ForwardDiodeGe/	Forward-biased Germanium diode experiments
3.1	diode/ForwardDiode/ForwardDiodeSi/	Forward-biased Silicon diode experiments
3.2	diode/Graphs/	Graphical results of diode experiments
3.3	diode/Lab5/	Lab 5 experimental data and drawings
3.4	diode/NonForwardDiode/NonForwardDiodeGe/	Reverse-biased Germanium diode experiments
3.5	diode/NonForwardDiode/NonForwardDiodeSi/	Reverse-biased Silicon diode experiments
3.6	diode/Q5/	Question 5 experiments and results
3.7	diode/Q6/	Question 6 experiments and results
4	docs/	Theoretical documentation
4.1	docs/Diode.pdf	Diode theory (English)
4.2	docs/Δίοδος.pdf	Diode theory (Greek)
5	zener/ForwardZener/	Forward-biased Zener diode experiments
5.1	zener/Graphs/	Graphical results for Zener diode
5.2	zener/NonForwardZener/	Reverse-biased Zener diode experiments
5.3	zener/Q4.vsdx	Question 4 drawings and diagrams
6	README.md	Repository overview and instructions

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Technical Contents

The project is divided into two main sections:

1. Crystal Diode (Silicon)

A detailed study of a silicon crystal diode, including:

• Forward Bias

  • Theoretical analysis
  • Simulation using Multisim
  • Experimental laboratory measurements

• Inverse Bias

  • Examination of reverse-biased diode behavior

• Key Findings

  • Observation of the barrier potential stabilizing at approximately 0.6 V
  • Experimental verification of Ohm’s Law and Kirchhoff’s Laws

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2. Zener Diode

An investigation into the behavior of Zener diodes, focusing on:

• Forward Bias

  • Analysis of forward conduction characteristics

• Inverse Bias

  • Study of reverse breakdown behavior
  • Voltage stabilization properties of the Zener diode

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Equipment Used

The following equipment and components were used during laboratory experimentation:

• DC Power Supply – Provides variable input voltage
• MCP MT8045 Multimeter – Digital and analog measurements
• M21-7000A Training System – Includes breadboard for circuit assembly
• Components
  • Resistors: 4.7 kΩ, 150 Ω
  • Silicon diodes
  • Zener diodes

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Software Tools

• Multisim – Simulation and verification of circuit behavior
• MS Visio – Creation of schematic diagrams for diode polarizations

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Installation & Setup Guide

This guide explains how to install, set up, and use the Diode laboratory project.
The repository contains theoretical material, Multisim simulations, experimental results, and diagrams related to silicon crystal diodes and Zener diodes.

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Prerequisites

Before working with this project, ensure the following requirements are met.

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1. Software Requirements

NI Multisim

• NI Multisim 14 or newer
• Required to open and run circuit simulations and verify diode behavior.
• Used extensively in:
  • Forward-biased diode experiments
  • Reverse-biased diode experiments
  • Zener diode analysis

PDF Reader

• Any modern PDF viewer (Adobe Reader, browser-based, etc.)
• Required to open:
  • Assignment descriptions
  • Theoretical documentation (English & Greek)

Diagram Viewer (Optional)

• Microsoft Visio or a compatible viewer
• Required for .vsdx files (e.g., zener/Q4.vsdx)

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2. Hardware Requirements (Optional – for Physical Lab Work)

If performing real laboratory measurements, the following equipment is required:

• DC Power Supply
• Digital Multimeter: MCP MT8045
• Training System: M21-7000A (with breadboard)
• Components
  • Resistors: 4.7 kΩ, 150 Ω
  • Silicon diodes
  • Zener diodes

Hardware is not required if you are only running simulations and reviewing documentation.

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Installation & Setup

1. Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/Electronics-aka-Uniwa/Diode.git
cd Diode

2. Open and Run Multisim Simulations

• Launch NI Multisim.
• Navigate to the relevant experiment folder, for example:

diode/ForwardDiode/ForwardDiodeSi/

• Open the provided Multisim project files.
• Click Run Simulation.
• Observe:
  • Diode I–V characteristics
  • Forward voltage drop
  • Reverse-bias behavior
  • Zener breakdown region

3. Access Theoretical Documentation

Open the files located in the docs/ directory:

• English: Diode.pdf
• Greek: Δίοδος.pdf

These documents cover:

• PN-junction theory
• Forward and reverse bias operation
• Zener diode breakdown behavior

4. Review Assignment Instructions

Navigate to the assign/ folder:

• English: Exercise-3rd-Diode.pdf
• Greek: Άσκηση-3η-Δίοδος.pdf

Follow these documents for:

• Required experiments
• Measurement procedures
• Expected analysis and conclusions

5. Optional: View Diagrams and Graphs

• Open experimental graphs from:

diode/Graphs/
zener/Graphs/

• Open Visio drawings (if available) using Microsoft Visio:

zener/Q4.vsdx

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Running the Experiments

1. Silicon Crystal Diode

• Forward Bias
  • Measure voltage and current
  • Observe barrier potential (~0.6 V)
• Reverse Bias
  • Confirm minimal current flow
  • Verify theoretical expectations

2. Zener Diode

• Forward Bias
  • Analyze conduction characteristics -Reverse Bias
  • Observe breakdown region
  • Verify voltage stabilization behavior